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A client called last week with concerns over the durability of our cream marfil marble counter top on her bathroom vanity. She purchased the vanity from UniqueVanities.com over a year ago, and said she loves her piece of furniture, but recently, her teenage daughter had spilled some proactive solution on it and it was stained.
After talking to her at length, what she described was not actually a stain (as natural stone is difficult to stain). She described an etching effect – which is like water marks left on a table top.
After speaking to a general contractor about this, it was suggested that she try some over the counter re-sealer product that can be purchased at a local hardware store. She tried a few different remedies, but nothing worked.
So I did some research and spoke with a Marble Restorer in her area in Minnesota. He said that if what she tried did not work, that the only alternative (besides getting a new counter top) was to have it buffed down to the original condition and resealed like it was originally when it was manufactured. This process can cost approximately $225-$265 for an average double sink vanity.
I asked him for advice on how to prevent this from happening in the future, and he said – “Julia, it will happen again. Marble is very a porous stone, and is easily etched by any product with acid in it.” He said almost all products have some type of acid in them.
I share this story because Marble has always been considered a porous and less durable product than Granite. But the looks are very different, which is why many people choose a marble or travertine counter top when they purchase from UniqueVanities.com.
With that said, our recommendation is only using marble in low use bathrooms – like a powder bath. If you must have marble in a higher use bathroom, then take extra care when in use. Always wipe up any moisture immediately after use. Use coasters for beverages. Treat it like a fine piece of furniture in the living room. Also, be very careful when cleaning anything around the marble – in example, the bathroom vanity mirror. Spray the cleaning rag rather than the mirror to avoid any mist form the product hitting the vanity top.
We want our clients to enjoy their furniture style bathroom vanity for years to come, but as with any piece of furniture, you should take extra care to increase its useful life.
Tags: bathroom furniture, bathroom vanities, bathroom vanity, granite, home tips, how to, how to clean, marble, travertibe