Are you thinking of restoring your marble surface but can’t seem to make a choice between the honed and polished look? No worries. NOVA Stone Care professionals are ready to help. Our knowledgeable team performs in person consultations and offers FREE estimates around the DMV area. We’ve decided to list the pros and cons for both finishes so you can make an informed decision about what type of finish works best on your marble.

Honed Marble

Honed marble refers to the marble that has not been polished. It has a matte appearance and a velvety feel, rather than a distinctive shine of the polished marble. 

• Honed marble is more durable than polished marble. It is resistant to scratches and chips. When it gets scratched, scratches are less noticeable because light doesn’t reflect off the matte finish the same way it does off the shiny finish of polished marble.
• Because honed marble is not polished, it’s more susceptible to stains compared to its shiny counterpart.  
• Honed marble is ideal for flooring. Due to the matte surface, it is less slippery than polished marble when wet.
• Honed marble is easily maintained with regular and timely wipe downs with mild detergent and occasional resealing.
• Because of its durability, honed marble is perfect for high traffic areas such as entryways, bathroom floors and stairs. 

Polished Marble

Unlike honed marble, polished marble has a high-polish, glossy finish that is created through a special method of polishing with fine pads. Polished marble reflects light and creates rich saturation of colors. 

• Polished marble has a mirror-like shine which means that scratches are more visible compared to honed finish. On the other hand it is more durable to stains compared to the honed version because of it’s extra layer of polish.
• Polished marble is smooth which increases the risk of slipping and falling especially when the surface is wet. Polished marble is not a great choice for floors or high foot traffic areas. 
• Like honed marble, polished marble is very easily maintained with timely wipe downs with mild detergent. 
• Polished marble is a classic choice for kitchen, bathroom countertops and accent fireplaces. 

At NOVA Stone Care we recommend honed finish for high foot traffic areas and polished finish for countertops and accent pieces.

Clean Spills Right Away

Marble has a reputation of being finicky and hard to clean because it is a natural stone composed of calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate reacts to acidic substances which results in dull spots also known as etch marks. This means that any time you spill lemon juice, red wine or coffee, it will leave a subtle mark unless you clean it immediately. Strive to keep your countertops an acid-free zone, but we know spills are unavoidable. The key is cleaning the spill right away. If you leave the spill unattended, it will literally eat away a tiny bit of the surface and stain your delicate marble.

What is the Proper Way to Clean?

Do Not Use

Under no circumstance should you use common cleaners like vinegar, lemon juice, bleach, peroxide, and ammonia. It will only make the stains worse. Avoid using commercial cleaners like Windex, 409, Tilex, Lime Away, Kaboom, CLR, Lysol, etc. We don’t recommend a bar or powdered soaps either. They are a bad choice for marble because they leave a residue.

Do Use

A simple way to clean your marble countertop is using mild, non-abrasive, pH neutral (non-acidic) liquid soap, mixed with water. Mix a squirt of gentle, non-abrasive dish soap with warm water in a spray bottle and spray the area generously. Scrub gently and wipe a soapy solution with a clean wet cloth. Repeat the process until all soapy residue is gone.
Recommended Professional Cleaning Products
While using plain dish soap and water is a common recommendation, soap can still leave a residue if used regularly, which can dull the marble surface. Professional marble products provide superior performance and safety for cleaning. Our number one choice for such product is MB Stone Cares Stone & More. It cleans easily with a streak-free shine. MB Stone Cares Stone & More is totally safe for marble and natural stone.

If Not Sure, Call Nova Stone Care

It is crucial to protect your investment by caring for marble correctly. Don’t cut corners by purchasing cheap cleaners or experimenting with various DIY approaches. This will only cause you to spend more money in the long run while trying to repair the damage. Leave harder to remove stains and etch marks to the professionals at NOVA Stone Care. After all that’s what we do for a living. Contact us at 202-997-4548 for a free estimate. We will breathe life into your stone.

The etch mark is a surface damage in the form of a dull mark on natural stone that contains calcium carbonate. Coffee, red wine, oranges, lemons, vinegar, grapefruits, and acidic cleaning products are all examples of substances that can result in etching when in contact with a natural stone surface. When such substances (pH<7) come into prolonged contact with a natural stone, they corrode the stone and change its texture. Etch mark is not the same as the stain. Etch marks are lighter color than the stone, while stains have darker shades.

Eliminating Etch Marks

The most common mistake people make while trying to remove etch marks, is using conventional cleaning products. Such products can actually make etch marks worse. You should always use a pH-neutral cleaner when cleaning stone.

To remove minor etch marks from polished surfaces, apply a stone polishing powder and then buff the area until the mark disappears. If the etch mark is deep, you will need a professional help to remove it the proper way. NOVA Stone Care technicians are trained to remove etch marks without damaging rest of the surface. We get rid of etch marks by honing, polishing and sealing the surfaces. They say actions speak louder than words. Why don’t you take a look at before and after pictures to judge yourself? We stand behind the quality of our work and deliver stunning results each and every time.