The following is a summary of a demonstration performed by Cameron DeMille using MB Stone Professional, Inferno Marble Polishing diamonds pads. My thoughts are at the end.
Please enjoy the video as well. There are some very good nuggets of wisdom as Cameron makes his way through the grits.
An etch was put into this marble piece during the recent Surfaces TISE 2023 trade show In Las Vegas. Cameron DeMille of MB Stone Professional is demonstrating how to remove the etch and bring back a natural-looking polished finish without the use of polishing powders.
Cameron is using the new MB Stone Professional Inferno Diamond Pads. The Infernos range in grit from 60 – 6000. The actual grit sequence of these marble polishing pads is 60, 120, 220, 400, 800, 1800, and 6000. The first four grits are diamond-cutting grits. The last three grits (800, 1800, 6000) have a diamond matrix combined with a unique blend of a compound and other abrasives that allows the user to achieve maximum gloss with minimal effort and mess.
Cameron uses the 60-grit Inferno to remove the heavy scratches and the permanent marker that he put on the piece.
It is important to note that most counters do not need to be ground as low as 60 grit. I recently completed a small white marble counter with heavy veining by removing the initial etching with 220. The resulting shine was perfect. In fact, the piece used in this demonstration may have resin filler in the fissures and cracks so the 60 grit did open it up a little. You will be able to see this in the final polish at the end of the video.
Cameron recommends the use of a plastic putty knife to remove the diamonds from the backer pad. The Velcro on these marble diamonds is very “sticky” so it is difficult to remove without a wedge of some kind.
After the first cut that removes all of the existing damage, Cameron recommends polishing the marble counter up using, “three passes with each step we’re not doing more or less on the lower grits or the higher grits it’s just three passes all the way through so we’re going to do one overlapping vertical pass,” then one side to side overlapping pass, then one in small tight circles.
You are putting 8-10 pounds of pressure on the machine, “about the pressure you want is like imagine if a gallon of milk was sitting on top of the machine with about eight pounds of pressure.”
As you move the machine from vertical overlapping passes to side and then to circular you will start to feel the surface becoming smoother. This happens when you feel less resistance to the machine. Make sure you have enough water down to keep the diamonds cutting as you move across the marble counter.
The first grit removes the damage you are trying to correct. The second grit removes the first grit scratches, and each successive grit removes the scratches from the previous grit until you achieve a high polish from the final 6000 grit. Make sure you are using plenty of water to keep the diamonds cutting the marble counter and hold the machine in such a way that the diamonds stay flat on the surface and do at least three overlapping passes across the marble counter.
Cameron goes on to say, “a major upside of these pads is they’re very hard and they’re very rigid they don’t curl up in the toolbox.” Additionally, “they keep a flat finish if you have stone where somebody else has gone in like a limestone or travertine top and they kind of like orange peeled it and stuff the 60 will plain it flat.”
The Inferno marble polishing diamonds are very smooth so they’ll adjust to your machine. The first couple of times you use them you may have to apply more pressure to sufficiently open up the resin and make sure the diamond’s matrix is exposed across the entire marble polishing pad. If necessary the user can use a weighted pad driver for their Makita or Milwaukee variable speed polisher. In fact, as you go up in grit you will move slower and can apply more pressure if you feel it’s necessary. When I am polishing with them I will work each of the polishing grits for three passes, then I will spray a little more water and do three more quick passes with a little higher speed and pressure. I have found that this maximizes each of the diamonds and provides a very nice finished product.
When you have moved through the grits and removed your residues, your results will be a beautifully polished marble, travertine, or limestone surface. The cost of these marble counter-polishing diamonds can be pricy. I think the 5-inch set is nearly $500.00. But most of the grits will last for hundreds of counters so there is real value there.
I recommend these diamonds to all of my Service Network Members and friends in the industry.