Marble, restored where it is.

Etched marble can be restored in place, and replacement is almost never the right answer. Etching is a thin layer of the polished surface dissolved by acid. It is not a stain and it does not go deep. The mark is honed off with diamond abrasives and the area is re-polished to match the rest of the top. On a benchtop that is usually a couple of hours of work, done on the bench with the kitchen protected. Deep etching that has left a visible dip takes more honing and blends less perfectly, and that is exactly the sort of case we cut a test patch for before committing. Replacing a benchtop means a new slab, templating, fabrication, removal, plumbing and a splashback, and weeks without a kitchen. Restoring it is a fraction of that.

Polished is the mirror finish; honed is matte. Both are produced by the same abrasive sequence, stopped at different points. Polished shows the depth and colour of the stone at its best and reflects light, and it also shows etching and wear more readily. Honed hides small marks, gives a softer look, and is the usual choice for floors in busy houses and for travertine. Neither is more durable than the other in the stone itself; the difference is in how visible wear is. If you had polished and are tired of seeing every mark, honing is an option. If you had honed and want the depth back, polishing is the same work in the other direction. There is a middle setting as well. Stopping the sequence short of a full polish gives a low sheen that lifts the colour without becoming a mirror, which suits a kitchen where reflections of downlights are the thing people find tiring.

No. Restoring a marble benchtop costs a fraction of replacing it, and the gap is wider than most people expect. Replacement means a new slab, a template, fabrication, removal of the old top, a plumber to disconnect and reconnect the sink, a new splashback if the old one was bonded, and typically two to four weeks without a working kitchen. Restoration is one visit, done in place, with the kitchen protected. The only time replacement makes sense is when the stone itself has failed structurally, which is rare. The pricing page sets out how each kind of job is priced, so you can weigh it against a replacement quote.

It depends on the surface and what it takes. A kitchen benchtop or a shower, which see acid, oil and water daily, are usually resealed every twelve months. A floor or a table in a lower-traffic room goes two years or more. The honest test is the water bead: a few drops left on the stone for ten minutes should sit up. If they soak in and darken the stone, the sealer has worn and it is time. We add every surface we seal to a reminder list and message you when yours is due, so you do not have to remember. A sealer is not a coating sitting on top. A penetrating sealer soaks into the stone and slows how fast liquids get in, which buys time to wipe a spill before it becomes a stain. It does not stop etching, because acid attacks the surface of the marble itself rather than soaking into it, and nothing short of changing the stone prevents that.

Most jobs are quoted from photos. Send two or three through the quote form, with the suburb and what is bothering you, and we will come back to you with a quote. Floors and whole bathrooms are priced after a short measure visit, because area and lippage change the number and neither shows in a photo. Quotes are in writing and include GST, with the exclusions written down. Nobody books a floor blind, so the date is set after the price is accepted.