Polishing out water rings on marble countertops is a very feasible solution to those unsightly etches. This was a beautiful leathered finish stone countertop in the Metrowest area that had etch marks. Etches on marble always come from some type of acid. Often, it’s foods and drinks that are acidic. (If you think about it, anything that tastes tangy has some acid in it – think of lemonade, vinegar, wine, orange juice, etc). The acid etches showed up as milky white rings and detracted from its appearance.
Frequently it’s easy to see an acid etch, but hard to capture it on a photo, because our eyes can see the variation in shine better than a camera lens. On this particular countertop they were easier to see because of the color contrast of the whitish etch marks up against the dark colored stone.
How do we typically go about polishing out water rings? At first, we always spend some time protecting adjacent surfaces with plastic drop cloths. That takes time upfront, but it makes final cleanup much easier. Next we use diamond abrasive pads to gently remove a thin layer of stone. Finally, we keep making the surface smoother and smoother, ultimately using a powder to polish it back to life.
Handling Stone Restoration ‘Curveballs’…
This project threw us some ‘curveballs’, though. Normally, diamond abrasives work best for a truly flat surface, like most polished stone. But the leathered finish on this counter was deliberately leather like, to show texture, hills and valleys, so to speak. How do we take off enough of the damaged stone surface without flattening the stone, destroying the charm of the leathered grain feeling?
In this case, the solution for polishing out the water rings was using a softer pad, so it can follow some dips and curves without aggressive removal. The pads are called diamond impregnated pads. We buy them from M3 in Cohasset and in situations like this, they can save the day. Overall, the client was very pleased with results!
Our contact information:
Act One – Marble and Tile
15 Main Street # 138
Watertown MA 02472-4403
617-221-4002 Call or Text
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