Improving Marble Countertop Look

by Kay
(Maryland)

QUESTION:

I have kind of a creamy tan marble bathroom countertop. I think I got a bum job. It has never looked that great. It just doesn't really have any shine.


And I guess here and there are water spots that won't come up. I have used a marble cleaner/wax to no avail. I paid big money for it, and it is such a disappointment.

Is there a solution? Thank You, Kay

ANSWER:

Well a new marble countertop should look great. You say it doesn't have a shine... did it ever?

Many different surface finishes can be created for marble, so this may be the issue. A shiny or "polished" finish is very common, but you could have a "honed" finish that is smooth and has a bit of sheen, but it is not shiny and reflective like polished marble countertop.

The other more common possibility is that the marble countertop did look great, but the finish was damaged by acidic bath products like mouth wash, perfume, etc. or by using the wrong cleaning products.

Marble is sensitive to acids and most common brand-name type cleaners will "etch" marble countertops leaving them dull and discolored and/or with spots.

So, you should only use products safe for cleaning marble and you should not store liquid products on the surface. Use a tray or put on a shelf.

If the marble countertop was originally shiny and polished, then you can use ETCH REMOVER / Marble Polishing Paste to restore the color and shine.

If the marble was never shiny/polished, but honed you'll have to follow instructions in the Removing Etch Marks ebook.

There isn't a product that will repair etching on a honed surface, but you can often do-it-yourself cheaply and easily.

Don't put any more wax on the surface. Won't hurt the marble, but scuffs easy, can turn yellow and doesn't really help anything, but definitely increases the maintenance needs.

And not all "marble cleaners" are created equal. Many companies have jumped on the stone bandwagon marketing products supposedly for stone that can still damage. And some issues (like etching) require specialized products.