What’s The Best Way To Restore Marble Floors?

When your marble floors are heavily stained, discoloured, and have lost their shine, regular cleaning and maintenance may no longer work. This means that they will require marble restoration and plenty of elbow grease to bring them back to life.

Severely damaged marble floors do not always need replacement. They still have hope to shine again. We have come up with some easy steps to help you restore your heavily stained or discoloured marble floors.

Step 1 – Inspect The Floor

Inspect the floors surface for loose, chipped, or broken tiles. Remove and replace using the following procedure:

• Remove the grout using a utility knife. 
• Pry out the damaged and unsalvagable tiles using a prybar.
• Clean the subfloor where you removed the damaged tiles. Remove the mortar that held the tiles in place. You can remove the mortar by scraping it using a rotary tool with a carbide blade. Clean the area once done. 
• Re-install the loosened tiles and replace the broken ones with new ones.
• Regrout the surrounding joints. Spread the grout across the marble tile surface by using a grout float so you can fill the joints completely.
• Wipe away excess grout using a damp sponge or cloth. Do this within 15 minutes after the grout is applied.
• Wait two hours and then wipe the surface of the marble tiles using a dry, clean, and lint-free cloth to remove any grout residue before the grout sets and hardens completely.
• Allow 24 hours for the grout and the tiles to set before you continue with the marble tile restoration.

Step 2 – Clean The Marble Tile Floor Using A Broom Or Mop

Give the floor a thorough clean. Make sure that no dirt, sediment or debris are present before you start the restoration process. Also, ensure that the floors are dry.

Step 3 – Remove Scratches And Stains

• Hone the marble floors using an orbital sander with 100-grit sandpaper. Run it over the scratched surface.
• Do small circular motions to grind the edges and the tiled surface where the scratches and stains are prominent. This will leave light lines on the surface of the marble.
• Replace the sandpaper with a 150-grit and apply the sander to the light lines on the marble surface. Keep grinding until the lines disappear. 
• Replace the sandpaper for the final time with a 220-grit. Sand the marble tiles thoroughly until they are smooth to the touch.

Step 4 – Polish The Tiles

Polish the newly clean and scratch-free marble floors using a 4-inch angle grinder with a polishing pad. 

• Pour marble polish onto the polishing pad. Use about a quarter-sized drop of the polish. 
• Polish the marble surface generously. Allow the polish to turn grey.
• Turn on the angle grinder again and go over the grey polish. Continue buffing the surface until the grey polish turns into a gloss.
• If the marble floors are severely damaged, sometimes it takes more than one application of marble polish. Repeat the process until the floors become glossy and radiant.

Step 5 – Apply A Sealant

Consult a professional marble restorer or expert for the best product to use for your marble sealant.

• Brush a light layer of marble sealant over the surface of the marble floors. This will prevent stains and moisture to seep in.
• Allow the sealant to dry and take effect for at least 48 hours before using the area and allowing traffic.

It is important to give your marble floors regular TLC to keep its shine and beauty but it is essential that you use professional services once or twice a year to maintain and restore your marble tiles. Marble experts can do the job ten times better than you and your marble floors will thank you for it!

Whether you have issues with staining, etching, chips, dullness, scratches, fading and wear marks or just general dirtiness, call us at Slique and see how we can help you.

By getting professional help, you are guaranteed that the issue is resolved quickly and avoid causing any additional damage.

That’s why you can reply on SLIQUE for your marble restoration needs. We are Sydney’s number one authority in all things marble.

For all your marble floor maintenance and polishing needs, please call SLIQUE today on 02 9648 0395, or you can leave an inquiry on our contact page.