| There's no better looking flooring then polished | | | | and etching are not nearly as noticeable making |
| marble. It adds luxury to just about any room. | | | | your floor easier to take care of. Note though |
| The mirror like polish can last years if taken care | | | | that the higher the grit the more shinnier the |
| of properly. Unfortunately it may not work in | | | | surface becomes. The shinnier the surface the |
| certain home situations, specially in a home with | | | | more scratches and etching will show. Depending |
| pets and kids. If you can't afford to replace | | | | on the type and color of marble that you have, a |
| your marble floor and are looking for alternatives | | | | honed look will give your floor a new look without |
| the following tips may help you. | | | | the expense of replacing to a new flooring |
| | | | | material. |
| What you should know about Polished Marble | | | | |
| FloorsAs you may already be finding out, marble | | | | Does my particular marble floor look good honed? |
| is actually a fairly soft material that is prone to | | | | This is something that needs to be considered |
| scratches and etching. Acidic drinks as well as | | | | before going through with the process. For |
| incorrect cleaners will etch the surface of your | | | | instance, darker stones will look lighter in color |
| marble flooring. Often the homeowner thinks | | | | when honed. Part of the reason marble gets it's |
| these are just water spots that can be cleaned | | | | deep colors is due to that they are polished. A |
| out. Etching is when something has eaten away at | | | | black marble such as Nero Marquina or brown |
| your marble and the only remedy is to have it | | | | such as St. Lauren will be a few shades lighter so |
| professionally restored. Pets can scratch the | | | | a test of how the final transition will look like is |
| surface as well. You may be realizing that polished | | | | critical. If you have an extra marble tile a stone |
| marble floors do not fit your family's lifestyle due | | | | restoration professional can hone it for you. Often |
| to the spills, pets or maybe you just want a floor | | | | the homeowner does not have extras laying |
| that's a little more forgiving and requires less | | | | around. In this situation the alternative would be |
| maintenance. | | | | to buy a few tiles of a like marble. As a last |
| | | | | resort the marble floor professional can do the |
| So what's the alternativeFortunately there may | | | | test on the actual floor. There would probably be |
| be an alternative to a polished marble floor | | | | a cost to do this test specially if the restorer has |
| without having to rip it out. Instead of a polished | | | | to bring back the marble to the shinny state it |
| and shinny look you may want to think about | | | | was originally in. Be aware too that getting the |
| getting your marble honed. What is honed?. The | | | | surface back to blend in with the original can be |
| surface is more of a matte finish rather then | | | | hard even for a seasoned pro. |
| shinny and polished. There are different degrees | | | | |
| of honed depending on what grit the marble is | | | | A word about BaseboardsIt is possibility that the |
| honed at.The higher the grit in which the marble is | | | | baseboards would have to be removed before |
| honed at, the shinnier it becomes. Also it is fairly | | | | commencing with the honing process. Most floor |
| easy for a marble restoration company to make | | | | and hand machines are not able to get right to |
| this transition to your marble surfaces due to that | | | | the edge which would be required when going |
| it is usually a one step process. | | | | from a shinny to a honed surface. If the |
| | | | | homeowner is handy they can do this themselves |
| What does a honed marble finish accomplish?Since | | | | to save some money. |
| the marble surface would be honed, scratches | | | | |