I forgot to take pictures of the floor in Tivoli the other day after I discovered the MAGIC of a Magic Eraser by Mr. Clean. 
I thought I would just try a couple of swipes of the eraser on the marble floor to see if the marble was really white, as I suspected, or if it was the dull grey that I could see.
1.2.3.4.5 swipes with the damp eraser was all it took for the white of the original floor to show through. 
I knew that the floor had been polished and sealed at some point, but no-one could remember when, so it must have been in the distant past.
I am truly delighting at showing off the floor and now I am getting very excited about finding the contractor who can strip the floor of the old wax and dirt, refinish and re-hone the marble and then re-seal it.
How pretty and bright that floor will be when it's all cleaned up and re-sealed!
ReplyDeleteMagic erasers truly are magical... but be careful cleaning painted things like walls and furniture too often as I've found it sometimes removes a tiny bit of paint as it cleans.
Tracy... I can see how that would happen. It took the varnish off the floor, but we're doing it anyway, so no worries!
ReplyDeleteThrilled to see what you have uncovered. These magic erasers are simply melamine in sponge form (think airplane seats/flotation device). Any brand will do the same thing. One good thing to note: Mr. Clean makes a Magic Eraser MOP!!! Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteWow, it looks phenomenal! THose Magic Erasers are magic. Who knows what chemicals they contain - always wear rubber gloves! I really must investigate this myself, being a chemical engineer and all!
ReplyDeleteGood luck finding a contractor to make that marble shine!
Hey, I blogged about the inns where we stayed in DC - you might want to have a quick glance if you ever have anyone staying in DC - I highly recommend them both!
xo Terri
I have got to see where this is. It's my favorite floor of all time. Is it your place?
ReplyDeleteWow. That is impressive! I will be trying that out too!
ReplyDeleteI tried magic eraser for walls on a white wall with a lot of marks - it worked really well.
ReplyDeletethat is amazing. whoa. i can't wait to see it cleaned up. i adore black and white marble floor. what a cool place to work!
ReplyDeletemy stair/entry hall is made of a material called magnesite, and is unsealed- a cleaning nightmare- until i discoverd the magic eraser, that is! the magic eraser truly is *magic*!
ReplyDeletedid you know they make a mop version? just bought it at le target!
Be VERY CAREFUL before you go forward having this marble honed!! It may likely remove all the age and patina, which is as important to an old stone floor as it is to a fine piece of furniture. If you just call your best local marble man he may not know anything about a curatorial approach and know only how to make it look "just like new".
ReplyDeleteAnon... I am still trying to find the right person for the job. I think that honing might not have been the right word.
ReplyDeleteI am just so pleased to know that it's actually white marble under all of the dirt and grime.
We have 70+ teens here, plus all of the coming and going of everyone works here, so over at least 10 years, it's gotten filthy.
wow -those magic erasers are amazing aren't they? It's my #1 favorite thing in my cleaning bucket!
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew what made the Magic Erasers work. They are phenomenal. I was telling my friend, Kathy, the other day that I took the finish off of my old front door using one of those. It looked much better afterward.
ReplyDeleteHow excited, gorgeous floor!What a treasure. Trish
ReplyDeleteHoly smokes....I'm gonna use that on LFG after soccer this Saturday.
ReplyDeleteMagic eraser here I come, will stock up for my tiles! I hear they also work great on wall smudges.
ReplyDeleteADG... someone told me that the magic eraser works on white bucks!
ReplyDeleteThis is obviously the floor-cleaning version of Oxyclean, no? I wish I had some grimy marble just to try it out.
ReplyDeleteblack and white is there something more perfect :-)
ReplyDeletegood luck ;-)
David
black and white is there something more perfect :-)
ReplyDeletegood luck ;-)
David
Have you noticed that if you scroll up and down on the top picture there is a strange phenomenon that appears, as though the black & white marble tiles are moving, in an optically illusive way. Spooky!
ReplyDeleteMagic erasers are great - it's just a very mild abrasive surface - no chemicals - but you do need to use them with water. Also try making several gentle passes rather than pressing down hard which doesn't work any better and just quickly wears holes in the eraser. I've used them on several marbles, along with careful steaming - but you are right to find a professional for this floor. Marble can be tricky stuff.
ReplyDelete