# Polishing Cultured Marble Cuts



## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

Have a cultured marble ( really more like
cultured granite) end splash that is to
long.
I'm guess the tile guy can make a good 
cut with the wet saw, but what can I 
use to polish the cut end?
TIA


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## R&D Tile (Apr 5, 2005)

Ask the tile guy if he has polishing pads for his grinder, never did cultured marble, but don't see why my silicone carbide pads shouldn't work the same as they do for any stone or porcelain.

Or, maybe clear nail polish.


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

R&D Tile said:


> Ask the tile guy if he has polishing pads for his grinder, never did cultured marble, but don't see why my silicone carbide pads shouldn't work the same as they do for any stone or porcelain.
> 
> Or, maybe clear nail polish.


Thanks, I'll see.
My inclination was for fine 
wet emery, or rouge.


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## Bud Cline (Feb 12, 2006)

You may not be able to polish the cuts.

Cultured marble is fake. 

It is made of marble dust and resins. The mixture is poured into a mold that is first coated with clear acrylic. It is the clear acrylic that provides the shine and polish. Those things come out of the mold shiny and aren't usually polished as far as I knwo.


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## send_it_all (Apr 10, 2007)

Why not just make the cut on the un-exposed end? The end that will be butting against the back splash.


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## Edsollen (Oct 30, 2006)

I was a manufacturer of cultured marble in a previous life. Unless it was manufactured using an airless mixer and aluminum trihydrate as a filler you cannot finish a cut edge. Bud Cline is right except it is a polyester resin gelcote not acrylic.
Joel


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## Bud Cline (Feb 12, 2006)

Polyester, acrylic, pixie dust, it's all the same to me.


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

Edsollen said:


> I was a manufacturer of cultured marble in a previous life. Unless it was manufactured using an airless mixer and aluminum trihydrate as a filler you cannot finish a cut edge. Bud Cline is right except it is a polyester resin gelcote not acrylic.
> Joel


Can I use some kind of "pixie dust"(thanks Bud:laughing
to coat it?
There will only be a ¼" strip showing.



send_it_all said:


> Why not just make the cut on the un-exposed end? The end that will be butting against the back splash.


I just may have to do that,:thumbsup:
but it will take some "grinder magic".
The back splash has a funky cove 
thing going on with it.


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## Bud Cline (Feb 12, 2006)

Turn it upside down and cut it with a circular saw with an abrasive masonry blade.


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## Edsollen (Oct 30, 2006)

What Bud said or a dry cutting diamond blade. Ease off the cut edge with a sanding belt wrapped around a 2x4, helps the caulking joint look better. Trying to field apply the gelcote is possible but not really a good option.
Joel


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## Bill_Vincent (Apr 6, 2005)

Edsollen said:


> I was a manufacturer of cultured marble in a previous life. Unless it was manufactured using an airless mixer and aluminum trihydrate as a filler you cannot finish a cut edge. Bud Cline is right except it is a polyester resin gelcote not acrylic.
> Joel


Joel, I'm sure you know alot more about this stuff than I do. All I can do is speak from personal experience. Years ago, I used to go around the country doing J.C. Penny's, and many of them were done with agglomerate marble (basically the same thing as what you're talking about, just thinner), and I've bullnosed and polished my share of those tiles using regular old PVA polishing pads.


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

Well, wet saw and 300 wet emery
and everyone is happy.
Stuff is more of a fake granite looking
product, than cultured marble.
Anyway tried the emory on the underside 
of the vanity top and looked okay, so....

BTW...
What ever it is, the back side is only a tad
less glossy than the finished side,
not as dull as cultured marble would be.


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## cmi456 (May 10, 2009)

*Polishing Cultured Marble Edge*

Polished ends all the time. Easier to do it in the mold but an easy way is to cut the end that you want. Save the dust, mix it with clear shiney polyurethane you can then fill in the holes in the cultured marble and spray over again when dry have a shiney finish. It can be wet sanded with 600. I would start out coarser to get the desired shape but 600 wet will give a bit of a shine the problem is that without the clearcoat, just like natural stone it will evetually turn color due to dirt in the pores.. FYI true Cultured or Synthetic Marble is made from ground up marble to specific grinds. 4 times stronger than the natural stone and non-porous. Unfortunately most of the Yahoo's making the product don't know this.


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## jarvis design (May 6, 2008)

Bill_Vincent said:


> Joel, I'm sure you know alot more about this stuff than I do. All I can do is speak from personal experience. Years ago, I used to go around the country doing J.C. Penny's, and many of them were done with agglomerate marble (basically the same thing as what you're talking about, just thinner), and I've bullnosed and polished my share of those tiles using regular old PVA polishing pads.


 
Agglomerate marble is made up of pieces of real marble with "filler/binder/glue" to hold them together, and can be polished. 
Cultured marble/granite is 100% synthetic and cannot be polished the same


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## J&I_FLOORING (Jun 25, 2009)

paint it with urithane you may get a wet polished look if all else fails


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## bozz (Oct 12, 2012)

*repairing and polishing cut ends*

Using a da sander with 220-320 to smooth out any saw blade marks. As you da round out the sharp finished edge.clean with acetone, Using gelcote catilist mix. Together and use your finger to fill in any holes. Using gelcote and catilis again and a pre-vaulve sprayer.mask off 1/4 inch from finished edge and cover the rest of the top from overspay.like painting a car don't stop moving while you spray. Make 2 to 3 passes, once covered carefully pull tape off after spraying. Let dry 24 hours. After drying wetsand with block start. With 400 grit then 600 grit. Then da with 600 grit.then Buff you might have to repeat a few times. Wet sanding and buffing. You can find these materials at a automotive paint supply.


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Post is over 4 years old.


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