Removing curling iron burn mark from white cultured marble vanity top

by Donna
(Lexington, KY)

QUESTION:

I have a 72" all in one piece (sinks, top) white cultured marble vanity top.

Unfortunately, I left a straightening iron on and burned a small area near the sink. It is red and light brown burn.

Any way to repair a curling iron burn on cultured marble?

If I use a light sand paper/steel wool to remove the stain, what do I use to bring back the low shine?

Thank you for any input. Donna Lexington, KY

ANSWER:

First understand that any type of abrasive paper, pad or cleaner will scratch and damage the protective gel coat of cultured marble countertop, so typically you do not want to use such things for cleaning.

But of course the curling iron has already damaged the surface, so yes...

Light sanding may work to remove the red/brown burned material.

The best advice is to hire a cultured marble professional to attempt a repair. Cultured marble is difficult and tricky to repair once damaged. No really good DIY solutions, so if you truly want to fix it a pro will have the knowledge and experience to achieve decent results.

But, often replacement is more cost effective than repair.

If you want to do it yourself sanding should help, but first, I'd try a bleach solution (diluted with plenty of water) and a soft-bristle brush first and see if that works to remove the burned discoloration.

FYI... don't use straight bleach on cultured marble. It will damage the surface.

If not, apply a rubbing compound made for cars and sand lightly using a high grit 800 or 1000 wet/dry sand paper.

Once all the discolored material is removed and you've smoothed the area, you should buff it with a buffing pad. Easiest if you use a hand held drill to do this.

Then you should periodically apply a liquid gel gloss (made for cultured marble) to the whole surface, which will help condition and maintain the original gel coat and keep the surface shiny.

You'll likely always have a noticeble area of damage, but the above should help you remove the burn mark and approve the appearance.

Comments for Removing curling iron burn mark from white cultured marble vanity top

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Repairing burn marks in cultured marble vanity tops
by: M Jones

I have been doing porcelain repair for over 20 years. We repair tubs, vanity tops, granite and many other items.

The easiest way to remove a burn in a cultured marble vanity top is to use 400 grit wet dry sand paper on a sanding block in circular motions until the stain is gone.

Please note if the burn is real dark and sanding does not seem to be removing it after a few moments of sanding, then the burn may have gone through the gel coat and be into the core.

Be careful not to sand too far down. The core is very porous and will not polish. After you have removed the stain with the 400 grit, use 600 grit to remove any sand marks.

When done sanding use dupount 606s buffing compound on a damp rag polish in a circular motion until the area comes back to a high gloss finish.

Never ever use bleach on a gel coat vanity top. Bleach dries out the gel coat and will cause it to crack.

Do not pour bleach products used for cleaning your floors into you sinks or tubs. Pour them into the toilets they are china and will not crack.

removing curling iron burns on cultured marble sink
by: Bernie

Just took one off my sink a guest accidentally did. Simply apply glass stove top cleaner. It was gone in less than 5 minutes and 3 applications. I was going to replace it. It was amazing.

==== Countertop Specialty comment:

Glad that worked Bernie. Good tip!

NOTE that this was on "cultured" marble, which is completely different than a real marble countertop or sink.

Do NOT apply oven or stove top cleaner to a real marble countertop. Such products will damage and dull the marble surface.

Fixing cultured marble countertop burn
by: Eddie

Clean out divit and then fill with super glue, the glue reacts with the cultured marble and absorbs the natural color.

Let glue dry several days. I know that sounds like a lot but the results are worth it.

Then use a dremel Moto-tool or 4" grinder, grind mountain of glue down to surface edge, but beware fumes that come off of glue are unbearable. Wear s mask and goggles, then finish sand with 50 grit sandpaper on Palm sander and that's it.

Faux marble table top
by: Anonymous

How would I fix a faux marble table top that has had an abrasive pad used on it to clean it? The end result is a cloudy haze on table where pad was applied. Any tips for fixing this? Thank you.

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