touching up marble tile (scratches and chips)

First time tiler here. Doing a small powder room floor. Really enjoying it though I regret our choice (wife’s) of tile already. It’s a polished 12x12 gray marble mosaic sheet from Floor and Decor. It is lovely but the mosaic pieces shift a bit even though they are attached on the back. It’s a pain. Lesson learned…maybe try something easier next time

Anyway, my question is actually about how to
Conceal imperfections in the natural stone. There are some that have some superficial scratches. Not too worried about that. If bad enough, I put that one aside. But many…probably MOST have chipping or cuts that are kinda rough…to the point where the edges look white. Once I install, is there something I can use to blend that a little? I know polished marble doesn’t absorb much but those rough areas may. Or maybe with wear and tear they will sorta smooth out/blend? Any thoughts appreciated. Pic attached

 

Kind of goes with the product.

If there are imperfections in the pictures I dont see anything that I would have a concern with.

 

Yeah, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but these are going to blend as you get more scratches. IMO, marble is too soft to be used on a floor.

 

Actually now thinking about this those types of sheets of tile are usually used for walls!

 

Thanks for the insight! Store showed it was ok for floors - but man it’s a pain in the butt.

it is more where the especially darker stones got cut. The edge is super white colored. Hope if I just seal it then maybe some will soak into those rough edges ans darken them some. Couple more pics

 

If you are worried about those marks, chips and scratches you need to choose a different tile. Those are intended for backsplash or shower wall accents and is very difficult to install on a floor. If you look you'll see sharp edges on each piece. You'll feel those sharp edges and corners under foot if you don't do an A+ job setting the tile level & smooth and follow up with a great grouting job.

 

Darn - wish they had told me when I was in store. I guess down the road we can buff/sand/hone it if it comes out janky. I am good with grouting but sure to be some sharp spots/lippage.

Lesson learned.

 

I use a large flat surface tamper to help set the tiles in the same plane and flat. It's a tool I've made out of aluminum but a nice flat piece of wood can also work. For small areas you can use a grouting float if it has a good flat face.

First, when setting the tile make every effort to get a good uniform bed of mortar down. Then place and position the tile sheet. Then I use my tamper carefully placed flat on the face of the tiles. I extend beyond the sheet I just placed so you can get a smooth transition between sheets. Pushing down or tapping down the tamper plate will hopefully push down the high tiles, level their face and get everything at the same height. Using a rubber grout float with gentle tapping motions can do the same thing.

Double check ALL the tile/stone bits before moving on. It is really easy to accidentally bump a stone kicking up a sharp corner. You want to catch any boo-boo's before you move beyond arm's reach and the mortar hardens. Shining a flashlight horizontally across the top of the tiles will also highlight high and low spots.

 

Thanks Dane. Each mosaic sheet has like 20 small pieces. I wish I had talked my wife into something simpler. Unless you cut out the netting on rear, some grout lines are inconsistent or they lay funny. Am getting some lippage. Not horrible, but as somebody pointed out up above those sharp points could catch somebody’s feet and there will be people in bare feet in there so that’s got me a little worried

It’s such a small space that I could probably grind down the stone now or at some future point and repolish. If there is a way to do that with a handheld? It’s too small a space to get a large commercial machine in there. If I took grinding cups (sorta like diamond cups used for masonry) are there then natural stone polishing “pads” or something that would work in an angle grinder to refinish the floor? I realize you can’t just grind down the cruddy spots where the lippage is in; you would have to do the whole thing to get a consistent finished, but again it’s such a small space I can easily do that.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks to everyone

 

Are you proposing to grind down the edges on all of the tiles on each sheet? That is going to be an impossible task and if you try that with that cup grinder your going to rip every tile off the mesh sheet.

If such a small area you are better off just getting new tile and starting over.

As mentioned that really isn't floor tile to begin with despite what it was advertised as!

 

That is what I meant - grind the whole 5 ft x 6 ft marble area down. Not each sheet. I mean….It’s already installed. Mortared but Just not grouted. So yes - grind the whole whole shebang. It shouldn’t rip off if the mortar is cured would it? There are probably 4 or 5 corners where there is lippage. But if I ground just those areas…Then buffed and polished…I’m guessing it would still look very noticeable. So while I have a grinder out I was wondering if I could just do the whole area can get it nice and even. But I take it that is a foolish idea. It’s a guest bath maybe will just live with the lippage

 

If you only have four or five spots catching your foot I would carefully just work on those tiles. A Dremel is a wonderful tool for jobs like that or you can use a hand file or even sandpaper to knock down a high corner or edge. And, you won't have to polish the face of the tiles unless you make a mistake.

 

Ok will give that a shot. I assumed since it’s polished marble that as soon as I start in on with something abrasive that it would be obvious compared to the ones I didn’t touch. Rough and the “shine” would be gone.