How to Clean and Reluster Marble

Reluster marble floors by cleaning and polishing the surfaces to a gloss shine.

A polished marble floor shines in the light with a brilliant luster. With frequent use, however, the luster fades, due in large part to dirt and debris that create small scratches in the marble surface. Cleaning and polishing the marble can restore the luster as long as the restoration process occurs soon after the dulling begins. As long as there's no serious damage to the marble, polishing can produce that shiny gloss finish that distinguishes marble surfaces.

Things You'll Need

• Broom
• Mop
• PH-neutral cleanser
• Bucket
• Floor buffer
• Polishing pad
• Marble floor polish
• Hand-held polisher
• Dust mop

Instructions

1. Remove any furnishings or rugs from the marble floor so that you can have full access to the surface.

2. Sweep the floor using a stiff-bristled broom to remove any dirt or debris from the surface. Any dirt remaining on the floor once you begin to polish back the luster can cause scratches and dulling in the floor's surface instead.

3. Clean the floor with a damp mop and a pH-neutral marble floor cleanser. Avoid saturating the floor with liquid, and mop in a single direction only to prevent the spread of dirt over already cleaned areas. Rinse the cleanser from the floor with clean water, then wait a few hours for the floor to dry.

4. Attach a polishing pad to a floor buffer that's designed to polish floors. Spread the floor polish onto the floor by spraying a thin layer of the polish evenly over a 3-foot-square area located at the corner furthest from the room entryway.

5. Move the buffer to the section containing the polish, then turn on the machine. Move the buffer over the section of flooring using a back-and-forth motion until you've completely buffed the polish into the marble. Turn off the machine.

6. Cover an adjacent 3-foot-square section of floor with the polish and repeat the process. Continue in this manner until you've covered four adjoining sections of floor. Return to the starting point and repeat the polishing process. With each new polishing pass, you'll increase the luster of the floor. Repeat the polishing process over the four-section area until you reach the level of luster desired, then move onto the next area, starting a new 3-foot-square section.

7. Polish edge sections that aren't reachable with the floor buffer using a hand-held polisher. Apply the polish, then go over the section with the floor polisher until you reach the same level of shine as the rest of the floor.

8. Remove any dust or dried polish particles that remain with a dust mop after you finish polishing.

Tips & Warnings

• Rent a buffer from an equipment rental shop or home improvement store.

• Open the doors and windows to the room prior to polishing to ensure a well-ventilated space in order to disperse strong polish fumes.

References

• Marble Floor Polishing: Clean and Polish Your Marble Floors
• Sacred Places: Maintaining Marble Floors
• Marble Institute of America: Natural Stone Care and Cleaning