The marble steps shown in the images were installed at a property in Cwmbran roughly ten years ago. Supplied by Mandarin Stone the Marble was beautiful however over time they had lost their polish. Also, the plant pots that had been placed on either side of the steps had scratched the pieces of marble quite deeply in some areas.
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I explained to the client what would need to be done to restore the appearance of the steps and the materials required. They had previously been told there was no possible way of removing the scratches caused by the plant pots so they were delighted to have found a solution.
Having agreed my quote a date was set for the work to start.
Cleaning Marble Tiled Steps
To remove the scratches and restore the polish applied a set of Tile Doctor Burnishing Pads, starting with a coarse 50-grit pad attached to a rotary machine. The pads area applied with water and the slurry generated rinsed off and extracted afterwards. The 50-grit was followed by 100, 200, 400, 800, and finishing on 1500 grit, again all applied with water and rinsed off after each pad.
For the corners that the machine could not reach I used a similar set of 6” burnishing pads attached to a hand-held rotary machine. The pads were applied in the same order starting with a 50 grit and finishing on 1500 grit. Again, after each pad the slurry was extracted with a wet vacuum and the steps washed with water.
Once I had reached 1500 grit, the steps were allowed to dry, and I was able to demonstrate that the scratches had been removed and the natural polish restored. They were still worried that I wouldn’t be able to remove the scratches so were delighted to see they were now gone! I then began the final step of polishing the Marble steps by spray burnishing them with a 3000 grit Tile Doctor Burnishing Pad which is the last step in the polishing process.
Sealing Marble Tiled Steps
My client was very fond of the steps when they were wet as the colour was “significantly enhanced“ so I suggested I we use Tile Doctor Colour Grow to create a similar effect. The sealer is fully breathable, with a colour enhancing matt finish which is perfect for exterior use and for slightly darkening natural stones.
Four coats of sealer were applied allowing each coat to dry for thirty minutes before applying the next. When Marble is polished to a high shine every mark becomes obvious so once the final coat was dry the steps were then buffed with a White buffing pad.
My clients were extremely happy with the job and asked me to return later to renovate the tiles in both their ensuite bathrooms.
To maintain the sealer and to prevent accelerated break down I left the client with a bottle of Tile Doctor Stone Soap which is a gentle but effective stone cleaner that helps maintain the patina.
Source: Marble Cleaning and Polishing Services in Cwmbran Monmouthshire