The difference between marble grinding & polishing and waxing & polishing?

1 Essential Differences

• a. Marble polishing with abrasive blocks is a prelude to stone crystallization treatment or a necessary process in stone processing. Its main principle is to utilize the pressure, high-speed grinding force, frictional heat energy, and the action of water from compressed abrasive blocks (synthesized from inorganic acids, metal oxides, etc.) combined with a mechanical grinding disc to perform physical and chemical reactions on the relatively smooth marble surface, thereby forming a new bright crystalline layer. This crystalline layer has a super-bright, clear luster, reaching 90-100 degrees of gloss. This crystalline layer is a modified chemical crystalline layer of the stone surface (1-2mm thick).

 

• b. Marble cleaning is a prelude to marble waxing and polishing. Marble cleaning, waxing, and polishing were popular marble cleaning and maintenance methods in the early 1980s and 1990s, but have now lost their market and relevance. Essentially, it involves applying a thin coating of an acrylic resin and emulsion polymer (what we commonly call water wax or floor wax) to the surface of newly laid stone (polished slabs). This is followed by friction on the stone surface using a high-speed, low-pressure polishing machine with a fiber pad to make the resin coating brighter. Due to product updates, super-gloss waxes and no-polish waxes later appeared. This coating is similar to the varnish applied to wooden floors.

 

• c. The abrasive block polishing process before marble crystallization treatment is a physical and chemical reaction process between the stone surface and chemicals. The stone surface and the underlying layer are completely chemically bonded into a whole; there is no separation layer.

 

• d. The wax layer in marble waxing and polishing is attached to the stone surface; it is a resin film that does not chemically react with the stone itself. This wax film can be easily scraped off the stone surface with a blade.

 

 

2. Apparent Differences

• Marble grinding & polishing is a prelude to crystallization and stone maintenance. After polishing, the surface has high gloss and clarity, is wear-resistant and durable, and is not easily scratched. This truly reflects the functional use and extended value of the stone.
• Stone waxing & polishing, on the other hand, results in low gloss, unclear and blurry surfaces, and is not wear-resistant or water-resistant. It is easily scratched, oxidizes and turns yellow, thus diminishing the inherent quality of the stone.

 

3. Differences in Extension and Operation

• After polishing with stone grinding blocks, the crystal layer and its subsequent maintenance (commonly known as crystal surface treatment) do not completely seal the pores of the stone. The stone can still breathe, preventing deterioration. It also provides a certain degree of waterproofing and stain resistance. After marble waxing and polishing, the stone pores are completely sealed, preventing the stone from breathing, which makes it prone to deterioration.

 

• Polishing with stone grinding blocks and subsequent crystal layer maintenance is easy to operate. It does not require cleaning agents; the grinding blocks can be used with water or dry polishing agents. Polishing and maintenance can be done at any time and in localized areas. The stone surface color remains consistent without new color variations.

 

• After marble waxing and polishing, the old wax layer needs to be removed after a period of time using a wax remover. This requires large-area application and cannot be done in localized areas, as localized application will result in color differences on the surface.

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