Bob Murrell 

M3 Technologies

Photos by Bob Murrell

Small areas that need honing can be refinished using diamond hand pads. Normally a 400 grit followed by an 800 grit before polishing is sufficient, using your favorite powder or compound.

Above: Small areas that need honing can be refinished using diamond hand pads. Normally a 400 grit followed by an 800 grit before polishing is sufficient, using your favorite powder or compound.
To protect wood frames on table tops and other same-plane surfaces as the marble you’re honing, use painter’s tape on the corners.

Above: To protect wood frames on table tops and other same-plane surfaces as the marble you’re honing, use painter’s tape on the corners.
Another great tool for spot work is a portable partition wall made from a piece of polystyrene foam board insulation, which stands on its own at 4 feet high, and protects from water and slurry being spattered across the room when using rotating hand tools.

Above: Another great tool for spot work is a portable partition wall made from a piece of polystyrene foam board insulation, which stands on its own at 4 feet high, and protects from water and slurry being spattered across the room when using rotating hand tools.
Leave it finished to perfection and cleaner than when you arrived.

Above: Leave it finished to perfection and cleaner than when you arrived.
Above, Left: Honed marble is becoming increasingly popular and doesn’t show etching or wear nearly as bad as polished surfaces do. Above, Right: However, even honed surfaces need occasional refinishing. It helps to keep Majestic 5X, XXX Shine, and Marble Polishing Compound handy. One may work better on a particular stone than another.

Above, Left: Honed marble is becoming increasingly popular and doesn’t show etching or wear nearly as bad as polished surfaces do. 

Above, Right: However, even honed surfaces need occasional refinishing. It helps to keep Majestic 5X, XXX Shine, and Marble Polishing Compound handy. One may work better on a particular stone than another.

Who doesn’t like the perfectly square, lippage-free, 5,000 square foot lobby project with an easy-to-work marble like Crema Marfil and no required edge work? You know – the easiest, best paying job a restoration contractor could ask for. If every project could be one of these, you could almost wear a polo shirt and shorts to work every day!  

However, when you are doing this for a living and you have kids going to college, the zero-turn needs work, and the company truck is leaking oil, you can’t always be so picky. So you take some jobs that you might not always necessarily want in your lineup.    

I’m talking about the nitty-gritty projects like furniture tops, vanity work, showers, fireplace surrounds, black marble, and other small and/or problematic jobs. Basically, all the jobs you would rather not have to do.

Of course, you need to have a minimum charge just for showing up. I mean, you are doing this work for profit, right? But, if you can make a few hundred bucks in an hour or two and it is not out of your way, why not take the job?  

 

Success with these types of projects is all about preparation and having the right equipment and accessories to make the job efficient. Plastic drop cloths, masking materials, painter’s tape (and there are several types for different applications), portable partition walls, a good hand squeegee, and a good apron are just some of the items that can make these projects easier and more efficient. Notice that many of these accessories are intended to keep you from having to do unnecessary work, like cleaning up adjacent areas from accidental or careless slinging of water, splatter etching, and slurry. 

By getting wood and other moisture- or chemical-sensitive areas wet, you run the risk of both diminishing profits and customer references. So the protection of surrounding surfaces is of paramount importance.

So, let me stress the importnace of using special painter’s tapes, draping material, and splatter abatement walls – some of the best ways to protect sensitive areas and reduce cleanup times, as well.

Much of the work in this business is done in very upscale homes or businesses. Splattering a $25,000 or more Persian rug with polishing slurry is totally unacceptable, even if you do have an understanding insurance company. I have seen furniture pieces ruined by water damage, that could have easily been in the tens of thousands of dollars to replace. So just say “NO” to sloppy work, period.  

NOTE: One of the best ideas I have ever seen is a portable partition wall tool made from a piece of polystyrene foam board insulation. It was scored twice with a box knife and then taped over the scores using red poly tape. This allowed the board to be in three foldable sections and easily installed around countertops, vanities, and pieces of furniture. This handy tool stands on its own and is 4 feet in height, which is perfect for most counters, and protects from water and slurry being spattered across the room when using rotating hand tools.

Another useful accessory, along with Tape & Drape, is plastic drop cloth. It is reusable, waterproof, very pliable, and inexpensive. This product can make the use of a wet vac unnecessary, for many counter and furniture applications. Cleanup for the foldable partition wall and the drop cloth is easy: just wipe them down with a wet rag first, then an absorbent rag, and fold them up for next time.  

By using the painter’s tape to protect wood frames on table tops and other same plane surfaces as the marble, then using Tape & Drape to protect the cabinet fronts, and finally the plastic drop cloth for the floor, you have safe guarded the surrounding areas and made cleanup a snap.

I also suggest the use of a waterproof vinyl-type apron when doing waist-level projects. Your body normally blocks some of the splatter when running a spinning hand tool. You can either block it with your clothes or with the apron, it’s your choice.

Of course, there are other spot work projects such as individual tiles that may have been etched or damaged. These can be isolated with the Tape & Drape or the plastic drop cloth material.

Small areas that need honing can be refinished using diamond hand pads. Normally a 400 grit followed by an 800 grit before polishing, using your favorite powder or compound, is sufficient. In some cases, starting with a 220 grit or finishing with an 1800 grit may be required.

The diamond impregnated pads are sometimes useful too, especially on honed surfaces. Honed marble is increasingly popular today and doesn’t show etching or wear nearly as bad as polished surfaces do. However, even honed surfaces need occasional refinishing.

I always keep Majestic 5X, XXX Shine, and also Marble Polishing Compound handy, which happen to be my personal favorites. One may work better on a particular stone than another. I suggest that you also keep several different polishing mediums on your truck, for this very reason.

The idea with spot repairs is to get in, provide a quality repair, get paid, and get out as quickly as possible. The key to success in most projects, and certainly spot work, is careful preparation, followed by the confident execution of the required process itself, and finished by always leaving the project area cleaner than when you arrived. You will make a more professional impression, and make better profits when you are prepared.

As always, check with your favorite distributor for quality products and support. Develop a relationship you can count on with them. It makes good business sense.

  

Bob Murrell has worked in the natural stone industry for over 40 years and is well known for his expertise in natural stone, tile and decorative concrete restoration and maintenance. He helped develop some of the main products and processes which revolutionized the industry, and is currently the Director of Operations for M3 Technologies.