Marble Honing and Polishing: A Quick and Easy Solution for Etch Marks

February 05, 2022

Marble is one of the most beautiful stones that evokes feelings of luxury and elegance. When properly cared for, its beauty will last for generations.


Marble is so versatile it can be used throughout the home in places like fireplace flooring, walls, and bathrooms. Most people love marble due to its amazing appearance and vein-like texture.

Due to its porosity, acidic (pH< 7) substances can easily stain or corrode marble. This will change the texture of the stone, making it look dull and causing water rings to appear on it, like the ones in the image below.

Those water marks are called etches. Most people tend to confuse etches with stains and will use any cleaning product to try to make those watermarks disappear. They do this without realizing that poor cleaning products only make it worse since the majority of cleaning products are acidic.

What Happens When Acids Come in Contact with Marble
Marble is a fairly soft stone that contains calcium carbonate. When it comes into contact with acid, the calcium carbonate dissolves.


When marble is in contact with acid, the acid will react with the calcium carbonate present in the marble and will "eat away", so to speak, a tiny bit of the surface, creating dull spots which are known as etches.

To the human eye, those etches look like stains and people will try to clean them off with regular cleaners, with no good results. To make those undesirable water marks or etches vanish for good, the best solution is marble honing and polishing.


How to Fix Etch Marks
The removal of unattractive etch marks on marble should be done by skilled craftsmen. They will use impregnated pads and/or discs to remove the scratches and etch marks.

Once the surface is smooth and the marks have been removed, our craftsmen may use polishing agents to give the stone a semi- or high-gloss finish. Finally, the stone is impregnated with Stone Armor, which helps protect the stone against future damage.

What About Maintenance?
Sir Grout's marble honing and polishing and Stone Armor sealant will do wonders to your stone, but you still have to take proper care of it to avoid future damage. First of all, your marble stone must be cleaned with a pH-neutral, soapless cleaner.

Using a cleaner with a neutral pH guarantees that it will not be etched when you clean it again. It is also important that the cleaner used is soapless so that no film is left behind. Soap leaves soap scum, which attracts dirt and grime after cleaning.

If you cleaner is soapless, no dirt and grime will be attracted. When you wash a marble surface, you should also dry it with a fluffy towel. Since marble is a porous stone, standing water will get into the stone and cause stains.

Try to prevent dirt build-up by placing doormats at the entrance. The less dirt on your marble floor, the easier it will be to clean.


If your marble surfaces are starting to look dull and have water marks on them, then they have etched possibly because acidic substances like lemon juice or vinegar fell on the floor, or you're using a cleaner with an acidic pH. If this is the case, a marble honing and polishing will solve the problem.

Contact us at (866) 476-8863 or click on the "Schedule a Free Quote" button for a free evaluation today and enjoy an unparalleled marble honing and polishing service! If you want to keep reading wonderful tips to care for your hard surfaces, don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter.