Marble Vanity Silicone Caulk Stain

QUESTION:

I just had a marble vanity top installed in my bathroom and put in two vessel sinks in myself.


One of the sinks leaked some water out onto the counter and it was mixed with a bit of silicone I think because it was milky looking I cleaned it up but there is still a film where the water was at.

How can I clean up this silicone caulk stain?

ANSWER:

What you're describing sounds like "etching."

Some silicone caulks could potentially stain or etch marble. You need to use 100% silicone caulk.

Etching is a process of corrosion where the the marble surface is eaten away causing a dull and/or light spot. This is a common marble repair issue.

It could like like a "film" on the surface.

You'll need to follow the instructions in the How To Remove Etch Marks ebook.

You may try cleaning with acetone first though. Possibly you didn't get all residue off. The acetone won't harm your marble, but it will clean everything off it.

If that doesn't work, then the ebook. Just a tip, but since you have new marble, you may consider getting the "Cleaning Marble Secrets"... it includes all info in the "etching" ebook plus everything else you need to know about proper marble maintenance.

Marks on Marble From Silicone

by Mick
(Lancs, UK)

QUESTION

My freshly installed bathroom has mostly Chocolate marble tiles around the walls and bath.

In the areas where silicone has been used - the water spray the fitter used to enable wiping the excess appears to have washed a contaminant off the wet silicone.

The white crusty marks disappear when wet but return when dry.

They are worst around the bath (horizontal surface) but are present to a lesser extent around all the walls, floor joints and around the sink where silicone was used as well.

I have attached a picture - I have more but could only upload one.

I hope you can help - nobody I have talked to has any experience of this.

Thanks, Mick

ANSWER:

Mick, it looks to be etching. 100% silicone won't do this, but something in whatever was used has corroded the marble surface causing the light and probably dull spots.

If it was the spray, you'd see spots from where the spray hit the surface and plain water won't etch marble.

I'd say your installer is going to have to remove all the caulk and restore the damaged marble with a marble polishing powder like ETCH REMOVER / Marble polishing paste designed to repair etching.

I suppose there could also be a reaction between the caulk and any sealer that was applied. Sometimes strange things happen when chemicals collide.

Before removing it all, just remove an easily accessible area and try the Etch Remover. If that works to restore the shine and color, you have your answer.

If not I don't have another answer for and I'd recommend getting a marble restoration pro to take a look. Seeing the problem in person often makes a big difference, but I'm pretty certain it's etching... disappearing when wet is usually a tell-tale sign.

Silicone Caulking Showing Through Marble Tile

by Maurizio
(Miami Beach)

QUESTION:

I bought a carrara marble tile; white with grey. I wanted to create a marble top table so I poured silicone caulking on it and glued to a plastic top table.

I left the table backwards for a couple of hours, when I turn it around I realized there were darkish spots inside the marble, almost like dark wet spots in the shape I used to poured the caulk.

It is evident that the caulk went through the stone... will these marble stains go away?

Is it because it's wet? Will it dry up inside the marble or did I just ruin my marble top table?

ANSWER:

Yes, your conclusion is correct. The caulking soaked through and created the marble stains.

Since the caulk has completely saturated the marble and is coming from underneath, there's really no way to get the stain "out" like you normally can when something has stained marble surface.

You could try using the procedures for cleaning marble stains found in the Removing Manual Stains Manual and you may get lucky.

You'll be able to remove or diminish staining at the surface, but the problem is that the source of the stain is still there and most likely will continue to leach through to the surface creating a stain again.

The procedure for cleaning marble stains is cheap and easy to do, so worth a shot.

Cleaning Old Silicone Off Marble Shower

by Carmen
(Vero Beach, FL)

QUESTION:

I have glass shower doors in my shower attached to a marble threshhold.

There are mildew stains in a few places under the clear silicone sealant where the metal framework was not sealed properly to the marble threshhold.

We need to strip the silicone sealant and reseal it.

What is the safest way to strip the old silicone and clean the mildew stains on the marble and leave a clean surface to reapply the new silicone?

Is it safe to use mineral spirits to dissolve the old sealant and a scratch free abrasive pad? Thanks for your help.

ANSWER:

Yes, you can use a solvent like mineral spirits and a non-abrasive pad or brush. We usually recommend acetone because it evaporates faster than mineral spirits.

Once all the silicone is gone, you should use Bathroom MOLD & MILDEW Remover for cleaning marble shower mildew.

This product is very effective and formulated specifically for marble cleaning, so it won't etch or damage the stone at all.

When you re-caulk, be sure to use 100% silicone. Others may cause marble stains.