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Peeling Resin Coating on a Marble Table in Monmouth Junction, NJ.

A 5 ft round table in Emperador Dark, a brown marble, with a resin coating that was bubbling and peeling. The owner bought the table years ago, put it outside for a few days, and after that the shiny top layer started to bubble and peel off the marble. Until then the owner wasn’t even sure the table had a coating on it. The table is in Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852, in South Brunswick Township, Middlesex County, Central New Jersey.

Emperador Dark marble table top with a peeling resin coating partly scraped off, next to the same top after a new clear coat — *Before and after. Left, the old resin coating peeling and partly scraped off. Right, the same top with a new clear coat.*

The owner tried to scrape the coating off with a putty knife, got part of it, and asked to have the table refinished with a new coating.

Round brown marble table on a deck, the old resin coating peeling and scraped off in large patches, a putty knife on top — *Before, on the deck. The grey patches are bare marble where the owner scraped the coat off. The rest of the top still has the old coat on.*

Why a few days outside was enough

A clear coat on a marble table is made for indoor use. Outside, it gets UV rays, heat and humidity, and those are hard on any resin. Once the coat starts to let go, water gets between the coat and the marble and the peeling spreads faster. This table was bought years ago, so the coat on it was not new, and an old coat is weaker than a new one.

A coat that bubbles and peels can’t be fixed in parts. New resin next to an old coat shows, and the old coat around it keeps lifting. The whole coat comes off and a new one goes on. A small chip in a coat that is still good is a different story, that one can be filled.

Bare marble or a new coat

Once the old coat is off, there are two ways to finish the top, and I gave the owner both.

Polish the bare marble to a shine, no coat. The stone comes out glossy and shows its color. It is then plain polished marble, and it can etch and stain like any polished marble.
Put a new clear coat on. The coat gives a deep high-gloss finish and covers the marble, so spills sit on the coat and not in the stone.

The owner wanted the new coating.

How the top was re-coated

The table was moved inside for the work. A new coat needs a room at room temperature with as little dust as possible while it cures, and a deck is neither. First I took the rest of the old coat off the whole top. Then I smoothed the marble and prepared it for the coat, so the surface was even and the new coat would hold on to it. That is the dull grey top in the photo below.

Round Emperador Dark marble table top indoors with the old coating removed, the bare marble dull and grey, plastic on the floor — *The old coating off and the marble prepared, right before the new coat.*

The floor and the base got covered with plastic. Then I mixed the clear coat in one batch, poured it over the top and spread it out to the edge.

Round Emperador Dark marble table top with a new high-gloss clear coat, the pedestal base wrapped in plastic — *After. The new clear coat, high gloss, with the base still wrapped in plastic.*

Look at the color. Bare marble with no coat and no polish looks pale and grey, like the top in the grey photo above. Under the new coat the browns and the white veins came back. A clear coat makes stone look the way it looks when it’s wet, darker and with more color.

Here is a short video of the same table after the re-coat.

What to expect from a new coat

A new coat has its limits, and you should know them before you decide:

The new coat can have minor imperfections, like dust particles, small bubbles or slight surface waves.
It can be scratched or chipped, same as the original one.
Over time it may turn slightly yellow. All resins eventually yellow.
The finish is high gloss only. A coat can’t be made matte.
There is no separate sealer. The coat itself is the protection.
The room has to stay with minimum dust for at least 12 hours after the pour. The coat cures in 24 hours, and the full cure takes 7 days.
A coated table stays indoors. Outside, a new coat can bubble and peel the same way the old one did.

Questions people ask about peeling table coatings

Can a peeling resin coating be fixed only where it peels?
No. A patch shows next to the old coat, and the old coat keeps lifting around it. The whole coat has to come off and a new one goes on.

Can I put a coated marble table outside?
I don’t recommend it. A coat outside may not last, UV rays and humidity can make it peel. For an outdoor table, plain marble with a sealer is the better choice, the sealer may help against some color stains.

Do I have to scrape the old coating off myself?
No. This owner started with a putty knife, but taking the old coat off is the first part of every re-coat, and I do it. An old coat that is peeling comes off in flakes onto the drop cloth, with almost no dust.

Can the new coat be matte?
No. A coat is high gloss only.

If the coating on your table is bubbling, peeling or turning yellow, send me a few photos, one of the whole table and a couple close up, with the size and your zip code. I’ll tell you if it needs a new coat and what the work involves. I’m based in Brooklyn and work across New York City and New Jersey. Email info@marblerestoration.us.

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