HOW TO REMOVE LIMESCALE FROM A MARBLE VANITY TOP

Limescale damage on marble is far more serious on Marble than it is on other natural stones like Granite and Slate. If left for too long before removing the limescale, it will eat into the marble. At this stage it can be expensive to repair the Marble. Here are the 3 stage the limescale will go through if left untreated.

3 STAGES OF LIMESCALE DAMAGE ON MARBLE

Surface Staining: At first limescale will leave an unsightly white, chalky deposit on the surface of the Marble. In the very early stages these deposits can be hard to see on white Marble like Carrera and Thasos. You can, however feel it as it will leave the surface feeling a little rough. At this stage it is easy to remove. See how I safely remove limescale from a kitchen work surface here
Etching: As the limescale take hold of the Marble and works its way into the stone. You will hhave a complete loss of shine. In bathrooms near the tap the limescale will work its way between the seal and the Marble, this will then need to be replaced. Finally to remove the limesale at this stage the Marble will need to be lightly resurfaced, and polished.
Pitting: Overtime, the accumulation of limescale will cause pitting, where small holes or depressions in the Marble. Further damage in some Marble and Limestone will see small pieces coming out of the stone causing larger holes. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with the Marble, some just deteriorate quicker than others. The hardness of the water in one area compared to another will also affect this. Finally there is no Marble or Limestone that is risistant to limescale.

If you have a similar problem and you would like me to remove the limescale and repolish the worktop for you, please contact me on 07802 275065 or email me stonecare@btinternet.com

HOW I REPAIR LIMESCALE DAMAGED MARBLE

SURFACE STAINING: LIGHT LIMESACALE DAMAGE

Here you can see some very light limescale damage, around the base of the taps on this Marble Vanity Top.

First I will soften the limescale by wrapping a wet cloth around the base of the tap.

When the limescale is soft enough. I use a new razor or Stanley Knife blade to gently shave the limescale off the surface of the Marble. If there is any resistance, I will simply apply the wet cloth to the area and leave it for another hour or so. You should never scrape or try to chip the limescale away or you will damage the Marble.

Once all of the limescale has been removed, the surface is cleaned with just hot water and buffed dry. To repolish the marble I use a Marble polishing powder together with a soft white pad. Finally I finish off the polishing with Lithofin MN Polish.

ETCHING: THE MARBLE HAS TO BE RESURFACED

The limescale on this Marble Vanity Top had been aalowed to build up over a period of about 18 months. This ws in a rented apartment, to avoid this sort of damage you should always advise new tenants to dry Marble surfaces after use. This would then avoid costly repairs.

To remove the etching caused by the limescale I used a silicone carbide sanding disk. Depending on how much limescale and etching there is to remove, you would either need a 400, 320 or 220 grit size disk. You should never use a grit size more coarse than 220 as it will take longer to bring the marble back to its original shine and finish.

I used a 400 grit on this project, the limescale and etching were also removed by hand to keep the dust down to a minimum.

Once all of the limescale and etch marks had been removed from the Marble Vanity Top. Grit sizes 500 to 1200 were used to blend in the areas affected by the limescale. Grit sizes 800 and 1200 would then restore the Marble back to near its original shine and feel.

Finally I use Hulk Marble polishing powder and Lithofin MN Polish to restore the Vanity Top back to its original condition.

PITTING: THE LIMESCALE IS EATING AWAY AT THE MARBLE

This Verde Guatemala Marble Vanity Top had been left for many years without the correct maintenance. The limescale had started to eat away the marble to the point were small pieceswer coming away from the stone. The condition had gone beyond cleaning or resurfacing. We had to loosen the tap for me to repair the damaged area. If I tried to resurface the stone in this area (around the tap), removeing too much of the stone in this area would cause a dip in the Marble. This would meen that the tap would not fit back in place propery, and water would collect in the dip. Very shortly we would have the same problem again with the limescale.

The best way forward in this instance was to repair the pitted areas with a resin filler. Below are the 7 steps for repairing this type of damage.

Remove or loosen the taps
Clean the Marble
Lightly resurface the affected area
Fill the pitted areas with a resin filler
Remove the excess filler and sand back the filler flush with the Marble
Repair the chips on the front edge of the Vanity Top
Resurface and polish the Marble Vanity top back to its original condition

Tip: To clean out all of the dirt and limescale in the pitted area, apply a resin filler and leave it to set. As it sets lift out the filler and as it comes away from the marble it will pull out the limescale and dirt. Repeat the process untill all of the limescale etc has been removed.

Wipe the area down with some white spirit after you have completed the above process. The damaged area needs to be as clean as possible to get a good repair.

I then mix a combination of colours, which is then applied to the damaged area in layers. To do this I use a clear resin filler and add pigments to it to create the different shedes needed for the repair.

Once the resin has set, I will then sand off the excess. As I sand it back the different colours will blend in with the marble. I used the same mixture to repair a small chip on the front of the Marble Vanity Top.

The excess resin is sanded off, using a selection of Silicone Carbide sanding Disks. Grit sizes ranging from 220 grit to 1200 grit were used. At this point there is a slight shine on the marble.

The Marble Vanity Top is then polished using silicone carbide sanding disks from grit size 2000 to grit size 10,000. After a final clean with warm water it is buffed dry, and finally the polishing is completed with Lithofin MN Polish.