How to Polish Rough Marble Edges

Rough marble edges are one of the most sought-after materials and stones when it comes to high-scale residential spaces and offices. Whether it’s used for home or office applications, the stone provides an earthy and highly textured appearance that adds to the appeal of an overall space. Because rough marble edges have different textures and edges, cleaning them can sometimes require a very specific process that wouldn’t otherwise apply to ceramic, granite and other stone surfaces. In this article, we’ll show you a simple and easy-to-follow guide when polishing up rough marble edges.

Materials You’ll Be Needing

• Safety eye goggles
• Work gloves
• Dust mask
• 4-inch variable speed angle grinder
• Old towel
• Old cloth
• Sand pads (30, 60, 100, 220, 320 and 600-grit)
  

Polishing Marble Stone Edges: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Polish the marble stone using a 30-grit sanding pad attached to an angle grinder. Make specific settings to the grinder by turning the variable speed function at its lowest level. This will help you get a good feel and control of the tool, preventing the risk of getting an injury and preventing the marble from being grinded too quickly.
   

2. Using the tool, apply the surface of the sanding pad to the area that needs polishing. If you’re looking to do a surface application, place the pad carefully as much as possible so it can directly come into contact with the stone surface. For edge work applications, place the sanding pad in a way that goes against the edge of the marble at an angle.
   

3. Add a slight pressure while moving the pad over the marble’s surface. This will help in letting the pad’s circular movement do the work for you. Once you are comfortable working with the grinder and its speed, you can then slowly increase the rotation speed. Smooth the marble surface down to a rough finish using the 3-grit pad. If you’re doing a bullnosing or rounding the edges, you can smooth edges to a roughly rounded shape instead.
   

4. Turn the grinder off and replace the 30-grit pad with a 60-grit pad for the second pass. Use finer grits with each pass for a more polished look. You can also use a 100-grit pad for the third pass and a 220-grit pad for the fourth pass and so on.
   

5. Choose to continue switching pads until you get the desired appearance or level of polish that you need. You can also increase the grinder’s speed with each new pad. This will help in making the level of polish more fine and perfect.
   

Helpful Tips When Polishing Rough Marble Edges

• You can use the old towel or cloth to get rid of dust particles in between passes with the angle grinder. Doing this will help you see how much polishing you’ve been doing and can lett you know when it’s time to stop.
• Save time and money by buying a stone polishing kit that already includes an angle grinder and pads of different grits.
• Make sure to read the user manual of each stone polishing kit that you’ll be using. There are different specific ways to use the grinder and pads that come with each kit so it’s best to take the time to read through each of them.