How to Remove Burn Marks from Marble Countertops

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Marble countertops offer a luxurious and pristine aesthetic to any room in the house. Marble has been used throughout history to fantastic monuments, sculptures, and seen as a symbol of high society. Which makes it all the more impactful when you suddenly find a burn mark on your precious marble countertop.

Burn marks are difficult to treat normally. Marble is a delicate stone and treating a burn mark on marble can be a complicated task, depending on the severity of the burn. If your marble countertops have been burnt, read along and learn how to restore your marble to its former glory.

Cultured vs. Natural Marble

Marble countertops can be made of two separate types of marble, natural and cultured.

     Natural Marble is marble stone that has been quarried from the ground. It is an elegant stone that has been used throughout history, can be expensive to obtain, and requires sealing to protect it from stains and damage.

     Cultured Marble is an artificial marble stone where natural marble is broken into fragments, glued together with a synthetic resin, and dyed to recreate the iconic marble appearance. It is then coated with a protective gel to prevent it from damage. Cultured marble does not require additional sealing, can be slightly less expensive than natural marble, and can be used to make sinks, showers, bathtubs and more.

Both types of marble are softer than other stones and can be damaged if put under too much physical stress. They both require careful maintenance to keep healthy but can last a lifetime if tended to properly.

Understanding the different types of marble and which one is being treated will help provide more solutions to the current burn problem.

What Causes Burn Marks

Whether it is natural or cultured marble, it is important to know what caused the burn mark so it can be avoided in the future.

     Curling Iron: A common burn mark on marble countertops involves a curling iron left on and left to rest directly on the stone. Marble is capable of resisting heat, but curling irons are a consistent source of hot metal which can damage marble and other stone countertops if left to sit.

     Accidental Fire: Accidents may happen where something catches fire, and it extends onto the countertop. These can be from a faulty power outlet, something igniting while being near an open flame, or something overheating and catching fire from poor ventilation. Precautions need to be taken so situations like this do not occur again.

     Thermal Shock: Thermal shock happens when an extremely hot item is placed on a very cold surface, or vice-versa. The change in temperature stresses the structure of the object, causing it to crack or break. The best example of this would be if you pour hot water on an icy windshield. The glass from the windshield becomes stressed by the sudden change in temperature, so that it cracks or shatters. The same situation can happen with marble countertops if the countertop is very cold and a hot metal object is placed directly onto it.

For future prevention, do not directly put hot metals on marble countertops. For accidental fires, make sure your home is updated to building code with no faulty electricity, proper ventilation, and care is taken around open flames.

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Burn Damage on Marble

Before we can start treating the marble countertop for the burn damage, we need to understand how severe the damage is. Depending on how deep the burn marks are will change what solutions are viable.

     Light burns are typically surface level damage. These can still be fixed and repaired with some effort and proper cleaning. Light burns appear as discoloration where it develops a yellow hue.

     Heavy burns are deeper and have penetrated the stone. This type of burn does not have many solutions, where the best option is to completely replace the countertop. This can lead to deeper burn marks, cracking or physical damage of the marble.

Treating Light Burns on Marble

Light burns are relatively easier to remove on marble than heavy burns. The following options are good for both natural and cultured marble countertops.

Water + Diluted Bleach

• Step 1: Obtain materials: bucket, warm water, bleach, gloves, soft-bristle brush, and a microfiber cloth.
• Step 2: Mix the warm water and bleach into the bucket, keeping a ratio of 8 parts water to 1 part bleach. The bleach needs to be heavily diluted to reduce the chance of damaging the marble stone as it is a harsh chemical cleaner.
• Step 3. Put on gloves to protect your hands and use the soft-bristle brush to gently scrub at the affected burn area. Apply enough pressure to remove the burn, but not damage the marble stone.
• Step 4: Continue cleaning until the burn mark is gone.
• Step 5: Use plain warm water to thoroughly wash off the burn residue and chemicals that may linger in the small pores of the marble.
• Step 6: Completely dry the area with a microfiber cloth or soft rag.

Cleaning Solution + Sandpaper

This method has shown to work well with natural marble but has a risk of etching cultured marble.

• Step 1: Obtain materials: bucket, warm water, bleach, gloves, soft-bristle brush, microfiber cloth, 800-grit or 1000-grit sandpaper, and a polishing compound for marble stone.
• Step 2: Mix the warm water and bleach into the bucket, keeping a ratio of 8 parts water to 1 part bleach. The bleach needs to be heavily diluted to reduce the chance of damaging the marble stone as it is a harsh chemical cleaner.
• Step 3. Put on gloves to protect your hands and use the soft-bristle brush to gently scrub at the affected burn area. Apply enough pressure to remove the burn, but not damage the marble stone.
• Step 4: Use the sandpaper to etch away the burn mark. Apply enough pressure only to remove the burn and not damage the marble stone.
• Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 until burn mark is gone. Once removed, rinse the countertop with plain warm water.
• Step 6: Use a microfiber cloth or dry soft rag to completely dry the marble countertop.
• Step 7: Apply the polishing compound in case the etching has dulled the marble stone.

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Removing Heavy Burns on Marble

Unfortunately, if the burn mark has penetrated through the outer sealing coat and stained deeper into the marble stone, then the only option would be to completely replace the countertop. Marble is very porous, so it is easy for burns to sink deep into the stone and cause further damage over time. Only professional marble cleaners are able to handle the situation.

Conclusion

Marble makes an excellent material for countertops, but great care must be taken to keep it safe. Marble is very porous, so any stain or burn damage that rests on the surface could easily sink deeper into the stone and make it untreatable where the whole countertop needs to be replaced.

Always use caution when using hot items or around exposed flames. Protect your marble with a sealing and call a marble professional on how to fix your marble countertops if they get burned.

Why you can trust Marble.com

When it comes time to get the job done, our fabrication and installation teams have the equipment and expertise it takes to get your project cut and delivered the right way, every time. We at Marble.com are known for our incredibly quick turnaround, as we understand having countertops and other mainstays installed quickly and properly is important to our customers. We value your time, and our goal is to create the best work possible and have you enjoying it as possible.

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