Marble Polishing Ponte Vedra Beach FL is a story in this case about a table that needed to be restored. The table stands on lags that are around 18″ tall and are clad with Rojo Alicante Marble that matches the 4×7′ slab on the top. The edge is a beautiful crafted ogee.
Rojo Alicante is a red marble with white veining. The country of origin is Spain. It is best suited for interior instillations.
The subject of this blog post was exposed to a low pH chemical that caused etching which is completely characteristic of a calcite base stone. You can easily see the etch marks in the table. There is also a washed out look (compared with the final polish result) that is the result of many years of scratches. Just like any dark stone, the red actually lightens and looses the deep color that are achieved when the stone is polished correctly.
This tile was polished by first using the Festool sander to remove the scratches on the top layer. The Festool sander is unique in that is removes the sand dust almost completely. When we work with the dry sanding first we are able to see exactly what we are working on in real time, unlike the wet diamonds that will follow. Once water is applied you are basically working in the dark because you can’t see the stone at all. We use 120 grit first, followed by 220 with the sander. We use Festools Rubin sandpaper, which is their most aggressive, to quickly remove every scratch and etch mark.
After these two cuts we proceed with resin bond diamonds. 220,400 and 800 grit. Many feel you need to go to a higher grit with the darker stone, but the 800 is just fine if you are through with the cuts.
After the honing is completed we use a powder to polish the stone that gives it back its factory finish. We are all about the factory finish. Anything less is not acceptable to us.
You can click on the pictures for a better view of the refinishing. The second picture shows the polishing contrasted with the final 800 grit honing cut. Notice in the video below, which shows the process from start to finish, there is no wax, or acrylic applied to get the finish. Such products are for those not versed in the correct way to treat marble. This finish will last for dozens of years if treated nicely. Gooey, manmade polymers have no place here and if they are applied begin to go bad the minute they are applied.
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