A recrystallized limestone that formed when the limestone softened from heat and pressure and recrystallized into marble where mineral changes occurred. The main consistency of marble is calcium and dolomite. Marble tile ranges in many colors and is usually heavily veined. Usually very sensitive to the wrong cleaning products. Hardness rates from 2.5 to 5 on the MOH Scale. It is very important to begin taking care of marble from the beginning with proper stone care products. Restoration is often required on neglected or improperly treated marble.
Marble is very sensitive to both acid and alkali cleaners; therefore, it must be protected with Stone Spray-N-Seal and cleaned with Marbalex or Marbamist. For bathrooms, disinfect with Marbadan Plus. Glass rings, surface scratches, dull spots, and shower wall streaks can be repolished by hand with Marbacream polishing cream. More severe etches in marble will require the use of Honex before using the Marbacream. Provide additional protection to marble vanities, tables, countertops, and walls with an application of International Stone Polish and clean with Marbamist. Marble polish tile floors should be cleaned with Marbalex and polished using SCI-M. Marble can be polished, honed, or tumbled. For tumbled marble the color can be enhanced using Stone Color Enhancer.
Wrinkled thin layers that show in cross-section, as sinuous lines are common in marbles. These layers are termed satellites. Stylolites consist of silicates or other accessory minerals and are usually darker than the surrounding marble. They do not form as sedimentary layers in the original limestone, but result from the selective removal of limestone by water. Calcite is a highly soluble mineral; when infiltrating water dissolves part of the original limestone, the fine particles that are left are compacted into an irregular layer or stylolite. Comparison of accessory mineral concentrations in adjacent marble and in stylolites shows that 40% or more of a limestone bed may be dissolved in the process of forming stylolites.
