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. 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!!

[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

[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

[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.

> 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

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

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