marble floors

[maradri]

We bought this old house with marble floors in the living room, foyer and bathrooms. They are dull and have stains in some areas (i.e. rust, brownish and yellowish in color). How do you treat stains, how do you polish marble floors? can we do it ourselves? thank you for your help.

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[kemguru]

Hi Maradri :)

Sounds like you have quite a bit of marble. I recommend you call in a pro. You could end up spending more money on the equipment required, than it would cost you to pay somebody that has the experience. We’re talking about a multi-step process involving different grits of diamonds under a specially designed machine, followed by a powder polish. When you talk to the pros, make sure they use this process, call somebody else if they don’t. You do not want somebody to “crystallize” your marble.

Look at
http://www.ntc-stone.com

for a list of restoration contractors in your area.

[doitright]

Hi Maradri, Welcome :)

Is this your 1st name? If not would you mind sharing it?

Tim covered the basics. Do you know what kind of marble you have? (White carrara, statuary, etc.)

In the bathroom for example, you probably have acid etching around the toilet (round dull spots). This is caused by toilet bowl cleaners, or more than likely, the man of the house. If they're not too severe, can be repolished using powders.

Do you have dulling in the traffic pattern areas, or throughout? (Doorways, halls, etc.)

How about scratching?

How's the lippage?

What kind of grout was used? (sanded or unsanded)

You mentioned staining. Where are the stains located? (Next to the tub, under the edge of the toilet, etc.)

This is truely not a job for a homeowner. Buyer beware, as many alleged proffesionals, should not be allowed to tackle this process either. :(

[Maurizio Bertoli]

Dear Maradri:
Tim and John said it all. :)
I just want to stress what Tim said about the possibility of some "Michelangelo" coming out and "crystallizing" your valuable floors.
You’d better watch out! Some consider stone refinishing (and you can count me among them) 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!
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!
I did write 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.
You can find it by logging in the “Helpful Hints” section of my web site listed below. It does carry a little price tag, but since we’re currently running a special promotion, you can have it for free just by the asking!
Just gimme a holler through the “Contact us” section of the web site listed below and I’ll e-shoot the article to you pronto! ;) :shades:
Ciao and good luck,

[maradri]

Doitright
My real name is Meiling. Maradri came from my children's name( combination of my three children). No, I do not know what kind of marble I have (sorry.) In the bathroom, the stains are scattered around the toilet bowl. There are no scratches. I wish I know what lippage is and I do not know about the grout. I wish I knew re: history of this house. I have the floor plan of this house, I will try to look if there's an info re: flooring.
I just hope I can afford to pay a pro -
thanks a lot.

[maradri]

Maurizio
Thanks a lot I will do that.
Meiling