Marble Floor damaged by toilet bowl cleaner

I inadvertently spilled a bathroom cleaner onto the marble floor. The bathroom cleaner had sulfuric acid in it. I absorbed it into a rag right away but the surface is now damaged. It is not shiny anymore and the consistency has changed. How can I fix it? Thanks Cheryl

 

Dear Cheryl:

Accidents happens, and that I why they called them accidents!

As it is clearly specified in our maintenance guidelines for residential stone installations, toilet-bowl cleaners do not belong in a bathroom with a marble floor in it. All you need to clean your toilet-bowl is some good ol' powdery cleanser like Comet and such; even if you spill some of the powder on the floor nothing will happen.

The good news is that your damage can be easily repaired. The bad news is that it takes a proficient stone restoration contractor to do that, who will have to lightly grind (hone) the damaged area that was corroded by the acid and then re-polish to blend with the rest. It'll be just as good as new!

The other good news is that's only money!... J

The other bad news is that you'd better watch out! I consider stone refinishing as the very pinnacle of all the activities related to stone from a professional point of view. Unfortunately, there are a lot of quacks on the loose out there! You get one of those, and, depending on the marble that you have, you may even have to kiss your stone bye-bye!

How could you tell a champ from a chomp? Could you trust the recommendation of your local stone distributor, or contractor, or your interior decorator? Hardly!

We have available a very comprehensive article on how to select a bona fide stone restoration contractor, which will give you all the intelligence you need to make a competent choice. It does carry a small price tag, and you can order it by logging on the Educational Literature section 0f our website at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/literature.htm. It's available in pay-per-download format and I consider it a cheap “insurance premium” to pay when there are thousands of $ involved! Not to mention the little and much needed support you'd be giving to the cause – YOUR cause, since every single penny of the cost of the article will be used to support it.

Also, will you please read and 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!   

Moreover, do take advantage of the plethora of FREE Helpful Hints available at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/helpful-hints.htm. They're on the house!

Thank you.

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

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