Marble Restoration, as with any other form of restoration, is not a do-it-yourself job. Even professional restoration experts will admit that without skill and experience, there would be no successful restoration. Professional restoration experts use specialized equipment to remove minute amounts of grime and restore the surfaces to their original beauty. There are many options when it comes to marble surfaces. Many people turn to stone floors and countertops because they feel that natural stone is easier to care for and more durable than other materials. Marble is certainly one of those materials that is very resistant to damage, but it is also very expensive and if it is scratched or scuffed, it needs to be restoved and resealed.
Marble Restoration involves several different steps, all of which are necessary in order to bring a restored stone surface back to its original beauty. The first step in marble restoration is grinding the stone surface to achieve flatness. This step, called lippage restoration or flatting, eliminates all bumps and ridges from the stone and makes the surface perfect flat. There are several advantages to grinding:
When you grind, the edges and corners of your tile are smoother. Grinding also reduces the number of seams on your tile. Seamless tiles will help you avoid the seam frustration that occurs when tiles are sewn together. The main disadvantage to grinding marble surfaces is the expense – it is very costly to do this procedure. If you have only minor marble restoration problems, you may be able to perform this procedure on your own, but most people should hire a professional to perform this task on their marble surfaces.
Sealing your marble restoration job will help you prevent future staining. Water, oil and other spills can penetrate the grout and cement. If these types of spills remain on the floor long enough, they can dull the color of the marble surface. Sealing your tiles will help you maintain a shine. You will see a significant difference after sealing the floor.
A final step in your marble restoration service is to apply a sealer to the floor. There are many types of sealers available, from latex to urethane and many others. Some sealers will actually change the color of your floor while others will actually reflect light and make the marble surface shimmer when the lights are out. It is important to purchase the right type of sealer for your tile and grout. In general, a sealer with anoil base is recommended and many experts recommend polyester based sealers for their marble surfaces.
You can choose to have your marble surface sealed by a professional and have him or her perform a marble polishing technique. Marble polishing techniques can remove surface stains as well as restore the shine to your floor. This is considered to be better than using a sealer as marble restoration techniques can also improve the look of your floor if the sealer is not applied to the entire floor. There are several techniques used by professional marble polishers that include:
The removal of stains is done by buffing, which is the process of removing mineral stains from marble or granite stones. There are many types of buffing including hand-polishing, gravity buffing, wet buffing, and dry buffing. Before any of these methods are used, a sealer is applied to prevent any other stains from setting. A sealer can prevent water from getting into the stone during the buffing process. However, the use of a sealer should be limited to the area that needs to be treated since using the sealer in all areas will cause damage to the stone.
Sealing marble is essential in marble restoration services because it helps to protect the marble from further damage. Sealing the entire surface of the marble tile will prevent the marble from absorbing stains that occur with time, such as red wine spills, oil spills, acidic foods, and more. If you do not have the money to hire a marble restoration service, you can actually do the marble sealing yourself. Simply apply a thin layer of sealer on the surface of your marble tiles, leave it for a few minutes, and then rinse it off with water. By doing this periodically, you will help your marble tiles stay strong and avoid any staining.
Need marble restoration services? We offer trained heritage restoration services to do your work. Call us today!
