Honed White Statuary Marble Countertops

Dear Maurizio, I put in honed White Statuary Marble in my kitchen. I would like to know if there is a product I can put on my countertops to help protect them better. They have been in one week. They were sealed when put in. We spilled juice on the counter and wiped it up ASAP but it left a large etching. Is this normal and is there anything I can do to help slow the etching/staining process. I'm wondering if the initial sealer worked. Thanks for your advice. Suzanne

 

Dear Suzanne:

 

“ Is this normal and is there anything I can do to help slow the etching/staining process. ”

 

It is perfectly normal and there's nothing that could prevent or even slow-down etching.

 

“ I'm wondering if the initial sealer worked. ”

 

The initial sealer – which is not a sealer but an impregnator – has nothing to do with it. It only helps prevent stains, not acid etchings.

 

If you want, you can repair the etch-marks yourself by following these easy guidelines:

 

To eliminate etch-marks from a hone-finished surface like the one you have, all you need is some good ol' metal-grade sand-paper. You can use it by hand, but you'd be better off if you had a small hand-held orbital sander to use it with. (Do NOT use a belt sander!) Hit the etch-mark with a 120 grit to start with, and then follow up with 240 and 400 grit. (Or maybe the 240 will do.) This will usually get a result pretty close to factory finish. If it doesn't, don't worry too much: a few weeks of foot traffic will take care of producing a perfect blending. Don't be happy with a few strokes: work each grit intensively but without applying too much pressure, and make sure to widen the area you're working on of at least 1” all around each grit up. Pretty easy, wouldn't you say?... J  

If the stone had been sealed with an impregnator, it may need to be sealed again in the areas you worked on.

 

Now, if I were you I would re-hone the entire countertop and finish at a very low-hone finish: totally flat with no sheen whatsoever. You can accomplish that by sanding your entire countertop using an orbital sander and 60 grit pad of sandpaper. You will need to change sand paper every 5 to 10 sq.ft., for it will lose its cutting ability as you proceed. Why do I advise you to do that? Because…

Think of this: The etching created by the juice created a spot duller than the rest. If you bring the entire countertop down to that dullness… Got it? J   

 

All in all, I'm afraid that, no matter what, you're too “American” to appreciate a marble countertop in a kitchen. To make you understand what I mean, read this:

 

ABOUT MARBLE IN A KITCHEN

The stone itself has nothing to do with it. It's rather a collective culture issue.

All throughout the Mediterranean basin marble is a very popular stone as a kitchen countertop and everybody enjoys it. (Limestone is not so popular, but certain types of limestone could be acceptable in relation of what follows.) In Northern Europe and all throughout North America, many like the way it looks, but nobody enjoys it!

How's that?

For the simple reason that In Southern Europe they never install a polished marble countertop (or a polished marble floor, for that matter). They start from a hone-finished surface and then they start using and abusing it and only care for it with a good-quality stone cleaner (like MB-5). The “worse” it gets, the better they like it! It's considered “aging.” It's like a pair of old blue jeans, if you know what I mean: a highly sought “lived-in” look.

While the looks of an old pair of jeans is very much appreciated in Northern Europe or in North America, too, the same principle does not seem to apply to stone. Most people over here expect their stone to look like brand-new all the time, and any “change” is not considered “aging”, but a damage that needs to be rectified.

Hence the problem.

The question now is: regardless of your geographical location, which one of the two groups do you belong to? J

May I ask you now to please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/purpose.htm?

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri zio Bertoli

www.marblecleaning.org – The Only Consumers' Portal to the Stone Industry Establishment!