’water marks’ on marble tile countertop

Hello there! I stumbled upon your sight and am so glad I did. My son and friend put in marble countertops for me about 6 months ago. They told me to seal the marble and grout once the grout was dry, which I did. I now have areas that look as if the sealer was't yet dry when a glass or pan was set on top if it. Is there anything I can do? It's only in a few different areas, but it sure looks ugly. (my son and friend had never done marble install before, only granite so maybe I shouldn't have sealed it) Thanks so much, and I'll order whatever I need. Ann

 

Dear Ann:

Yes, you should have not sealed it. On the other hand, many “granites” (probably the majority) should not be sealed, either.

But it really should not matter, unless you just applied the impregnator (what you call sealer) on and let it dry on the surface of your tiles. If you did the sealing job right, you should have no sealer at all on your marble tiles.

So, either you have a mess because you didn't removed the residue of the sealer that was not absorbed by the stone before it had a chance to dry (in the case of polished marble most likely the entire thing, actually), and/or you're discovering the   hard way that polished marble does not belong in a kitchen, becuase the "water marks" htat you have are marks of corrosion, not stains.

Either way, my recommendation is that you consult with a reputable stone restoration contractor in your area and see what can be done. In my opinion the best course of action would be to bring the finish of the stone down to a hone-finish. This procedure will remove all the possible residue of the impregnator, and produce a finish that is easier to maintain.

After that, remember, it's never too early to think about the proper maintenance of your stone. The issue of what you'll be doing day in and day out to your stone is – as it should be intuitive – vastly more important than its sealing (if and when possible and/or advisable) and it's all too often neglected. As you can tell by reading many of this site's postings, you're not likely to get good information about routine care from your dealer or installer. Don't become another statistic! By logging into the Helpful Hints section of our website at:   http://www.mbstone.com/HH_promo/helpful_hints.htm , you will be able to get the short version of our maintenance guidelines at no charge. The full version of it – a 7-page document considered by many as an industry benchmark – is available in pay-per-download format in our Educational Literature section at:   http://www.mbstone.com/literature/literature.htm .  

And remember, every single penny of the cost of the literature will be used to support this site and its cause: your cause.

While you are in the “Helpful Hints” section, do spend some time reading all of the interesting FREE articles you'll find in there!

Finally, keep in mind that we need your support to help us helping you!

Will you please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/purpose.htm?    

By spreading the word about this valuable site among your friend & family and the stone trades' people you've been dealing with, you will be rendering everybody a valuable service!

Thank you  

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri zio Bertoli

 

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