How to Polish Marble

How To Polish Marble: A Complete Guide

Marble has been a popular building material for hundreds of years in both commercial and residential buildings. It’s especially popular for worktops, dining tables, fireplace hearths, vanities, and flooring, but like many materials with prolonged use, marble can become dull. 

Thankfully, there’s an easy fix: polish your marble surfaces.

It’s not a hard process, but knowing how to polish your marble properly is essential to avoid damaging the surface. This article explores how to polish marble and the art of marble polishing, from understanding the basics to mastering more advanced techniques to maintain the lustre of your marble and prolong its life.

 

Why Polish Marble?

Before delving into the polishing process, let’s discuss why it should be done. Marble is a relatively soft stone, so it can be susceptible to scratches, staining, and etching, especially when it comes into contact with acidic substances, like lemon juice or certain cleaning products. This means, over time, your marble might look duller, and the only way to fix it is by polishing the surface.

 

Marble Polishing Procedure

Here are the steps you can follow to polish marble:

 

1. Gather Your Tools and Materials

Before you start, you will need to collect the materials needed for the polishing process, including:

• Soft cloths or microfibre towels 
• Warm water
• Mild detergent
• Polishing powder or paste
• Polishing pads 
• Polishing machine 
• Sealer (optional) 

 

2. Clean the Marble’s Surface and the Surrounding Area

Start by cleaning the marble’s surface to make sure it’s free of stains, dust, and dirt. To do this, use a soft, dry cloth to remove any dust and crumbs then wipe the surface with a wet sponge or cloth. Next, use a pH-neutral marble cleaner to clean the surface. If you haven’t used the cleaner before, test it on a small area of the marble to check if it causes any damage or discolouration.

After cleaning the surface, wipe it again with water only to remove any cleaner residue. Dry it with a clean cloth to eliminate streaks or water spots. Ensure you sweep or vacuum the surrounding area as well to remove dirt or dust that can fly into the air and cause scratches during the polishing process. 

 

3. Assess the Marble’s Condition

Once the marble is clean, assess its condition. Examine it for any etching, deep stains, or scratches because if they’re too significant, you may not be able to polish them out yourself. Instead, it may be best to seek professional restoration help.

 

4. Choose the Right Polishing Pad

If you want to continue the polishing process, choose your polishing pad next. From coarse to fine, polishing pads are available in a range of grits, depending on your marble requirements.

If you have deep scratches and heavy stains, you need a coarse, 30 to 200 grit. If your marble had a semi-gloss or satin finish that you want to restore, you can use a medium, 400 to 800 grit. To achieve a high-gloss shine, you can use a fine, 1,000 to 1,500 grit.

 

5. Begin Polishing

You’re finally ready to start polishing your marble surface. Attach the polishing pad you chose to your polishing machine and apply a small amount of polishing paste or powder to a small section of the marble surface. 

Then, apply even pressure, turn the polisher to a low or medium speed, and move it across the surface. Move in a consistent, fluid motion to prevent swirl marks or over-polishing. Continue with small sections to avoid clumpy or dry polishing compound. 

 

6. Rinse and Dry

When you’re finished polishing the entire surface, wipe it down with clean water to remove any excess polishing compound. Dry it with a soft cloth or towel and inspect your work. Make sure the marble is shiny and uniform. Once you are happy with the polishing effect, wait 24 hours before applying any sealant. If you’re not, you can repeat the process on the problem areas.

 

7. Apply Sealant (optional)

If you want to protect the newly polished marble from future scratching, etching, and staining, you can apply a marble sealant. Sealants can be topical, meaning they sit on top of the marble to prevent staining, or impregnator, where they go below the surface to repel oils and water. Choosing between them depends on what you’re polishing.

You typically use impregnator sealants on worktops and vanities and topical sealants on floors and other types of marble. Once you choose a sealant, spray it onto your surface, making sure the entire thing is wet. Leave it for 10 to 20 minutes (depending on the manufacturer’s instructions), then use a dry cloth to wipe the surface dry. You can also consult with a marble specialist if you are unsure.

 

Polishing Marble FAQ

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions you may have about polishing marble:

 

How can I maintain my marble after polishing it?

Once you polish your marble, you’ll want to take care of it to keep it shiny and minimise future scratching, staining, and etching. To do this, avoid using abrasive or acidic cleaners, promptly wipe up spills to prevent staining, and clean the surface regularly with a pH-neutral marble cleaner and a soft cloth.

 

How often should you polish marble?

How often you polish your marble depends on its location and uses. For example, a marble floor and staircase will need more maintenance than a marble vanity or marble fireplace. But in general, you should polish your marble surfaces every one to three years.

 

Can you polish marble by hand?

If you don’t have a polishing machine, you can alternatively polish your marble by hand, it will just take longer. It’s also hard to maintain the same level of pressure throughout the process if you’re polishing by hand, which can affect your results, so it’s usually better to use a polisher.

 

How to Polish Marble Conclusion

We hope this ‘how to polish marble’ article has been helpful and prepared you for your next marble polishing project.

If you would like to install marble somewhere in your commercial or residential property to enhance your space, Paramount Stone Specialists can help. 

Our team of stone experts can install high-quality marble anywhere in your home or commercial property. From marble worktops and marble dining tables, to marble staircases, there are endless possibilities. 

Call us on 01482 585600 or email us at info@paramountstone.co.uk to schedule a free home visit, so we can measure your space, discuss your design goals, and provide you with a free quote.