How To Polish Marble

Marble is a metamorphic rock made up of recrystallized carbonate minerals such as calcite and dolomite. It is mostly used as a decorative stone for sculpting and building purposes. Due to its soft and porous texture, marble tends to get scratched easily, when exposed for everyday use. In order to keep the marble functional and maintain its original sheen, regular and proper cleaning and polishing is required. It is advisable to opt for simple household techniques to clean and polish the marble and not use chemical detergents, since they might cause permanent damage to its surface. This article contains few techniques, which you can employ to polish your marble tiles. However, as a precautionary measure, it is suggested to polish one of the corners of the tile first and check if the method works well. This is asked for since marbles are of different types and what works fine for one might not work for the other.

Marble Floor Polishing

Before you begin the process of polishing the marble, you need to clean the surface of dust, dirt and any other form of debris. This can be done by using a broom or soft cloth. While doing so, remember not to scratch the marble surface too hard, but gently broom and wipe the dust. You can even use a vacuum cleaner to clean the marble floor.
Fill a container with warm water and add three tablespoon of baking soda to it. Keep stirring, until it dissolves well.
Now, take a clean and soft piece of cloth and dip it into the solution. Wring out the excess liquid from the cloth before you use it.
Smoothly wipe the marble with the cloth and rub the old or stubborn stains out of it, in non-abrasive movements.
The marble now needs to be left to dry for the next 3-4 hours.
In the meantime, get hold of four fresh pieces of cloths.
Dampen one piece of cloth with clean water and wipe out the traces of the solution from the marble. Use another piece of cloth to dry the marble and gently buff it.
Take a stick of plain white writing chalk and grind it into fine powder.
Now, moisten another piece of clean cloth with water and apply a bit of finely powdered chalk to it.
Wipe the marble with this cloth applying even strokes.
After allowing the marble to dry for a few hours, you need to moisten another piece of cloth and thoroughly clean the surface with it. Finally dry the marble surface with a fresh, clean dry cloth.

Tips

In case you do not want to apply the above mentioned household technique and wish to buy a commercial marble polish, make sure you check the labels of polish and see if they would work for your specific type of marble. Do not buy polishes which have acrylic or polyurethane finishes.
When you purchase cloths for cleaning the marble, it is advisable to go for micro-fiber cloths.
During the procedure of polishing marbles, use mops instead of cloths.
Do not ever use acidic ingredients to clean or polish the marble.
Marble is a soft rock and should be gently handled. Do not scrub it while you clean and polish it.
Remember not to drop ingredients such as vinegar, tomato, tomato sauce, bleach, lemon, coffee, urine, or household cleaners to come into contact with the marble, since their acidic content can ruin the marble.

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