Help needed with marble shower enclosure

[stirling37]

Hi just needing some help suggestions with a marble shower enclosure that we has been installed for about two years. It seems to be draining or its richness in colour if that makes sense..I've tried to take some photos to show the contrast but hard to explain it seems that it's lost its colour. Perhaps it needs sealing or something else. The company never gave us any maintenance details and to be fair I've called them and they were useless suggesting it's condensation from the shower.....Erm no it's been dried... Oh not sure then.


We have the same marble around the sink and I've took a picture which shows how brown it should be

[dazwalsh]

Certainly looks like it needs resealing.

[hedgefinder]

looks like it might need repolishing to me, not just resealing.....
Chemicals and detergents can cause this.

[stirling37]

Hi those first couple of pictures are at the top of the shower enclosure so doesnt get much shower etc. Maybe steam. It's laid on top of aqua panels which I assumed perhaps water might be getting behind the marble panels. Strangely you can dry the panel and when. Water is rubbed over it it's goes darker which is why I thought maybe it was a sealing issue.

[samdale]

What do you clean it with and how often?

[stirling37]

Normally it's just the karcher window vac and just a microfibre cloth to finish off so no cleaning products at all we are pretty good that it always gets dried out as we live in a very hard water area, limescale is a massive problem.

[Harry Flashman]

This is why I went with ceramic tiles for our shower enclosures. My other place has stone (limestone in one bathroom, marble in another), and it's been a total pain, requiring resealing/repolishing etc. No such problems with decent tiles.

That said OP, look at the Lithofin products to try and get some colour and shine back...they worked pretty well for me.

[stirling37]

Thanks KS I'll have a look at these products. Anyone think perhaps water getting behind the silicone and where the backside of the marble was never sealed perhaps it's coming through that way.

[samdale]

stirling37 said:

Thanks KS I'll have a look at these products. Anyone think perhaps water getting behind the silicone and where the backside of the marble was never sealed perhaps it's coming through that way.

Would have to be a heck of a lot of water getting behind them as the effect looks pretty even. You'd notice it more pronounced closer to the silicone and tile edges if that were the case.

Wonder if it was ever sealed correctly/thoroughly from the off? As someone mentioned above, I've used Lithofin and had no problems. Believe you can get different ones depending if you want shine or not.

Edited by samdale on Wednesday 22 February 21:12

[stirling37]

OK thanks I had a shower and took a picture after and used a cloth to rub an area and you quite clearly see that the richness come through, I'll have a look at the products you suggested. I wonder whether your right we were told it was sealed and didn't need to worry but now Im not sure.

Edited by stirling37 on Wednesday 22 February 22:08

[Condi]

You sure its not just limescale building up on the marble?

[stirling37]

Condi said:

You sure its not just limescale building up on the marble?

Well I'm not sure how it can be it's only the top half of the marble so really only gets steam and we literally window vac then microfibre cloth dry the whole shower after each shower. Seems strange that when the top of the marble is rubbed with a cloth with water then the colour shows through