Natural stone is the perfect way to add a touch of elegance to any space. In a kitchen, a marble worktop can become the centrepiece of the room. It is a simple hint of luxury that truly transforms the space.
When Sinead Kelly-Herbert was working with her client to redesign her home, marble was the only choice for the island and worktops:
“The new build project was contemporary and modern but I really wanted to inject tactile, natural materials to add a touch of earthiness and elegance to this fabulous family kitchen area. Natural stone really softens large new spaces.”
As with many natural stones, marble is acid sensitive. This means that extra care must be taken to protect the stone from spillages such as lemon juice, wine and vinegar. When these liquids come into contact with the stone, they will cause an etch mark. This is essentially an acidic burn to the stone that leaves a duller or white mark.
The good news is, that when this does occur, the damage is only surface level and the stone can be restored. The process uses a series of diamond abrasives to firstly remove the marks and then refinish the stone to its original condition.
During the refinishing process, the stone will be slowly polished using finer grit diamond abrasives. The final finish can be decided on the day from a velvet hone all the way to a highly polished finish. In this case the client opted for a honed finish. Although not necessarily more hard wearing, a honed finish can be easier to maintain. Any spillages that occur will still leave an etch mark, but the contrast is less stark. This usually means a professional restoration is required less often.
Both Sinead and her client were overjoyed with the results commenting:
“The concern with using natural marble in a family environment is the risk of damage to the stone from everyday life. But knowing that it can be fully restored by a company like Athena Stonecare means I can continue to use it with confidence.”
To find out more about how to care for your marble worktops click here to request an Athena Aftercare guide or contact becca@athenastonecare.co.uk to discuss your project.
Really happy, both with the quality of the worktop finish (ring marks, be gone!) and with the Athena Stonecare experience overall. Am sure we'll be using them again.
Our whole experience with Athena Stonecare was outstanding from quote to aftercare. We had our marble worktops and travertine floor restored. The settlement cracks on the floor have completely vanished. It has been a pleasure dealing with a firm who cares about it's customers, everyone involved was super polite and helpful. I would highly recommend.
Dave and his team did such a brilliant job restoring our limestone bathroom floors which someone used bleach on by accident. We thought they were ruined but Athena made them look like new again! I would highly recommend them and we will definitely use them for future cleaning and maintenance. Thank you Athena!
I would highly recommend Athena Stonecare, they have done an amazing job on our twenty year old limestone floors, they look better than they did new! Dave and his team were very professional, tidy, trustworthy and efficient.
Excellent, efficient and courteous service . My marble floor looks new and my bathroom walls look amazing. I’m really pleased with the work and the outcome. It only took one day to complete with minimum disruption. Would definitely recommend and will use again and again.
Dave and his partner fully deserve the five star rating. They did a perfect job, on time and on budget. The pool surround which, after 30 years of lime build-up, looked like mud, now, after Dave has worked his magic, looks beautiful again ,showing all the lovely colouring and striations. It’s a joy to see each morning.
