Calling Stonegirl, Kevin et al - Proper way to hone Marble??

16 years ago

Stonegirl, Kevin, and anyone else who has knowledge,

I've been hearing conflicting answers on the proper way to hone marble. Some fabricators tell me they chemically hone all marbles bec grinding is too dusty and leaves an uneven surface due to inconsistent hand pressure. Another fabricator/installer said Carrara was the only marble they chemically hone, and cannot do that with the other more expensive marbles (I think it left them blotchy, but I'm not sure about that).

I've been looking at the Calacatta marbles (C.Crema, C.Extra, C.Oro, C.Vaglia, C.Carrara) and Statuario, S.Venato, Statuarietto marbles. If I can't find an already honed marble in a long enough slab (128") which is doubtful, it will have to be honed.

Should I be concerned with the fabricator that says its okay to chemically hone the Calacatta Carrara (and others like it). Or should I believe the fab/installer who says only Carrara can be chemically honed, but not the other white marbles.

Anxiously awaiting a response .... thanks!

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Comments (13)

napagirl
Original Author
16 years ago
bump
napagirl
Original Author
16 years ago
bumping again ...
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lagrant
16 years ago
bump....
maydl
16 years ago
bump again
sayde
16 years ago
I searched for answers to the same question as we need to change the polished finish on some marble trim for the bathroom from polished to honed. Our marble is cararra blanco. The consensus I seemed to get is that it should be done mechanically, using a powder like Knock Down powder, which I got at the tile store. I'm still waiting for DH to try it out.
florida_joshua
16 years ago
You can try to post your question over at Stone Advice.

http://www.stoneadvice.com/forum/

You will be more likely to get an educated answer there.
napagirl
Original Author
16 years ago
florida_joshua, thanks for the suggestion to post my question on Stone Advice.

I did go to their site and searched for honed Calacatta marble but didn't find any subject lines that seemed to match. I tried to Register so I could post my question, but it didn't work for me. Guess I must be visually challenged because after numerous tries it finally said, "You have exceeded the number of registration attempts for this session. Please try again later."

Boy, do I feel stupid, LOL !!
vrjames
16 years ago
napa girl,
I scratched my head when I first read this post and thought Kevin my drop in.

All of your list are Carrara Marbles. They all come from Carrara Italy, off the mountain, different peaks and sites, same mountain.

The Vanata is the only one not suitable for kitchens as it is too sugary a grain structure.

As for after factory honing,I guess it is such a lost art that there is a lot of disinformation out there.

Almost all of these materials should be available already honed from the factory. If the slabs you have fallen in love with are polished and you want them honed, the best method is with a machine, any size will do. with a series of powders, 3 tages and it is honed.

There are as many other methods to hone that will get the job done as well including chemicals. The historic method up until about 1980 has been to use 50/50 bleach and or vinegar and wash the stone then rinse it. SIMPLE, the downside is it leaves a slight textured feeling.

That was before the age of machinary.

Blessings
napagirl
Original Author
16 years ago
vrjames, thank you for posting the above information on marble. I didn't realize that Calacatta also came from Carrara, Italy - it makes sense though. I didn't know that Vanato (Venato?) was NOT SUITABLE for kitchens - thats good to know, even though it wasn't one of my favorites.

I wish I could find my marble already honed, but most of it here in the SF Bay Area is usually polished, hence my question about the "proper" way to hone marble.

So it sounds like both chemical and machine honing can be used, but that the use of bleach/vinegar diluted with 50% water will leave the stone slightly rough. Can that roughness be smoothed out with polishing? I can see where the length of time the acid remains on the stone could differ, thereby causing the blotchiness I referred to in my original post. I also just remembered one of the fabricators said "chemical honing doesn't last". Wonder why he said that?
florida_joshua
16 years ago
OK, the low down from doing a little research. Mind you I am not an expert with working with marble, but I do believe the info I'm giving you is correct.

First off when you chemically hone marble it will act differently depending on the makeup of the stone. So make sure the fabricator knows what he is working with because I believe different marbles will turn out completely different. This will put more texture on the stone rather than a mechanical hone which leaves the finish silky and flat.

Which leads me to the mechanical hone. This is the method most used in the industry, unless going for a certain 'look'. In my opinion mechanical is the better option if you want that smooth flat or matte look. Different shops have different techniques for honing so there is no right way as long as the finished product is what you want. So make sure you get a sample of their work before you sign the dotted line. For a fabricator this process is not difficult but takes some finesse to get the perfect sheen and a little time so you may be charged a bit more if the slabs you picked are not honed.
napagirl
Original Author
16 years ago
florida_joshua,
Thank you so much for following up with more info on honing marble.
Yes, yes, silky and flat is what I want. So I'll be going with the "mechanical" fabricator, even tho his price is more.
oofasis
16 years ago
Napagirl - Thanks so much for your post. It was a great opportunity to learn something more about my favorite stone.
napagirl
Original Author
16 years ago
You're welcome, oofasis.
It does seem strange this question hasn't come up before.

Calling Stonegirl, Kevin et al - Proper way to hone Marble??

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Calling Stonegirl, Kevin et al - Proper way to hone Marble??

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