Stone Patina Spray Archives - Oxfordshire Tile Doctor

Damaged Marble Table Repair and Polishing Oxford

Chipped Marble Tabletop Repaired and Polished in Oxford

Earlier this year I worked on a neglected Marble table and a client from Oxford saw that and wondered if there was anything I could do to repair a similar table made from marble.

Damaged Marble Table Before Repair and Polishing Oxford

I popped over to look at the table and could see there were some light scratches but more significantly there was a chip in the surface where the client had dropped something heavy on the tabletop. Confident I could help I agreed to renovate the table which included filling the chip, polishing to remove the scratches and then applying a sealer to protect it going forward.

Cleaning and Repairing a Marble Tabletop

The first task was to tackle the chip which began by wiping the marble surface down with thinners to clean of any grease and dirt etc. Next, I mixed up some specialist paint to match the dark red colour of the table and applied it to the damaged area. The hole was then filled with a clear resin building up thin layers until the hole was slightly overfilled.

The next step was to rub down the repaired area with coarse hand-held diamond blocks of different grits to remove excess resin until it was flat. This was followed by polishing the whole Marble tabletop with a set of 6-inch diamond burnishing pads. This action brings up the natural polish on the marble removing the light scratches and helping the filled area blend in.

I usually use the larger 17-inch version of these pads to renovate stone floors, and the 6-inch pads are no different except you have to use them with a hand-held buffer. The process is the same, you start with the 400-grit using water for lubrication and apply the pad to the whole table. Then the slurry is rinsed off and the action repeated with the 800 and 1500-grit pads. The last pad is 3000-grit and is applied with a little water sprayed onto the surface. This last pad has the added advantage of leaving the marble dry so you can move quickly onto sealing.

Damaged Marble Table During Repair Oxford

Sealing a Polished Marble Tabletop

To seal the Marble table a couple of coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow were applied. This is an impregnating sealer that soaks into the stone, occupying the pores in the marble and ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily wiped away. Tile Doctor Colour Grow as its name suggests contains a colour enhancing formula which is ideal for improving the appearance of a colourful table like this one.

Once the sealer had dried, the stone was given a light buff with a 6-inch white buffing pad to bring up the finish.

For aftercare of stone countertops and tables I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Stone Patina Spray. This is a neutral PH spray cleaner that helps to maintain the shine on a polished stone.

Damaged Marble Table After Repair and Polishing Oxford

Professional Restoration of a Marble Tabletop in Oxfordshire

Chipped Marble Tabletop Repaired and Polished in Oxford Read More »

Limescale Stained Granite Kitchen Worktop Renovation Oxford

Removing Limescale from a Granite Worktop in an Oxford Kitchen

1 Comment / Oxford Tile Cleaning / Barry Woodward

A client from Oxford was in touch recently regarding their Granite worktop which was heavily stained with limescale build-up and she simply couldn’t get it clean. Oxford is a known hard water area with high readings of calcium carbonate in the water.

Normally granite needs little maintenance however the calcium deposits in the water (often referred to as limescale) are deposited on the worktop surface and over time this slowly builds up.

Limescale Stained Granite Kitchen Worktop Before Cleaning Oxford

There are several household products on the market that can remove limescale however you need to be very careful when using these on natural stone as they can make the problem much worse so wisely, we were asked to resolve the problem.

Removing Limescale from a Granite Worktop and Sink

Granite is not as acid sensitive as Limestone and Marble so to start I carefully applied Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up. This was rubbed into the limescale then rinsed off with water.

This was followed up with a set of six-inch Tile Doctor Burnishing pads applying them in sequence from coarse to extra fine over each part of the Granite countertop. The pads are fitted to a hand buffer and the soil generated by the pads was rinsed off between pads with water.

Granite Kitchen Worktop Aftercare

The granite worksurface does not require an actual sealer to be applied so to finish I sprayed on Tile Doctor Stone Patina Spray and buffed with a cloth to give it a high shine finish. This product is designed for cleaning stone worktops and contains a special ingredient that maintains the lustre so ideal for maintaining the worktops going forward.

Limescale Stained Granite Kitchen Worktop After Cleaning Oxford

Granite is an expensive material and makes the most beautiful and practical worktop you can install in a kitchen. In this case though the Limescale had ruined its appearance, once I had finished buffing the stone however I was pleased to see the kitchen had regained its wow factor.

Professional Renovation of a Limescale Stained Granite Worktop in Oxfordshire

Removing Limescale from a Granite Worktop in an Oxford Kitchen Read More »

Limestone Table Polishing Burford Oxfordshire

Polishing a Limestone table in Burford, Oxfordshire

1 Comment / Limestone Tile Cleaning and Polishing, Witney Tile Cleaning / Barry Woodward

This client from Burford in the Cotswold hills contacted us to see if I could polish up a Limestone table which was now surplus to requirements, and they wanted to sell it. They realised though that the polished appearance was dull and unappealing, so if it was to achieve the best price if would need polishing first.

Limestone Table Before Polishing Burford

We discussed the project over the phone and I explained that although we are more used to polishing stone floors with large diamond burnishing pads there was no reason why the same technique wouldn’t work on the table. For this project we would use smaller six-inch pads that can be fitted to a hand-held buffer machine. Confident I could complete the work and get the table back to its former glory I agreed to call in and demonstrate the process.

Polishing a Limestone Tiled Table

Using a set of small diamond burnishing pads of increasing grits and water I was able to quickly polish a sample area of the table to a nice shine. This newly polished section really highlighted just how dull the rest of the table had become. Like any polished surface it will lose its lustre over time with regular use and potentially cleaning with the wrong products.

Happy my solution was effective, and the price was right, he asked me to continue and polish the whole table. I put tape around the edge of the table to prevent splashes and had a dust sheet on the floor.

Next using a flex polishing machine fitted a six-inch 200-grit pad the stone was lightly cut back to remove the staining and cup marks. A little water is used during this process to help lubricate and a sponge with more water is used afterwards to remove the slurry which is generated. This process was then repeated using 400, 800, 1500 and finally a 3000-grit pads until the Limestone was polished to a honed finish. Again, the slurry was sponged away after each pad.

Sealing a Limestone Table

Then to get a very deep durable Tile Doctor Shine Powder was applied which is ground into the stone using a White buffing pad. Once this had dried, I buffed the table with another White pad to leave table looking like new.

Limestone Table After Polishing Burford

The client was delighted with the finished result and considered keeping it for a moment! However, they were satisfied that they could now sell it for a good price. For the maintenance cleaning of polished stone tables and countertops we recommend Tile Doctor Stone Patina Spray which is very easy to apply and helps protect the polish.

Although we specialise in the maintenance of tiles, stone or grout, mainly involving floors, but from time to time we do get asked to do something different such as resurfacing stone tables or work surfaces. It makes a nice change to complete something different and is very satisfying when the results are as good as this.

Professional Restoration of a Limestone Table in Oxfordshire

Polishing a Limestone table in Burford, Oxfordshire Read More »