Karen:

Can you post pics?

IF the subatance that you are referring to is on the
surface of the stone (and has not been absorbed INTO
the stone) you may be able to scrape the suabstance off
with a plain razor blad - being very careful of course,
so as not to scratch the stone...

IF on the other hand the staining agent has litterally
soaked into the stone - or has been absorbed to a certain
point, you'll want to look at saponification - which
quite simply is "drawing out" or "extracting" the staining
agent solids - out of the stone.

This can be done by using a "poultice" that is applied to
the affected area, and using time and the chemicals in the
poultice to "draw out" the staining agent solids.

IF you have a scrap piece if tile, you can do a test, and
duplicate the same conditions on the test tile -
then try doing the poultice on the test tile and check the results.

Here's what I'd do:

1. in a throw away platic cup, pour about 1/2 a cup of Acetone
(available at any hardware store) into the cup

2. slowly add dry plaster of paris to the Acetone -
keep mixing until the "mixture" is the consistancy of pancake
batter

3. season to taste (really??? - NO...NOT really - I just had to
throw that one in there to add a little levity....HA!!!)

3. Pour out the "mixture" onto the spot, and spread out so the
spot is completely covered with about 1" of "mixture" overlapping
where the spot is -
eg: if the spot is 1" in diameter,
the "Mixture" should measure 3" across.
ALSO.......
The "mixture" should be between 1/2" to
3/4" thick when properly spread out on the spot in the stone - I use
a table spoon to spread everythnig out and even up the
thickness of the "mixture".

4. cut out a piece of saran wrap that will cover the "mixture"
with 1" extra on all sides - eg: if the "mixture" is 3"
across in diameter, the saran wrap should be a minimum
of 5" square.

5. tape down the saran wrap on all four sides to the
   stone using 3M BLUE TAPE - THIS IS THE ONLY TYPE OF
   TAPE I WOULD USE taping directly to the surface of finished
   stone, as plain white masking tape can sometimes leave
   a residue that will take more work to clean off.

5. Leave the entire assembly ALONE - do not touch it - for
a minimum of 24 hours.

6. remove the tape and saran wrap to reveal the now hardened
"Pancake" that is stuck to the stone. Carefully -
with a plastic putty knife - pry the "pancake" loose from
the polished surface of the stone. The spot should be either
gone completely - or - much less noticable - each stain
reacts differently with different stones, and sometimes
you may need to repeat the process multiple time - but this
technique works - especially for oils and solvent reactive
staining agents.

REMEMBER - THIS IS IMPORTANT - IF your Marble tile is POLISHED -
DO NOT use ANY KIND OF cleaner that contains ACID!!!!
this is bad!!!!!!!!! - Acid will etch the polish right off of the Marble and
instead of a stain, you'll have a dull area where the
polish USED to be....

anyways - Post some Pics if you can - I am sure that there
are other techniques that other folks here on GW will chime
in with... This one's just worked for me over the last 30 years...

hope that helps

kevin

Hi Kevin,

Thank you for your response. My marble floor is polished marble but doing a test on another piece of that tile is a great idea. Unfortunately, I don't have a digital camera or a scanner so posting a picture of these spots on the floor isn't an option for me. Clearly if I could post some pictures, it would be much easier to diagnose my problem!

But I found your words very helpful. The stains aren't on the surface and the grey spots seem to be in the stone. Can I still use a poultice on polished marble? If I do that and it works, how long do I need to wait befor I reseal the marble with a solvent based sealer?

Thank you for your help!

Karen

Thanks for your kind remarks Karen...

After re-reading your OP... This thought occured to me:
are these grey spots anywhere else on the floor?

Reason I ask, is that depending on the grade of Carrara
tiles you have - this may be part of the inherent quality
of the stone... I have seen lots of Carrara that has a soft
grey mottled spotting throughout the stone.

With a pic this could be ruled out or confirmed...
otherwise............
we'll have to rely on "does it look like this?" and such...

Does your cell phone have a camera in it? maybe that or a borrowed
digital camera would work...

As far as doing a poulice on a polished marble - that would work
with mo problemo... you'd want to reseal as soon as possible
after you are satisfied with the results of the stain
being minimzed from the application of the poultice.

In the mean time - try (somehow) to get some pics -
you can e-mail them to me and I could post them for you too, that way
other Pro's will be able to comment more accurately as well, because
my suggestion might NOT be the ONLY way to solve your probelm...

Stonegirl, Bill Vincent, Maurizio and others hopefully
will chime in on this thread too... They have alot of wisdom
and exeperience in this as well.

kevin

I've posted a link to my website that has an e-mail link,
so (when) you DO get some digital pics (hint,hint) you can
e-mail them to me, and I'll post them here for you.....

Here is a link that might be useful: AZ School of Rock

Thanks for your kind remarks Karen...

After re-reading your OP... This thought occured to me:
are these grey spots anywhere else on the floor?

Reason I ask, is that depending on the grade of Carrara
tiles you have - this may be part of the inherent quality
of the stone... I have seen lots of Carrara that has a soft
grey mottled spotting throughout the stone.

With a pic this could be ruled out or confirmed...
otherwise............
we'll have to rely on "does it look like this?" and such...

Does your cell phone have a camera in it? maybe that or a borrowed
digital camera would work...

As far as doing a poulice on a polished marble - that would work
with mo problemo... you'd want to reseal as soon as possible
after you are satisfied with the results of the stain
being minimzed from the application of the poultice.

In the mean time - try (somehow) to get some pics -
you can e-mail them to me and I could post them for you too, that way
other Pro's will be able to comment more accurately as well, because
my suggestion might NOT be the ONLY way to solve your probelm...

Stonegirl, Bill Vincent, Maurizio and others hopefully
will chime in on this thread too... They have alot of wisdom
and exeperience in this as well.

kevin

I've posted a link to my website that has an e-mail link,
so (when) you DO get some digital pics (hint,hint) you can
e-mail them to me, and I'll post them here for you.....

Here is a link that might be useful: AZ School of Rock

Hi Kevin,

Thanks again for your response. I think you may be exactly right. My carerra marble is white with grey veining. But recently I've noticed a bunch of grey spots that I don't remember being that prevalent. There are a bunch of spots clustered around that drawer that has the soap in it. But there seem to be some spots even under the rug as well.

At first I thought I must not have noticed them when the tile first went in. But I seem to notice some more grey spots every day. In terms of the quality....I wouldn't be able to venture a guess. But the carrera marble is in tiles rather than a big slab and we got it at a tile store that doesn't sell granite or other stone as well (if that makes any sense or helps). Would tile vs. a slab make a difference in the quality of the marble?

How can I tell if the spots are just part of the carrera marble or deserve some treatment? I know once I reseal the marble, it will be very hard to get at the stain (if that is what it is). I know that marble is very sensitive and people talk about developing a patina. Maybe I should just accept theses spots as part of my polished carrera marble floor. Clearly, this is where a camera would help!

I don't have a cell phone with a camera in it. To be honest, I'm more concerned about the radiation from cell phones then my granite! But that's another thread! I'll try to fimd a friend that has a digital camera and is much more computer savvy. Hopefully someone can help me this weekend or in the beginning of the week.

Thanks so much for your help. It's so hard for me to tell if I'm just being neurotic about my floor or if I should take some action before I reseal.

Karen

Sorry about the double post guys!!!
I'm a putz somedays, and it looks like today I am...HA!

Karen - There are various grades of Carrara, and the spots would
be visible regardless if this was in slab form or tile -
remember that the only thing that differentiates the two
is the thickness of the slice.

WHERE is this application located in your home?

Is it by chance a floor on a concrete slab - perhaps a
basement application?

Without pics (hint hint....) ;-) it's harder to diagnose
but my hunch is that it's a quality of the Carrara that you
have and not a defect or a stain. AND... are you sure
that your tile is indeed "Carrara"? There are many varients
that can be "sold" as "Carrara" when in fact the stone
might actually be a varient and NOT the real McCoy...

Tell us a little more about where the stone is installed, how
long it has been in place, if you just recently had it done,
what kind of cement or adhesive was used to install it (if
you know), where in the house is the work, what is the
material that it's adherred to (like concrete slab, wood
flooring over joists, "mud", etc).

Hopefully, my good friend Bill Vincent will chime in on this
too as he is awesome on the knowledge and experience level
for a situation like yours. Bill's a THIRD generation
Tile and Stone guy (he's got me beat by one generation,
but we've both been getting paid to do this line of work for
almost the exact same amount of time...
However - working with each of our Dads
out "on the jobs" when we were "young little
whipper snappers" under the age 18 doesn't count -
except for pride.... HA! those were good times
in spite of the fact that I kept getting busted
for not having a Union Card when I'd go with my
Dad to a job for the day to "get some experience"... HA!)

sorry to ramble there - I'm sure that Bill has some
good stories to tell on those days too!!!!! :-)

Anyways - Karen - help us out with some more details..

until you can post some pics ;-) HA!!!

kevin

Ooooops - My Bad!!!

STONEGIRL (Adriana) should ALSO have some wicked
awesome input on this too... Talk about brilliant
analysis of different products and techniques. She
would also have some golden nuggets to share on this
subject, as well as Maurizo Bertolli...

all GREAT sources of wisdom and knowledge!!!!

Gosh what was I THINKING???

(I am SUCH a PUTZ some days........)

:-0

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for your thoughts and comments. You ask very good questions and I'm embarressed that I don't know all the answers. I'll look for my folder of receipts to see if I have any more information that may be helpful.

My polished Carrera marble is on my bathroom floor and shower walls. (Yes, I know wrong forum but the Kitchen Forum is so much more active.) The shower floor is also Carrera marble but it is small hexacons shapes. I'm pretty sure everything is Carrera marble because I needed to ask my fabricator if he could find a remnant that I could use for the vanity top. That is honed Carrera Marble.

I'm not sure what the tile was placed on as I didn't know enough to watch while he was installing it. It is in my master bath, located on the 2nd floor, in a townhouse that was built in 1969. I think he used unsanded grout when he installed the tile because I remember there was a problem and he needed to exchange the grout. I'm pretty sure the previous owner had laminate or vinyl flooring (probably whatever floor the builder would put in around 1969). Nothing was changed from the original owner/builder.

I don't know anything about the cement used but will check around to see if there is any bag of cement left here. The tile was installed towards the end of November 2007. But I didn't move in or use the bathroom until this past May. That's all I know so far and yes, I see the need to get some pictures ASAP!

I think learning a trade from your father is the best way to learn. And you can't beat all that experience from a very young age. That is worth its' weight in gold! My contractor learned about building from his father and he is one of the best. I'll take years of experience any day and know I'll get excellent work!

Thanks again for your thoughts and comments especially without pictures!

Karen

Hopefully, my good friend Bill Vincent will chime in on this
too as he is awesome on the knowledge and experience level
for a situation like yours.

Actually, I was the one who sent Karen in here from the bathrooms forum. It sounds to me like a liquid soap that's gotten into the stone, and I know Adrianne's knowledge of which poultices to use when is unmatched by any other pro I've ever known, which is why I suggested Karen come in here and give her a shout. :-)

Talk about sending the poor girl in circles!! :-)

If you think it is soap, did you try to take a cloth and a little water to see if it would suds up? That might confirm/eliminate the soap theory.

Hi bbstx,

Thanks for your suggestion. Unfortunately, the spots are in the stone not on the top of it. I tried the Aquamix Tile and Stone Cleaner and scrubbed the spots but they are still there.

I know it would be so much easier if I could post some pictures. Hopefully a friend will bring her camera over some time this week.

Karen

Hi Karen

Sorry I missed your post. Bill sent it on to me - and besides, we were lobster diving last week, so I did not spend too much time on the boards either. I have been slacking :)

As Kevin and Bill suggested, pictures would be most helpful. Trying to diagnose a problem like yours just by what you wrote in description, would almost be the same as having your doctor try to diagnose what ails you over the telephone.

Sorry I could not be of more help.

Hi Stonegirl,

Thanks for your reply. I'm trying to get a friend with a digital camera to help me out. I'll be sure to post those pictures ASAP and look forward to your recommendation.

Karen