Both chemical polishes and diamond abrasive discs can be used to restore marble's luster and smoothness after wear and tear has dulled its surface. Get a professional opinion before attempting to repair marble that has uneven tiles, large cracks or holes, or hairline fractures. If the damage is extensive, you can make things worse and end up having to call in a professional anyway.
Table of Contents
Scrubbing the floor
Trim the Flab
Patch up the holes.
Diamond Grinding
Wet vs. dry grinding
Polishing Process
The Best Marble Grinder and Polisher
Conclusion
Scrubbing the floor
It's important to give any marble surface a good cleaning before you start sanding or grinding. Sanding marble can be dangerous if there is any dirt or residue on the surface. You'll need to wash it down and resand if that happens. Avoid using any cleaning product that describes itself as a "stripper." Since these cleaners soften and dissolve marble, more stone will be lost than intended during the grinding process.
Trim the Flab
Even though it may appear so, the location where two tiles meet at the grout line is usually not level. There is a distinct depression that can be felt by running your palm down the grout line. In extreme cases, one tile may be several millimeters higher than its neighbors, a phenomenon known as lippage. Before beginning the dia
mond grinding procedure, any lippage must be removed so that the floor is flush with the grout lines.
Patch up the holes.
Fill any minor fractures in a marble surface before sanding or grinding it. If you try to grind away at a crack, the edges will chip and become even more of a nuisance to fix. In addition, the next process will result in a scratched rather than polished surface as polishing grit or marble dust fills the fissure and is redistributed over the surface.
Diamond Grinding
After you've done what's been outlined above, you can start working. Diamond grinding can be done to an extremely fine degree, eventually resulting in a polished finish. These top-tier polishes eliminate imperfections invisible to the naked eye, improving light reflection by the surface's inherent crystals. This demands a high level of expertise as well as a lot of time and practice.
Hold off on going all-in just yet. Check the progress after the first pass to make sure the end result is what you expected. The finer grades will merely amplify individual scratches if they are not effectively eliminated in the earlier stages.
Wet vs. dry Grinding
Wet and dry grinding are the two most common approaches. The installation type and whether or not the grinding and polishing will be done indoors or outdoors will determine which option is best. Grinding can be done wet or dry; the former produces a liquid sludge from the grinder's interaction with oil or water, while the latter generates a great deal of stone dust. Many dry machines have a vacuum attachment for reducing dust. The final results achieved by the two approaches are identical. Dry polishers are typically used for finishing edges and small-scale tasks like countertops, whereas liquid polishers are typically used for polishing floors on a large scale.
Guidelines for Grinding and Polishing Marble
Both chemical polishes and diamond abrasive discs can be used to restore marble's luster and smoothness after wear and tear has dulled its surface. Get a professional opinion before attempting to repair marble that has uneven tiles, large cracks or holes, or hairline fractures. If the damage is extensive, you can make things worse and end up having to call in a professional anyway.
Table of Contents
Scrubbing the floor
It's important to give any marble surface a good cleaning before you start sanding or grinding. Sanding marble can be dangerous if there is any dirt or residue on the surface. You'll need to wash it down and resand if that happens. Avoid using any cleaning product that describes itself as a "stripper." Since these cleaners soften and dissolve marble, more stone will be lost than intended during the grinding process.
Trim the Flab
Even though it may appear so, the location where two tiles meet at the grout line is usually not level. There is a distinct depression that can be felt by running your palm down the grout line. In extreme cases, one tile may be several millimeters higher than its neighbors, a phenomenon known as lippage. Before beginning the dia
mond grinding procedure, any lippage must be removed so that the floor is flush with the grout lines.
Patch up the holes.
Fill any minor fractures in a marble surface before sanding or grinding it. If you try to grind away at a crack, the edges will chip and become even more of a nuisance to fix. In addition, the next process will result in a scratched rather than polished surface as polishing grit or marble dust fills the fissure and is redistributed over the surface.
Diamond Grinding
After you've done what's been outlined above, you can start working. Diamond grinding can be done to an extremely fine degree, eventually resulting in a polished finish. These top-tier polishes eliminate imperfections invisible to the naked eye, improving light reflection by the surface's inherent crystals. This demands a high level of expertise as well as a lot of time and practice.
Hold off on going all-in just yet. Check the progress after the first pass to make sure the end result is what you expected. The finer grades will merely amplify individual scratches if they are not effectively eliminated in the earlier stages.
Wet vs. dry Grinding
Wet and dry grinding are the two most common approaches. The installation type and whether or not the grinding and polishing will be done indoors or outdoors will determine which option is best. Grinding can be done wet or dry; the former produces a liquid sludge from the grinder's interaction with oil or water, while the latter generates a great deal of stone dust. Many dry machines have a vacuum attachment for reducing dust. The final results achieved by the two approaches are identical. Dry polishers are typically used for finishing edges and small-scale tasks like countertops, whereas liquid polishers are typically used for polishing floors on a large scale.