How To Polish Marble Floors (Updated)

Want to learn how you can polish your marble floors in 2023? Marble is a natural stone of lime made secure and hard after going through pressure and heat with time. So to maintain the beauty and durability of marble floors, you must polish them carefully.

Though marble is still a robust stone, it gets stained easily because of its porous nature. So it is essential to be careful when you polish marble floors.

Types of marble

Usually, two types of marble are used for flooring purposes – natural limestone and cultured marble. You can identify the type of marble used on your floors through three primary methods, including:

Temperature method: when you lay your hand on the marble floor, if the surface is more cooling than the environment, then it is natural marble. But if its temperature is the same as that of the situation, then it is cultured marble.

Acid method: you can put a few drops of vinegar at a not-so-noticeable part of the marble floor. If it produces fizz or bubble, then it is natural; otherwise, it is cultured.

Scratch method: at the spot where you have tested with vinegar, you can use your nail to scratch the surface. If you can scratch it, then it is natural otherwise cultured marble.

The processes to polish marble floors made of natural marble and cultured marble are briefly described hereunder separately to avoid any damage to the floors made of natural marble.

Polishing natural marble floors

Remove stains: highly porous natural marble usually has stains caused by liquids seeping and trapped into it. Your marble can be stained due to any frequent spillage, including wine, juices, cooking oil, coffee, and sauces, etc. You can use a microfiber cloth damped in warm water and mild detergent to rub gently on fresh stains to remove them. The spot should be rinsed entirely afterward.

Removal of obstinate stains: to remove stubborn stains from natural marble, you should dampen it with water, use a few drops of chemical cleaner, and rub it gently with a brush with stiff brush bristles and rinse it carefully. You can repeat this method 2-3 times to remove obstinate stains.

Polishing: after rinsing the marble floors thoroughly after removing stains, you should let it dry before polishing it. If you polish marble floors when they are damp, then its surface can get damaged. After drying the cover, you should use a clean, dry cloth to remove grit and dirt from it.

Then you can use the mixture of water and baking soda to polish it in an eco-friendly manner. You should apply a thin layer of this mixture on your floor with the help of a clean cloth. You can remove this layer by rinsing the surface with warm water after allowing it to stay on it for at least 4-5 hours. Now you can use a clean cloth to buff dry the marble in small circular motions.

Polishing cultured marble

It is easier to clean cultured marble than natural one. Polished marble can have very few scratches and damages because of the proactive coating on them. Still, it would help if you were careful while polishing it.

Remove stains: you can use non-abrasive pads and brush with nylon bristles to scrub the surface of polished marble floors to remove stains from it. The hard water stains can be removed by spraying a marble cleaner on the surface and rubbing it gently for a few minutes. You can rinse it with water and remove the remaining stain by wiping it with a damp cloth.

Cleaning marble at high traffic areas: you can use non-abrasive floor cleaners to clean the marble floors in the areas receiving high traffic.

Polish cultured marble: though it is not necessary to polish marble floors made of cultured marble as their surface is sealed while manufacturing it, you can prevent stains on it by using a proactive sealant after every 1-2 years. You should clean dust and grit from the floor regularly and use mats to control the dust’s entry to protect your cultured marble floors from scratches and stains.

Thus you can easily polish marble floors of all types by following the tips in this 2023 guide. However, you should avoid using acids and metal scrubbers on natural marble. Though cultured marble is not delicate like natural marble, you should clean it carefully.