Maintenance Guide for Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite. Its unique beauty and color variety have made marble an important material for designers and architectures. Marble is used in flooring, facade, wall cladding and sometimes tops as a luxury material.
Calcium carbonate is the main composing substance in many types of marble stones and that causes them to be vulnerable to acidic items. Depending on the type of marble and the level of acidity, the two substances go through a chemical reaction. In the reaction, the surface of marble gets damaged and Carbonate dioxide is released. In many cases, repairing the marble after the incident is very hard or almost impossible. Therefore, it is not recommended to use marble for kitchen tops where you have a lot of acidic substances.
Tea, coffee, lime juice, vinegar, sauces, fruit juices and citrons would potentially damage marble surfaces. It is crucially important to clean these materials as soon as possible in case of an incident.
Marbles are less consistent and generally softer than granites. Moreover, they have micro-cracks which makes them absorbent. As a result, marbles need high standards for maintenance and care more than any other natural stone. It is asked not to work directly with knife on top of the surface without a cutting board. Putting a hot item directly on marbles would harm the material and it is suggested using a trivet. Applying treatments to the surface would slightly decrease the chance of being damaged and the user should still be very cautious.
During the installation of marble surfaces, it is essential to use a suitable adhesive and follow the standards. Metals particles in adhesives may potentially change the color of the stone or make stains on it though oxidization.
Although, cleaning is a key for the maintenance of marble surfaces, using acidic cleaners like hydrochloric acid destroys marbles. The best items to consume are neutral cleaners and a microfiber cloth.