Marble restoration and polishing

Why marble goes dull

Marble is soft, about 3 on the Mohs scale, and acid reacts with it. Grit on shoes scratches it, wine and acidic cleaners mark it. After a few years a polished floor goes grey along the paths people walk while the corners stay shiny. It means the stone underneath is fine and only the surface is worn.

The stages

1. Grinding. Coarse diamonds, grit 50 to 120, flatten the surface and take out deep scratches, uneven tiles and old coatings. We work wet and slowly.
2. Honing. Grit 200 to 800 gives a smooth matt or satin finish. Many people stop here, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.
3. Polishing. Up to 1,500 or 3,000 for the shine.
4. Crystallisation, on marble and limestone only.
5. Sealing, to slow staining.

Not every floor needs every stage. Light dullness may only need fine honing and polishing.

Crystallisation

A product applied under a heavy machine with steel wool reacts with the calcite and leaves a harder, shinier skin. It works on marble, limestone and travertine, and does nothing on granite or quartz. It's good for busy hallways, but it isn't a sealer and needs redoing now and then. Granite is polished with diamonds only.

What we restore

Mostly floors. Also worktops marked round the sink, stair treads worn in the middle, fireplaces blackened by soot and tables with rings.

What it can't fix

Tiles cracked right through, hollow tiles that have come loose, and deep rust or oil stains may need replacing rather than polishing. We tap each tile and test a small area before quoting.

Disruption

It's wet work, the furniture has to go, and the room is out of use until the sealer cures. In a second home we can do it while you're away if someone lets us in. Send daylight photos of the floor on WhatsApp to +33 7 45 20 76 39.

After

Felt pads under chairs, a doormat at each door and pH-neutral cleaner instead of multi-surface sprays.