Hello AT,
God I wish I'd known about your site before embarking on a gut-renovation of my studio apartment!
I'm freaking out about my new vanity top, which is made of the most beautiful piece of marble I've ever seen, but is already getting weird watermark-looking spots on its beautiful shine. It's black with yellow & wite veins running through it, and was mined from under some mountain in Italy....
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I didn't think I'd have to get all anal about taking care of it, but the little spots it's already gotten have made me resort to wiping it down to a polish each and every time I use the sink, and not even a soap-dispenser is allowed to sit on its surface - which is defeating half the purpose of having a vanity top!
This obsessiveness is so not me, but I love the thing and god knows I spent enough money on it, so I want to keep it looking beautiful. Any advice on what cleanser to use or a polish to use that would protect it well enough for me not to have to buff it down every friggin' time I wash my hands?
THANK YOU!!! Rolf
Dear Rolf,
We are not experts in this, but we are contemplating getting a marble kitchen counter as well, so we've been studying up. All our info comes from Stone Source's website and these links:
Maintenance Product Recommendations
Interview with a Maintenance Expert
You can read for detail, but, in short, you are going to have to keep after your beautiful stone to some extent because it will always be more susceptible to staining, BUT if it is properly "impregnated" and conditioned, you should be fine. This sealant step should have already been done, but - if it hasn't - you can do it yourself.
Anyone else??
i have a gorgeous small oval marble dining table and I use it for everything including warm pots, wine glasses, etc. with no problems. it does have a slight discoloration in one area but it's only visible when i bend down to clean it, and anyway, i'm not finicky. so it's definitely possible! you should get one!
black marble is a real bitch to get stains out of, and I'd looooooove to know if anyone comes across a product that works well on it. my family has a gorgeous black marble coffee table that was serviced the last time by a company that did maintenance for banks! I'd rather a spot cure....
my sink is old white marble and I just go with the patina, not a polished look. doesn't sound like the way you're going with this bathroom tho . . .
This is a bit off the topic, but I have been very heavily exploring the idea of getting a marble or onyx coffee table and had some related questions. First, the hard to clean issue mentioned here - how would white or brown emperador marble stand up to takeout meals and spilled wine?
Second, a sourcing issue; if I don't want to splash out $3K for my dream table (the Saarinen oval coffee table in emperador), does anyone have ideas for where I can get marble/stone cut to order here in this city? (I was thinking about getting a steel square Parson table base and putting a slab on top.) A wide range of choices beyond the standard white/black would be key. Any thoughts would be very welcome!
You should try a heavy duty sealer like Stonetech Bulletproof sealer (www.stonetechpro.com). It will seal the marble and prevent water and oil staining. It is used with great success for kitchen countertops, so it should hold up even better in a bathroom application.
Rolf,
It's a beautiful marble - looks like it could be Michelangelo.
I had a stint as a Sales and Marketing Director for a very large Stone Countertop Fabricator and learned a few things while I was there. I second Diego on getting a sealer. Unfortunately, all stone is porous and none is maintenance free. The sealer will need to be reapplied on occasion.
Marble, in particular, is especially porous and fragile - prone to staining and scratches. Black stone whether marble or granite has been known to have issues with water stains or "clouding". There are all kinds of methods for stain removal. The best method will depend on whether the stain is acid, water, or oil based. A lot of times "clouding" is caused by moisture trapped below the surface of the stone that can simply be "torched" out. If you decide to have a stain professionally treated - the source of the stain will be invaluable to individual treating it. I highly suggest some research at the following site: www.stoneadvice.com.
eeek
You may want to check this site out for a reputable fabricator near you: www.marble-institute.com
Just because they are an MIA member doesn't make them reputable - check with friends, designers, the BBB, etc - to be sure.
I hope this helped.
Seal, seal, seal! Good sealers for stone: Naturel, which comes as waxy chips that you dissolve in warm water, and which can be used on floors as well as counters and walls. And Craftsman Marble Polish (or Italian Craftsman..., I don't remember), which can only be used on surfaces you don't walk on. The Craftsman polish does a good job hiding scratches and some lighter-color stains. It darkens and evens out the very worn black marble in front of my fireplace. Use it often.
I once purchased a good poultice for removing stains from marble, but it was a long time ago. It might have been from from the Hard-To-Find-Tools catalog. The whitish stains on your marble do sound like moisture got under the sealer. (Pretty vanity area, btw.)
I have a limestone vanity top now, and had a marble one previously. I do advise that you not keep a soap dish on any natural stone, since moisture gets under it and will stain (and sometimes etch). It looks like you have a Dornbracht fixture, or similar. Dornbracht's Tara wall-mounted soap dish is nice. (I have one...full disclosure.)
Thanks for your thoughts! Despite the issues with this (very lovely) bathroom vanity I felt stone would at least be more durable than wood (after having had many alcohol and nail polish-related incidents).
Plus increasingly I'm finding a glass coffee table to be too cold; a richly veined piece of marble like the one shown here or in the table I'm trying to emulate (now linked to my name) provides a great organic touch.
When I was shopping for kitchen countertops, my "stone" guy steered me away from marble, because it is actually a "soft" stone and can become damaged too easily - I went with granite instead. But for a bathroom sink (where you're not using, say, knives, so much), I imagine there has to be some sort of sealant that can protect the surface from staining.
A little off-subject, but about marble and kitchens, the worst problem is what happens when you drop something heavy on the stone...like a canned good or a pot. The crystal structure of the stone actually changes in the bumped area. So in a carrara marble, you get opaque spots in your otherwise translucent stone. And if you spill orange juice or other acid and don't get it wiped up immediately and thoroughly, your stone is burned.
Eek, the table you linked to your name is drop-dead gorgeous. You will be unlikely to find such a large piece of the onyx or agate (and it's exceedingly expensive). However, onyx tiles are a big thing now, in case you were willing to do a tile top.
Keep the weight of the thing in mind, though. Coffee tables often need to be moved. I have a marble-slab kitchen table that weighs more than 300 pounds. It's a big pain. Literally. Marble somehow becomes krypton when it's cut into slabs.
I have inherited a coffee table with an Italian Marble top. (White with gray & black running through it)
The problem is the previous owner used a lot of spray furniture wax. Now of course it has an ugly build up. Is there anything I can do myself to remove & restore this top or will this require professional help?
I have a old Italian Marble coffee table, with stains. I have tried many clearners but none have work, I think the stains are from food and drinks.
Do you have any product that might work for me ?
We just purchased a marble vanity and the surface seems uneven/marred in areas. Most of it shines and looks smooth when you look at it from an angle, but some areas are dull and not reflective. Is this the kind of defect which will polish out with a sealer??
First, in the anticipation of aquiring the slab which I desire, I had not thought of possible problems that may lie ahead,and happening upon this site has brought to my attention a few things that may very well save me a ton of headaches..Thank you! That said, after several hours of searching, I'm getting a bit discouraged..Might there be some kind soul who knows where I might be able to get my hands on a slab of black marble, with gold "iron pyrite" veining at least 6' 2" X 2' ? ..Thanks bunches for any help!
Duane Hannah
Please visit www.drytreat.com and you would find solution for you problem. I met these guys at one of the "Inside Outside" shows in India. Am quite convinced on their product details.
If natural stone is not cared for/cleaned correctly it can get damaged. This page gives direction on how to care for natural stone products (www.YourVanityTop.com/Care.asp)
Good luck!
P.S. That is an amazing top you have!
H0w do I get rid of water stains on black marble