During transportation, the marble countertops split into many pieces. Restoration of the countertops and significant reworking of the countertop elements due to design errors, including the extension of fragments, is required.
- During the restoration and installation of marble countertops, the following work was performed:
- At the crack sites, the reinforcement that could not withstand the load was removed.
- Some of the fragments are glued together with epoxy glue with color selection prior to installation.
- A hole in the marble that was made incorrectly was repaired.
- During installation, the fragments are glued together.
- During installation, in some places the missing pieces were built up. In other places, the tabletop elements had to be shortened.
- The ostestia and openings in the marble for the faucet, stove and sink were redone.
- The seams between the table tops and between the table tops and the walls are sealed.
- Marble countertops have been polished.
- Marble countertops have been polished.
- Crystallization of marble countertops has been completed.
The granite flowerpots split into many pieces during unloading.
A crack appeared on one of the flowerpots.
- During the restoration of granite flowerpots, the following work was performed:
- The fragments were assembled one by one and glued together with epoxy glue and color matching.
- The missing fragments are modeled with epoxy glue.
- To prevent further splitting, the crack in the flowerpot was filled with liquid epoxy glue.
- The entire surface of granite flowerpots is polished.
- An additional difficulty during the work was the large weight of the flowerpots (about 400 kg).
The faux marble statue broke into several pieces.
- The following work has been completed:
- The fragments were assembled one by one and glued together with epoxy glue.
- The color of the glue is selected using color schemes.
- Where necessary, the cavities are filled with glue.
- The surface of the statue in areas of restoration has been polished.
- The entire statue is thoroughly washed and coated with a hydrophobic compound.
The most common requests are to glue a broken countertop, a broken corner, or a cracked marble tile.
Although there are also orders for the restoration of vases from natural stone, various figurines, tabletop items. We try not to refuse anyone, but often the customers themselves decide that our work is very expensive, essentially refusing our services, so.
How are marble products restored?
They're sticking! But that’s not all, it’s impossible to coat a stone with glue at the joint, thereby restoring its strength and original appearance; in fact, everything is much more complicated!Repair of marble countertops.
Let’s take a cracked marble countertop as an example; what kind of work needs to be done to eliminate not only the cosmetic defect, but also to ensure that the countertop serves the customer for many years to come.
To ensure quality work is done, we dismantle the damaged countertop and take it to the workshop. In the workshop, initially, the marble is cleaned at the fracture site to remove accumulated dirt, water leaks and other liquids.
If stone elements are missing, the missing element is selected, cut to size, and prepared for gluing and modeling. WITH back side, in marble, grooves up to 1 cm wide and the same depth are cut along the entire length of the product.
A reinforcing rod is placed in the groove. In the future, after gluing, this rod will support the structure of the tabletop, preventing it from falling apart again.
Several such grooves are cut, but not less than three.
The reanimated slab is installed on a level table, leveled using beacons and a level, that’s it, then we glue it! Gluing a broken marble countertop. Using yews and clamps, we fix the marble as evenly and tightly as possible.
We place our reinforcing rod in the groove and fill it with special heavy-duty epoxy glue.
The period of hardening and complete hardening of the glue is 48 hours; during this time, the marble should not be disturbed under any circumstances. The glue has dried, then we polish the marble. In fact, regardless of whether it is a marble product or a floor, it must be produced. In our case, this is necessary in order to level the marble surface as much as possible, remove excess glue, and prepare the stone for restoration.
After rough grinding is completed, the slab is inspected for chips, cavities, and traces of glue residue.
The surface of the stone is cleaned with a solvent and a thin layer of epoxy glue is poured over the entire area again.
This is necessary to strengthen the base of the stone; in the future, marble processed in this way will have a more durable surface, the glue, penetrating into the smallest pores and capillaries, will fill all the voids, strengthen the millimeter layer of marble, however, more is not needed.
A day later, the tabletop is ready for final sanding.
The product is polished depending on its size, using grinders, a rotor, or a vertical grinder. Is that all?Crystallization and polishing of marble countertops
This is the final stage of processing.After polishing and polishing, the stone will shine like new!
Afterwards we will also treat the polished surface of the stone with polish, but this is after installation.
Perhaps that's all, although not.
Agree, it’s not easy work, multi-stage, labor-intensive!
The entire restoration cycle takes at least a week, what is the price of such titanic work? The cost of repairing a marble countertop with reinforcement in a workshop starts at 14,000 rubles (we took as an example a standard countertop measuring 1300mmx600mm with a cutout for a sink)
This price includes:
*Master's work
*Consumables.
Delivery, installation, dismantling are not included in this price.
In the next article, we will calculate the cost of restoring marble window sills without removal, at the customer’s home.
Marble is associated with wealth and luxury. For many centuries, palaces, public buildings and houses of wealthy citizens were lined with it. Natural stone gives the interior a solidity and sophistication associated with a certain gloss and sophistication. “Shining Stone,” unfortunately, is not immune to aging, so sooner or later its surface will have to be renewed. Working with marble is not very difficult, and tools designed for grinding and polishing its surface can be bought at any construction supermarket. The main thing is to be patient and have basic knowledge. In this case, the result will certainly exceed all expectations!
Why does marble age?
Due to its natural beauty, variety of colors and shades, ease of maintenance, marble has long been one of the most popular finishing materials used for cladding:
- facades;
- stairs;
- walls;
- fireplaces;
- columns;
- floors;
- many other building elements.
This natural stone is a solid limestone containing various impurities. Not only the physical and chemical properties of marble, but also its color and natural pattern depend on their composition and quantity. Over time, under the influence of metamorphic processes, limestone changes its structure and becomes stronger. The result is an excellent finishing material.
Despite all my positive qualities, marble belongs to the group of soft stones, so constant exposure of its polished surface to abrasives, chemicals or other unfavorable compounds and factors can lead to rapid aging of the material. Unfortunately, no pre-treatment can 100% protect marble from heels or mechanical damage, so restoration should be considered at the first appearance of cracks, stains, abrasions, and even more so chips.
Marble restoration
Working with marble to renew it includes several main stages, each of which is designed to eliminate certain problems:
- treatment with a mixture of marble chips and a hardener - to seal chips and cracks;
- grinding - to level the surface, get rid of minor defects and add shine;
- impregnation - to improve strength characteristics and increase service life.
Before starting restoration work, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work, which consist of:
- freeing the surface from unnecessary objects;
- cleaning marble from sand, dust and other contaminants.
You should also purchase necessary tool and accessories:
- soft roller;
- grinding machine;
- grinding disc.
Carrying out repair work
It is important to understand that marble restoration will require enormous patience, care and precision.
At the first stage, they get rid of small but significant defects:
- roughness;
- dullness;
- superficial spots;
- minor scratches.
To do this, use a grinding machine with a wheel designed for granite. At the end of the process, the surface of the marble will become smooth and acquire an even more attractive appearance. appearance, and there will be no trace of small cracks.
The next stage will rid the stone of small chips (no more than 3x4 cm), large crevices and depressions. To implement the plan, take marble chips, combine them with a hardener in full accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and apply them to the chips. It is worth noting that the color of the marble chips must match the color of the marble, otherwise stains will appear on the finished surface.
Professional restoration of marble implies a comprehensive restoration of the characteristics of the stone, while preserving the maximum number original elements of the product. The work can be done efficiently only if you have practical skills, a set of certified products designed to remove stains and improve the performance properties of the material, and special equipment.
The most vulnerable in this aspect are floors made of natural and artificial marble and granite. Scratches, abrasions and similar defects appear on them as a result of various abrasive particles - sand, pebbles - being transferred to their surface from shoes. Heels also cause damage - they inevitably lead to characteristic chips and cracks.
Kitchen surfaces made of standard or cast material, in particular countertops, often crack; restoration of their surface is carried out only after preliminary gluing. Stone finishing, external and internal cladding, needs to eliminate tarnish, minor scratches, roughness, and surface stains.
Marble is a soft finishing material; it tends to wear out and “age” with constant exposure to chemicals and solid particles. Even complete pre-treatment is not able to completely protect the stone from mechanical destruction, so the need for restoration arises after the first abrasions and cracks appear.
Basic rules for marble restoration
Chips, potholes, cracks, the depth of which exceeds 3 mm, are filled with stable polyester adhesives. To preserve the natural texture of the stone, the adhesive composition is tinted and, if necessary, marble chips are added - as a result, the natural pattern with veins is recreated.
Mandatory professional processing – grinding and polishing. High-tech techniques help achieve a shiny and smooth surface without damage or traces of bonding. These processes typically complete repairs on oversized items such as mantels, countertops, and window sills.
Restoration of large surfaces is necessarily accompanied by undoing the seams and then filling them with reinforcing compounds. Narrow-profile grouts are made using active substances that protect against the appearance of limescale, spores, efflorescence, and mold.
Also in widespread demand are chemical compounds designed to create a special layer on the surface of restored stone that prevents the absorption of water and pollutants.
Stages of marble restoration
The technology of marble restoration involves performing work in a certain sequence, but not in every case it is necessary to go through all the stages - the full impact on the material depends on the specifics and depth of the damage.
Preparation
The traditional start for such events is dry and wet cleaning of the surface of natural or artificial stone. If you take care in advance to remove any debris from the coating, you can reliably protect the material from the occurrence of new microcracks during restoration. To clean with their own hands, craftsmen use special detergents that eliminate stubborn stains and stubborn dirt.
Alignment
This measure is especially relevant when restoring granite or marble floors. A similar procedure is necessary in cases where potholes more than 2 mm deep can be seen on the coating with the naked eye. Leveling is carried out using high-speed rotary technology in conjunction with special diamond nozzles, which can have different levels of grain size. As a result, the treated surface takes on a matte, monochromatic appearance.
Joining
This stage of repair consists of filling the seams between the cladding slabs. To process the joints, you will need a diamond disc; abrasive dust that appears during the process is removed with a vacuum cleaner. The seams are carefully treated with acetone and filled with mastic, selected according to color, or with special glue (it is better to use a two-component composition). If you are going to restore a granite floor that has been in intensive use for a long time, you should never neglect to work with the seams, since they are the most vulnerable area.
Sealing
Treatment with a filling mixture will be necessary if the surface is heavily damaged by potholes, scratches, and chips. The filling always includes polyester glue; it is colored to match the natural color of the stone. In the case of granite, which has a complex multi-colored structure, several additional components must be introduced into the mixture so that it does not stand out from the natural material being restored.
Grinding
For grinding granite and marble, special equipment is selected that allows you to remove small scratches and irregularities. Using several types of attachments, they organize first rough, then delicate treatment of problem areas; as a result of such manipulations, the material becomes smooth, matte surface.
Polishing
Polishing work allows you to smooth out roughness and give the product or surface glossy characteristics. After polishing, the color of the stone becomes more saturated, scratches and cracks are completely eliminated. Here, grinding machines are used as working tools in combination with specific polishing mixtures.
Crystallization
It involves a series of chemical and mechanical manipulations, as a result of which the surface of the stone is given a mirror shine and the characteristics of water resistance and strength are enhanced. Crystallization is a thermochemical reaction in which calcium-containing materials (in particular, marble) and special chemical mixtures enter.
The crystallizer applied to the surface penetrates the pores of the stone and forms a protective layer, which subsequently greatly simplifies maintenance. Rotary technology is involved in the process at low speeds. If such measures are carried out on an unpolished surface, it must be thoroughly cleaned using alkaline solutions.
Crystallization will not be a good solution for all types of stone products, so in each specific case you need to first check the effect of chemicals on the material.
Hydrophobization
This final measure boils down to impregnation of the object by special means, thanks to which the stone’s resistance to moisture and all kinds of contaminants is strengthened. The modern range of impregnations has auxiliary properties: it enhances the color of the coating, gives a tinting effect, and imitates the texture of wet stone.
At the right approach it is possible to completely restore the aesthetic and operational properties of marble facades, walls, columns, stairs, fireplaces, floors, countertops and decorative elements.
