White Marble Tub Surround
by Lori Schmitt
QUESTION:Hello, I have three marble panels that surround my bathtub and shower. They have turned from white with gray veins to yellow. Please advise how to restore the panels back to white.ANSWER:Lori, is the marble yellow all over or just in spots or a certain pattern? Is it possible that panels are "cultured" marble?I ask because although possible, installing panels of marble (vs. tile) is very expensive and not often done. "Cultured" marble is often installed in panels; however, it is not actually marble. It is made with ground marble that is molded into shapes and coated with an epoxy/plastic like surface that is often made to look like marble. Cultured marble has a tendency to yellow as it ages and the protective coating wears away. Once stained or discolored, cultured marble is not easily restored. You'll need to contact a professional. From a cost perspective, it may be less expensive to just rip it out and install something new. White marble (real marble) can show yellowing when constantly exposed to water (water behind the panels/tiles) that leaches into the marble and rusts small iron deposits found in some white marble. Usually the yellowing would be in spots or splotches, but not uniformly over the entire surface. Another possible explanation is that you indeed do have marble, but have etched and/or stained it somehow. Again, is the yellowing even across the panels or just in spots? Uniform discoloration would suggest damage/staining from cleaning. Spot or wear patterns indicate staining due to repeated exposure to oily products. In either case, you'll need a professional to restore the marble. Honestly, it's hard to give you a concrete answer without a picture on this one. As you see, the answers depend on a few variables, but I'm leaning toward old cultured marble that you probably just want to replace. Good Luck, Ryan |
