Cleaning Environmental Stains from White Marble 

Marble Restoration is a task frequently faced by masonry and historic restoration contractors. Marble has been used in buildings and structures for millennia dating as far back as the ancient Greeks in the 7th century BCE. Marble mining remains a global industry with quarries spanning across six continents. As marble has been used for centuries as a building material, many buildings and structures around the world contain marble that is showing its age with discoloration and staining.

Marble stains and scratches easily due to its soft, porous nature. Unlike harder stone like granite, marble contaminants typically leach below the surface. Soot, grime and residue can seep into the stone discoloring not only the visible surface marble but also the layers of marble below it.

Marble restoration methods are chosen based on the severity of the damage. While some surface staining can be removed using chemical methods, the only way to remove below-surface staining is through a process known as “Micro-Abrasion.” Micro-abrasion allows for the surgical removal of the outer layers of marble. This process winds back the arms of time, revealing new layers of the original marble underneath the soiled crust.