I finished installing a bathroom cabinet for a customer yesterday and today he’s claiming that I scratched the marble tile floor. I set the cabinet in place last week and returned yesterday to finsh the installation. When I got there, I found that the HO had moved it out over the weekend to paint it. I saw some scratches before I moved the cabinet back into the room and assumed that he had made them. I used some rags to protect the floor when I moved it back. I really don’t want to get into a pizzing match with this guy so I’ll probably have to eat some repairs.
So, what’s involved in “fixing” something like this? The scratches are small – maybe an inch or two long and there are 2-3 of them. The marble is pretty old and has several “dings” in it.
Any input from a marble guru would be appreciated.
Replies
A well equipt tile setter who installs marble will have the diamond polishing pads to grind out the scratches and polish the surface. Stone countertop installers also have essentially the same polishing equipment. The cost of getting the stuff for yourself is somewhat high, probably $100 at least for the diamond pads and you'll need a variable speed grinder or router speed control for a typical minigrinder.
It's basically grinding the scratch out with a "coarse" pad, then going down the grits until the proper shine is achieved.
On the cheap you might get by with a range of silicone carbide sanding disks and a standard random orbit sander. I've heard of tile setters going this route and it takes a while to get it right, not to mention they usually don't do it twice.
A more realistic approach for getting it done on the cheap is probably finding a kid who works for a countertop installer and paying him for a side job after-hours repair.
Good luck,
Don
Marble is soft, a ros can sand out scratches in marble. You can get super fine grits of 5 or 6 inch paper at a auto finishing supply house. Start with 320 and work your way up maybe 1200 grit. He might want you to do the whole floor though.