restoring marble

[helga]

Well, we thought the kitchen design was complete, but today we just scored a marble slab, which we will incorporate into a benchtop. It has some scratches on top and I am trying to find out how to remove them. Also, does anybody know of a food safe sealant for marble, as it will be used for pastry and pasta making. Any advice muchly appreciated.
helga

[Ivan in Oz]

G'Day Helga,

It is also good for making Toffees, Butterscotch and the like. :o Yummy!!
I understand it is One of the preferred Worktops [If not, THE Preferred] material for that.
I have been offered a piece so will be interested in your replies.
What I do know is that if left bare, weak acids will etch it, Lemon Juice and the like.
The piece I've been offered is presently covering an Underground Watertank opening on a Farm-house :eek:
NO!! I've got no idea why, but Hey!
I GOT!! :D :D

[kiwigeo]

Well, we thought the kitchen design was complete, but today we just scored a marble slab, which we will incorporate into a benchtop. It has some scratches on top and I am trying to find out how to remove them. Also, does anybody know of a food safe sealant for marble, as it will be used for pastry and pasta making. Any advice muchly appreciated.
helga

Helga,

Contact your local stone specialists for advice on stone finishes. I have a dark green granite (Its a Gabbro actually but only a Geologist would pick it!) bench top in my kitchen which was coated with a sealer to protect it from food stains and water proof any cracks and porous zones. The stuff is food safe....SWMBO does a fair bit of pastry work directly on the benchtop.

A few comments on marble....even though it's "solid" rock and it looks solid it can actually be quite porous.....due to presence of microfractures and in some marbles intergranular porosity. If its a light coloured marble (as most are) then dont put hot pots and staining agents on the benchtop without expecting a stain or mark.

My best advice....if its not too late and cost is not the major deciding factor.........decline the offer of the marble top and go for granite.

Cheers Martin

[helga]

honeycomb, praline for ice cream, fudge, look out!

Will your piece of marble need the edges straightened or anything? Be careful with it is what I can gather so far, more fragile than it looks. The piece I got today at Casino is from a washstand that no longer exists, and the scratches are not very deep, hardly discernible to touch, more a visual thing. I'll keep google-ing and post anything I find usefull.BTW Google Earth is very cool
Seeya, Helga

[ozwinner]

Helga,

.....due to presence of microfractures and in some marbles intergranular porosity. .

Now you sound like a nerd.

Al :D

[helga]

kiwigeo, hi

thanks for the tip about hot pots, because one thought was to put it next to stove to be like a giant trivet when not being used for all the other good stuff. Does your granite scratch?
Ciao.Helga

[helga]

Nerds Rock........maybe

[ozwinner]

Does your granite scratch?
Ciao.Helga

No but it itches.

Al :rolleyes:

[helga]

chuckle

[Ivan in Oz]

Hi Helga,

> Will your piece of marble need the edges straightened or anything?
I'm hoping not, Considering making a 'Cradle' for it to sit in, then mount All this in the bench. :cool:

> I'll keep google-ing and post anything I find usefull.BTW Google Earth is very cool
Thanks, and Yes,
Gives my kids a different perspective to some 'other' parts of the world.
Some of the populated areas, London, Cairo and the Sahara :eek: :eek:

[echnidna]

I think wet and dry will sand it ok.

[kiwigeo]

Now you sound like a nerd.

Al :D

Nothing wrong with being a nerd.....I make a perfectly good living out of it.

Allow me to re-phrase in layman's terms:

Micro = small. Fracture = fracture. Microfracture = small fracture.

Inter = between. Granular = to do with the grains (= grais of sand in a sandstone, crystals in a marble).

Porosity = space (pore) between the solid part of a rock.

Intergranular porosity = space between the crystals in a marble.

[kiwigeo]

kiwigeo, hi

thanks for the tip about hot pots, because one thought was to put it next to stove to be like a giant trivet when not being used for all the other good stuff. Does your granite scratch?
Ciao.Helga

My granite benchtops get a fairly rough work out from SWMBO but after 7 years of rough treatment they're still in good shape..the same cannot be said of the stainless steel gas top :(

[kiwigeo]

Now you sound like a nerd.

Al :D

A bit hard to defend myself against that accusation.......I'm exceptionally ugly and had terrible problems pulling a root through my uni years, I still own an HP 41 programmable calculator the size of a brick......and I just loooooooove Reverse Polish notation.

[kiwigeo]

Nerds Rock........maybe

Yes..nerds generally do rock.

They're the really quiet ugly guys who go through their school/uni years copping cr*p from everyone and then end up in a plum job pulling in a couple of hundred thou' a year :D

[Ivan in Oz]

had terrible problems pulling a root through my uni years.

I had all my Wisdom teeth pulled [Roots and all] before I left High school
I remember RPN, I used to understand it, no more.

[maglite]

had terrible problems pulling a root through my uni years

I didnt need to go to uni to have that exact same problem :D

[johnc]

Stains can go deep into marble, especially rust, beetroot, red wine, felt tip marker etc. It is much softer then granite and will not hold a natural shine as granite will. It is relatively easy to cut with a stone fibre blade and a diamond tip blade will fly through it. It can be polished with wet and dry but as with cutting mask up for dust. You can also cut it back with a wet slurry and a carborundum or even water stones (only the ones you don't really value) the key is to not press, work the whole surface the stone will cut under its own weight, and gradually move to finer stones until you get the polish you want. Can't help you on finish we used non silicone floor wax such as Fishers if it still exists but that will not do for a food surface. I've been told that a paste of Salts of Sorrell and Oxalic Acid will draw out the stains but have never tried it, Applied Chemicals amongst others have probably got a better brew these days.

You will end up with dead flat stones with slightly rounded edges where the slurry builds up I guess.

John.

[wombat47]

Several years ago we acquired a piece of marble very cheaply from a monumental stone mason who was going out of business. The plan was to incorporate it into a kitchen bench. But, having looked into the care that marble requires in a kitchen, we changed our minds.

Because of its porous nature and ability to absorb water and stains, there is a huge list of do and don't associated with marble. Even the currently popular orange based cleaners are likely to damage the surface. Vinegar, ditto, so don't spill the salad dressing on it.

A penetrating sealer will provide some protection but, even then, it is advisable to recoat on a yearly basis. And the sealer won't protect from scratches, etc., from glass bowls, saucepans, etc.

Is there some way of using your marble without creating a care/cleaning nightmare? Perhaps using it as a top for a pull out unit, where the marble would be protected under the existing bench top.

If I were contemplating a bench top insert, I think I'd go for reconstituted granite which, according to Granite Transformations, is "flexibile, resistant to wear and to chemical agents, light weight, non absorbant and frost resistant and is heat, stain, and scratch resistant". The frost resistance is what sold me.

[johnc]

Generally you did not coat marble with anything in the kitchen and used it for rolling out the pastry, as the previous post said you have to be careful as it is easily stained and damaged. Personally I would not use it, and I did work as a Monumental Mason for a period of time and saw various sides of its use. The material is very effective as a table top or other applications away from kitchen preparation areas but is not suited as a general purpose kitchen work top.


John

[seriph1]

When working for a very large importer of restoration/period products in Melbourne, we had a large number of marble mantels that required cleaning. A range of poultices were used as well as a year "on the roof in the sun" were applied as stain removers. It seems Marble is incredibly porous and as mentioned, fairly sucks up iron-type materials. I recall one person said that a specific food-friendly oil can be used to sel the marble, which made me remember that it can't be vegetable oil as it goes rancid apparently.

[bennylaird]

I went for Ceaserstone (spelling?)

Works great and has a bit of bounce without chipping. Cleans up nice with no satin problems, cheaper too.

[seriph1]

I love caesar stone too ....... doesnt address what they are to d owith their bit of marble though

:D:D:D:D

[helga]

note to self: check with forum before buying stuff out of Classifieds on weekends.

Thank you for replies. Maybe we will rethink plan for slab to be in main galley bench and put it on a sideboard out of the everyday work space. I am still keen to use it for rolling out stuff, etc. mmmmm PIES.Can anyone recommend grit for wet and dry sanding, I imagine not too rough? Thanks again
Uni sounds boring, I'll stick with TAFE.
Helga

[Clinton1]

Helga,

Did you check out the Monumental Masons as suggested in another post?

I think that the monumental masons would be able to recommend a suitable sealant, although maybe they don't have too many people wanting food safe headstones.

Otherwise, you could cut it down to size and use it as a rolling board - I'll grudgingly accept the other piece to help you get rid of it. ;)

I'd like to hear how you go.

Cheers,
Clinton. (who has his eye on a piece of cheap marble)

[johnc]

The smooth side of your average Norton carborundum stone will be fine, if you've got the patience to rub it back yourself. If its wet and dry just go back through your papers to around 1200, I note the comment on headstone sealer, forget it marble will not hold a sealer in the weather. Not only that but cleaners for granite and bluestone generally stain marble. To polish for inside use most wax based floor and furniture polishes will do the job, but avoid car polish I'm told. Ubeauts EEE may well do the job, but have not tried it myself on stone.

[dennford]

I know that this is an old post but as Ihave just bought a marble topped washstand I wondered if anyone has found out more - particularly stain removal and sealing/finishing. I have started to sand back but will leave some of the marks (I don't want a untouched surface).

Basically I would like to get rid of the stains - including cigarette burns and give it something of a finish.

Denn

[seriph1]

I believe the best bet would be to call (I even hate to say their name - their service stinks) SCHOTS in Melbourne and ask to speak with the Marble Fireplace expert and explain your plight .... there are people who restore this stuff in Perth but I can't recall who they are these days, sorry. Because the material is so porous, it can be dyed if you can't remove the marks..... so at least you could disguise them by making the top darker, but I would try bleaching them out first .... just gotta make sure to use the right chemicals.