How to Polish and resurface Marble Flooring
• Marble is a soft, porous and luxurious flooring material which requires periodic maintenance as it tends to gradually lose its shine over a period of time.
• Marble flooring may develop cracks, holes or hairline fractures which should be repaired and polished after every 5 to 7 years to maintain its look.
• Polishing compounds and diamond abrasive disks are used to create a smooth surface,bring out the natural colour of marble and restores the shine of marble to achieve a mirror finish polish.
• This step-wise guide will show you how to polish marble flooring
#1 Cleaning
• Clean the marble flooring thoroughly so as to remove dust, dirt and any existing floor wax.
• Wash the stone with a neutral stone cleaner and avoid acidic cleaners because they may etch the marble surface.
• You can also run the flooring through grit number 1 to clean the marble surface completely.
#2 Repair the Cracks
• Fill and repair the cracks with epoxy resins and match it with the colour of the marble flooring.
• The epoxy resin works as a penetrating sealant which enters the crevices of the marble and prevents it from absorbing stains or liquids.
• Ensure proper curing or drying and setting of the epoxy layer as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
• This will prevent the epoxy from coming out of the crack during the process of marble grinding.
#3 Grind and Polish the Marble
• Diamond abrasive disks should be attached to a floor buffer to grind the marble flooring.
• These disks come in coarse to fine grits that range from 0 number to 6 number just like different grades of sandpaper.
• The shape and colour coding of the grits that are used for grinding the marble are different from the grits that are used for polishing the marble.
• For grinding the marble
• grit number 0 is used for coarse grinding the marble to create a rough surface
• grit number 1 is used for fine grinding the marble to reduce the roughness of marble
• grit number 2 is used for fine grinding the marble to create a semi-rough surface
• For polishing the marble
• grit number 3 is used to create a smooth surface on the marble
• grit number 4 is used to create a smoother surface and bring a shine on the marble
• grit number 5 is used to polish the marble and further enhance its shine
• grit number 6 is used for polishing the marble to achieve a glossy marble surface.
• The next step is to spread a layer of tin oxide which is commercially known as marble polishing powder on the flooring. The marble surface is then buffed with a different grit that is specially used to achieve a mirror finish shine.
• While grinding and polishing marble one has to work from a coarser to a finer grit and area should be rinsed thoroughly between the use of successive grits.
• The diamond disks help to remove light marks, shallow scratches and gradually polish the marble to give it a mirror like shine.
• Note that while working with a diamond abrasive disk, the floor buffer should be moved in a slow side-to-side motion over the marble flooring.
• It is a slow process because one has to grind the same area of the marble at least four times before moving forward.
• Special marble hand polishing tools have to be used to reach into tight spaces which include the corners and the skirting.
• For routine maintenance, clean the marble floor and buff the surface with wax polish so that marble retains its shine.