1. Removal of Grout from the Broken Tile
Grout is a substance made of mortar, which is used to seal the marble tiles in place when being installed. The old grout can be easily scraped off with a carbide filer or a gritty cutter. To remove the grout, start from the edges, lightly scrapping it, till the layer gets thinner and thinner. You should keep in mind that the edges of the marble should not be damaged during this step. So, it is advised by marble floor restoration services is to take your time and slowly scrape the edges until most of the grout or sealing material is scraped off.
2. Removing Any Layer on Top of the Marble
This is a very important step. Make sure you remove any sort of lacquer, protectant, luster enhancing polish, varnish, etc. These finishes can be dissolved by a chemical which is commonly known as a “stripper”. It is used to dissolve the layer of lacquer or varnish, leaving the top of the marble, or any other flooring, clean and ready for the next step. The stripper usually takes about 5 to 10 minutes to dissolve the varnish. Afterward, you should wipe the marble flooring with a mop damped with water.
3. Treating the Crack
The crack is visible once the top layer of lacquer or varnish has been removed. The next step involves you cleaning out the crack. This is important because the crack needs to be hollow and cleaned before it can be filled. The crack can be cleaned by using a blower in the case of a deep crack, or with a small brush if the crack is shallow and small. This will get rid of the dirt, debris and small chips, which will not allow the crack to be filled properly if they are left in.
4. Preparing the Filler
The next step involves in marble floor restoration is preparing the filler for the crack. It is usually grout, which is a mixture of mortar. The color of the mixture can also be adjusted by adding oil paint to the mortar. This will ensure that the crack being filled is of the same color as the entire marble flooring. The mixture is usually a thick paste, which can be filled in the cracks. It shouldn’t be too watery or else the crack might not get filled properly.
5. Filling the Crack
After preparing the grout/mortar mixture for marble floor refinishing, it is time for you to fill your crack. The process involves filling in the crack to the top, pushing it in the crack with force using an off-set knife or something which has a flat surface. The reason behind pushing the grout mixture in so deep is because we want to prevent air entering in the crack, which will sink the mixture and create a sag. Afterwards, the mixture is allowed to set for about 2 to 4 hours. Afterwards, the uneven surface is scrapped off and wiped clean with a linen cloth. This is how you fill in a crack of your marble flooring.