Category: Antique Repair

Antique & Collectible Marble Restoration

Marble, when well cared for can last for decades, or even centuries, depending on how much it is used. When you have a genuine hundred-year-old antique marble item, you want it to look well-kept, yet retain an essence of the age. Taking this item to marble restorers will probably make the item look brand new. This might not be your intention, and wanting your marble to look aged will involve a process known as sympathetic restoration.

There are two ways you can simply use to restore historical marble and maintain aging.

The first is to simply wash it with a brush and sponge, then get the surface dried well enough. This simply gets rid of the dirt and gives the impression of good aging. Even if you take your items to a restorer, you can give the instructions on the amount of sheen the marble should get.

The second is using readily available mild abrasives such as buffing compound, honing powder, or baking soda, which is a simple way to restore the way you want it because the level of sheen you achieve will depend on the effort you put into scrubbing it.

Do not be too insistent on making marble look old. If you intend to sell the antique to a dealer and you think that polishing it will make it look too new to them, then you do not need to worry. Any antique dealer worth their salt can tell apart a dazzling 90-year-old marble item, from a gloom-looking 2-year-old item. Polished historical marble is not in any way going to lose value.