Kitchen Countertop - Marble Tile Etching Problem

13 years ago

My husband and I installed polished marble tile in our lake cabin this past April. When we did the install we used the Miracle 511 impregnator as a grout release agent and then later after joints had been grouted as an overall stone sealer.

Since that time I have numerous etching spots on counter top. Now please keep in mind this is a lake cabin that only gets used on the weekends..starting mid-June.

I have been very careful to avoid food or beverages with high acidic content.

Why do I have such as mess and what can I do to correct etching that we have and to prevent future etching other than putting down a protective cover on counter top material we were told was fine to use for counter top.

The sales rep that sold us the product is not responding to my emails.

I've attached an image of the counter top that was taken right after installation.

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Comments (3)

shelleyuk
12 years ago
I'm having marble issues of my own at the moment but my understanding was that marble just etches. Its what the stone does. I have been etch testing mine (its white not black) for the past few weeks and it definitely etches immediately with lemon juice, vinegar, anything even vaguely acidic. You don't have to leave it on long, literally a couple of seconds.

Polished marble obviously shows the etching far more than honed marble. I've read that many people deliberately etch the whole slab immediately after installation so that at least the etching is all over.

I don't think you can avoid the etching, even with a decent sealer (although the sealer will help the staining issue).
Katrina Kennedy
11 years ago
Sorry, I don't know what the sales rep said to you about marble, but its basically for looks only. I wouldn't use it anywhere you actually intend to do any cooking. You said you were careful -- but pretty much everything we eat and drink is acidic enough to etch marble -- coffee, wine, tomatoes, soda, most salad dressings etc. so doing pretty much anything will cause something acidic to get on the kitchen surfaces.
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Lustro Italiano
9 years ago
Understanding what an etch is and how it is treated is key. In this video Brian not only demonstrates etching but removes it and explains what happens to the stone as he demonstrates it.