Removing Curling Iron Burn Mark from White Cultured Marble Vanity Top

QUESTION:

I have a 72" all in one piece white cultured marble vanity top.

I left a hot curling iron on the countertop that burned a small area near the sink. It is a red and light brown burn.

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

If I use light sandpaper or 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 sandpaper, abrasive pad, or cleaner will scratch and damage the protective gel coat of a cultured marble countertop.

So, you do not want to use anything abrasive for cleaning cultured marble.

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But for repairing cultured marble, it's a different story. The curling iron has already burned the surface, so yes...

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

It depends on the depth of the damage. If the protective gel-coat is burned all the way through, then you probably cannot repair the vanity top.

The best advice is to hire a cultured marble professional to attempt a repair with a severe or deep burn.

Cultured marble repair is difficult and tricky. There are DIY solutions that can work, but they can require multiple steps, time, and effort.

And some of the gel-coat must remain intact for a successful DIY repair.

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.

How To Remove Burn Mark on Cultured Marble

If you want to repair it yourself, then sanding should help. But first...

1. Scrub with a diluted bleach solution (8 parts water to 1 part bleach) and a soft-bristle brush and see if that works to remove the cultured marble burn and discoloration.

FYI... don't use straight bleach on cultured marble. It will damage the surface. Also, don't let the diluted solution sit too long and rinse thoroughly after use.

2. Then sand lightly using a fine 800-grit or 1000-grit wet/dry sandpaper. Start with the fine-grit sandpaper and see how it goes.

But it may not remove enough. If not try a more coarse 400 or 600-grit sandpaper.

3. Then apply a rubbing-polishing compound made for cars. Do this by hand or with a buffing pad on a drill or using a buffer at low speed.

The rubbing compound is slightly abrasive and will remove and blend light scratches from sanding to smooth the surface and prepare for final polishing.

Once all the discolored material is removed and you've smoothed the area, rinse and clean the area.

4. Next apply this Gel-Gloss Polish (made for cultured marble) to the whole surface.

Buff it to a shine with a buffing pad by hand, or attached to a handheld drill, angle grinder, or power buffer.

Periodically applying this Gel-Gloss product will help condition and maintain the original gel coat and keep the surface shiny.

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