SFA: What's the Answer?
Honing Marble
(From Stone Fabricators Alliance Facebook page)
Mike Grovesnor
Looking to hone a slab of polished marble. We are a small 2-man hand fab shop nothing fancy. What’s the easiest way of getting a decent result? My boss watched a video and thinks it’s super-easy.
Hector El Guero Martinez
Let him do it.
Tony Neylon
If you are fabricating tops from this slab, cut them up first then hone the pieces with an Alpha and 4” pad, then use hogs-hair and honing powder to blend it. This way you don’t work on any waste by doing whole slab first.
Cameron DeMille
Most marbles can be done the same way; 220-grit resin diamond to cut the polish off, then finished with 250-grit honing powder and a white pad. It will give you a perfect finish with no tooling marks.
Ted McFadden
Put it on a flat table and pay a restoration guy to come in and hone it. If you don't have a floor machine this will take too long.
Jesus Martin Martinez
It’s easier if you cut the pieces out first then hone with 220-grit stone. It was always easy that way. Nevertheless, whatever works for your boss. Like YouTube.
Alex Bores
You can hone it with honing powder from Cameron DeMille. You could also pour some MA over it. 🥴🥴
Vince Ingram
Send to a shop equipped to do it right. Should not cost much.
Mike Grosvenor
Closest shop to us that can is about 8 hours away.
Vince Ingram
Ouch.
Alexandre Dutrisac
Muriatic acid 50/50 water apply generously with paint roll then wash off excess. Try a sample 1st.
Adam Rogers
Little strong for my taste but that will definitely hone it!
Tony Neylon
Get with Cameron DeMille for the honing powder. Best stuff there is.
Adam Rogers
We have always honed our marble with a 10-to 1-mix of muratic acid and water. Does a really good job. 10 parts water 1 part acid. If you have never done it you may want to test a piece to get the process down.
Jose Acacio Carepa
That's the wrong way of honing any marble. Don't be surprised one day if the marble turns a different color. Especially at the place where the glue touches the stone. Acid is absolutely the wrong way.
Robert Berg
We hone, etch, and hone-and-etch. They all come up with different finishes. Hence why we offer all 3.
Brian Prather Briggs
I hope you are killing the acid by soaking with baking soda and water to neutralize. IJS
Adam Rogers
We always wash it off real good with water, let it dry, then seal it up. This has worked for us as long as I can remember.
Brian Prather Briggs
Throw some baking powder in the water or on the stone to neutralize the acid if you want a smoother texture. Even if washed off, dry acid will continue to eat at soft marble. Not saying you are wrong, just a way to neutralize the PH.
Adam Rogers
This is prob not a bad practice. Safer for sure. There is an art to acid washing. It’s very easy to do if you know how. Much easier than mechanically honing a slab. And cheaper. I mean 10 bucks buys you enuff acid to hone 10 jobs or more. Throw in a one-dollar box of baking soda not much more efficient than that. But if you don’t know what you’re doing or use full-strength acid or high-strength mixture you will burn the shit out of it and mess it up so fast.
Brian Prather Briggs
Yes, for sure! I had a boss that cleaned an old fountain with acid. Total disaster, literally.
Reuel Howie Lisboa
Super easy. I would do 220 and honing powder to blend.
Dustin Wallace
Do exactly this don’t forget the honing powder and it’s as easy as it gets. We jibe every marble top that comes through here. Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be. See Cameron DeMille for your honing powder.
David Stout
Break it with 60 grit then run up to 220. Finish with orbital pneumatic hand sander with 320.
Mike Grosvenor
Orbital? Like a car sander?
Shaun Human
No, you want a random orbital sander. Do the same steps with wet polisher that he suggested but personally I would follow that with 80 grit sandpaper then go to a 120 sandpaper to finish. Works well for us.
David Stout
Brian Prather Briggs
Yup! Random orbital with honing powder! Easy peasy!
Anthony Valli
Use water 💦 with the 320.
Charlie Thomas
Vinegar! Or a light muriatic acid wash. Make sure you saturate it with baking soda when done to neutralize the acid or it will keep eating the stone!
Ty Alan
Diamond dust all the way. Look up the grits.
Alex Bores
Diamond dust in grits? Care to explain your answer?
Ty Alan
Al Douma
Sub it out to somebody with the right equipment and go make the money where you are best at.
Michael G. Johnson
If you’re cutting pieces out of it, hone it after it’s fabbed. Otherwise, I would recommend 220 on an orbital with water and some knock-down powder with biggest piece of hogs hair you can find on a slow-speed machine, around 600 rpm.
Erik Moore
Get honing powder.
Matt Fionda
There is honed abrasive powder available online which are very good.
Nicholas Campbell
Everyone else gone cray. Dude just use horsehair pads 1-4 with the powder at the end.
Jordan Rabins
Floor polisher with 5 or 6 pads on a disc.
James Allen
Floor buffer, white pad, honing powder.
Tricia Rhoden
Vinegar-soaked rags ... leave overnight.
Bob Schwager
120 sandpaper wet and the red Scotch-Brite™! That’s as easy as I’ve found so far.