Marble Floor Grinding and Polishing: A to Z
The article contains what you need to know about Marble Floor Grinding and Polishing:
- Answers to frequently asked questions
- difference between polishing and grinding
- pros and cons of light grinding
- more!
Do you need to refurbish the old floor?
You will love this guide!
Marble floor Grinding and Polishing: what it means and how it works
Marble Floor Grinding and Polishing is a restoration intervention that brings back damaged floors due to scratches, porosity, cracks, holes, joints and levelling.
The operation removes the worn layers of the marble, equalizes the slabs, and eliminates settlement.
How does it work
To smooth the marble, we use a grinder, a machine that the craftsman passes over the entire surface to be evened out:
The grinder machine works thanks to the house current, and the duration of the renovation varies according to the square footage to be covered and the state of conservation of the floor.
The kind of machinery that has been used to grind the floor, make a huge difference in the final result.
Why do the plates move?
Whether the plates move depends on various factors:
- • installation errors
- • inadequate glue
- • settlement of the building
But Careful: the movable slabs must always be stable before proceeding with grinding.
Marble floor grinding: where and when to do it
The intervention effects all-natural stone floors:
- marble
- onyx
- ingeeneared stone
- terrazzo
- granite
- travertine
- limestone
- sandstone
- slates
- stone
Intervention times vary according to the state of wear of the floor (influenced by foot traffic and maintenance) and type of floor:
What is Light grinding?
Light grinding is a floor maintenance operation that removes streaks, stains and light scratches.
What are the advantages of Ligh Grinding as compared to traditional grinding?
- Faster
- more silent
- cleaner
Fantastic right?
However, there are also negative points.
Ligh grinding:
- Does not remove settlements between the slabs
- Does not remove holes and cracks
- Does not remove heavy scratches
The surface to be treated must be in the right state of conservation.
With very damaged floors, it is impossible to limit yourself to micro-sanding.
The craftsman’s task during the inspection is to evaluate the condition of the surface and establish the appropriate treatment.
3 Frequently asked questions about marble polishings
1) Is it always possible to grind the floor?
In 99% of cases, it is possible to recover the marble or other natural stone floor:
You can also intervene if the slabs show small chips on the corners and edges when no grout between the joints and/or the floor sounds hollow.
In many situations, it is impossible to intervene in cases of detached sheets, but we also deal with this:
If the slabs move too much or rise, it means that there is no anchorage to the substrate, so grinding is useless.
2) What is the difference between grinding and polishing?
The difference between grinding and polishing is that polishing is a surface treatment.
Marble Polishing does not remove scratches, does not close cracks and does not reduce porosity.
The goal of the intervention – cheaper than grinding – is to make the floor shiny and easy to clean.
But be careful!
You will rarely be able to perform polishing alone because the prerequisite is a surface in excellent condition.
In most cases, it always should be done grinding, followed by polishing.
3) Can I grind (or clean) a damaged skirting board?
Yes, damaged baseboards receive the same treatment as the floor (with smaller tools).
How much does it cost to grind the marble floor?
It depends; many variables affect the final price.
First of all, it is necessary to identify the type of floor (there is not only marble). Some stones are more difficult to treat, and the work takes longer.
The second important factor is the square footage:
If the intervention concerns small surfaces (e.g. a couple of rooms), the cost is generally calculated per body instead of per square meter.
Third: Is the house empty or furnished?
It is also possible to polish the furnished properties, but the operation requires more hours of work, more attention, and the protection of the furniture (the cost increases).
Is it better to cover or grind a marble floor? (Or other stone)
I often get whether it is better to cover old marble floors rather than smooth them.
It does not exist. The correct answer, think about your needs.
On an aesthetic level, it is a matter of opinion:
If you are considering the idea of removing or covering your floor, stop and reflect!
Are you looking at your floor, and what you see you don’t like?
That’s because you don’t have any idea of how it would look once treated, what it will be the natural colour!
The best way is to request a demonstration on a specific spot of your choice and from then, you can decide what to do!
So, before contacting your trusted flooring supplier, contact us for a free sample to find out more about your marble and how to make it shine again and brand new.
And economically?
Of course, if you decide to refurbish an old marble floor and get it back as new cost less than replacing it!
To conclude
Do you want to restore the ancient splendour of the ruined marble floors?
You can do it!
Grinding is a radical restoration intervention. You can work wonders even on neglected and battered surfaces with limited and minimally invasive investments.
Before saying bye, I want to tell you two things:
This guide was born thanks to our experts at Stone Polishing Solutions, specialists in the care of marble.
The company is headquartered in the Gold Coast and operates in surrounding areas.
For any enquire and information you can contact us
