Marble Countertop in Darien, CT, Honed to a Beautiful Matte Finish

July 07, 2015

Not too long ago we were contacted by a homeowner in Darien, CT. The homeowner, a lady, was unhappy because the once-elegant marble countertop surrounding the perimeter of her kitchen had now become covered in etch marks, as can be seen in the 'Before' side of the picture below. Since this wouldn't be her first experience with Sir Grout of Fairfield, she already knew about the high quality of our craftsmanship and was certain that we'd be the perfect Darien stone honing company for the job.



When we arrived at her home, she told us she was glad to see us again and was hoping we could deliver the same high caliber of results for this project as we did on the last one. We simply told her we'd do our best, although we knew we'd be able to since we don't consider a job complete until every aspect of it is perfect, right down to the very last detail.

She then showed us to her kitchen. After taking a quick look, we discovered there were plenty of etch marks that we would need to remove using our honing procedure. We then asked the homeowner a few questions regarding her countertop usage so we could determine what had caused the etch marks to form. As it turns out, the homeowner had frequently been cutting lemons, limes, and grapefruits on the countertop's bare surface – especially next to the sink. This definitely explained why this area had the most damage, etch marks could also be seen scattered across the rest of the marble surface.

Now that we knew the source of the damage, we explained to the homeowner why cutting acidic fruits on marble is not a good idea. When acidic juices ooze out from a lemon or grapefruit and onto a stone surface, it causes a corrosive process called etching to occur wherein the acerbic substance instantly begins eating away at the stone. This chemical reaction is even worse on marble, as opposed to granite, since marble is known for its softer, less durable composition. Typically, this is why people tend to lean towards granite when selecting a stone type for their kitchen countertop.

We were now ready to begin the project. Just like always, our first step was to mask and protect the surrounding areas by taping off the wood cabinets, sink fixtures, etc. We also covered the floors to ensure the room was kept tidy and that no mess would be left behind. Next, the surface was cleaned to remove any dirt or debris. Then, it was time to start the honing process. Before we started the project, the customer had informed us that she wanted the marble to have a matte finish when we were done. We achieved this and made the entire countertop uniform in appearance by using a honing machine made by Makita.

Once we were done, we called in the homeowner to take a look at her beautifully restored marble countertop. She was amazed to see how much better it looked! The etch marks had completely vanished! We told her that, although we hoped she'd do her best to prevent future damage, the matte finish would be helpful in hiding any new marks that may develop over time.

Before leaving, we cleaned up any messes we had made in her kitchen and were sure to take our trash with us on the way out - something we know our customers appreciate since not every company does the same. We then left smiling, happy to know we once again made her home a little bit better.

To see how the project was done, watch the video below:



If you've been looking for someone to restore your own kitchen countertop, give us a call at (203) 763-1332. We hope to hear from you soon!

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