Easy, How to polish marble, Glass or any stone tile edges.👍

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Sometimes it is necessary to polish marble or glass edges, or other soft stones, to finish a corner or edge of a wall where the tile ends. There are quite a few ways to accomplish this, and I have demonstrated it with other similar tools. Sandpaper made for this purpose is one of the most economical ways of doing this. In this video I demonstrate how to obtain a high polish on a glass tile edge to approximate a factory edge, or in the case of marble the degree of polish on the face of the marble tile. Like any polishing, it is a process of using pads of varying grits, starting from a coarse grit and working through increasingly finer grits to the point where a high polish is achieved, or stopping anywhere in between. A variable speed grinder will be needed for this with a Velcro pad attached to apply the sand paper which also has a Velcro backing. When glass tile is cut with a wet saw the resulting edges will be rough and unsuitable for use as an exposed edge of a tile installation, same goes for marble or any other tile edge, to avoid using transition trim or metals edges, or have bullnose made for finishing exposed edges of a tile installation, polishing them is a great solution.
It is advisable to clamp down the tile that is being polished for safety reasons. Apply a slight pressure to the edge of the glass tile with the polishing pad and use a back and forth motion to polish the tile. The pads are used in succession from coarse to fine grits for marble this means all the grits starting at 80 and going through the others,120, 240 320, 400, 500 and 600. Because glass tiles are very soft fewer grits can be used to achieve a great result. The pads are quick and easy to change because they are attached to the grinder by Velcro. These pads cannot be used with a high-speed grinder. It is a good idea to go through all the tiles with one grit and then repeat the process with all the other grits to reduce the number of times the pads need to be changed.
All tile installed by Sal DiBlasi, Elite-tile Company, in the Boston North Shore area. This video contains affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission if you click on the product link.
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[@EricSpoeth]

Sal, you are such a wonderful resource. Thank you for taking time out of your jobs to make these videos for us.

[@SalDiBlasi]

You are very welcome

[@phillipgrandison2384]

u can also do it by hand if u don't have a polishing tool (only need sand paper wrapped around a block of some sort and some water for dipping) I like to start with 400grt, then 800grt , then 1,000grt, and finally 2000grt. Always do my sanding wet, not dry, the water rinses away the fine particles as u sand, vs creating more scratches as u sand the marble). Polishing stone is very similar in techniques used by autobody shops to polish autobodies after painting/clearing (color sanding).

[@bigdaddy7670]

Thanks for taking the time to show each polishing grit used. Another beautiful job.

[@SalDiBlasi]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@vincenzodavey6914]

Love your work Sal. I am by no means on your level as a tile setter and I noticed on the backsplash is something I’ve always done also, is finish the backsplash tile at the edge of the cabinets not the counter overhang. On many jobs I see the tile going to the edge of the countertop and there’s a nasty little section of tile from the cabinet to the overhang of the countertop.

[@Relief2007]

It's great to see you polish the edges! Personally I use a silicon carbide grinding stone for most of my standard tile (not marble), works great. I am installing a 8x8 hexagon tile floor in a basement unit, and I took a look at the shower tile that was installed by someone else years ago. It's 6x6 standard white, and none of the half cuts were polished or rounded, you can cut a finger on them if you run it across their grout line, completely unacceptable by my standards.

[@donpantolonez]

A tip from me only 400 or 600 is enough for small chamfer, kills the paper but saves time. You can go faster (2-3) for the 80 that speed generally won’t burn the stone until 180. Thanks for the good educational video 👍.

[@jerryhernandez5122]

Since you were on the marble corner finish it would be nice to get some your input on how the grout can change the color of marble. Always looking for your advice. I know this wasn't the forum for it, but for people who don't know and a quick little snip it adds value to the video. Thanks Sal.

[@phillipgrandison2384]

Probably more going on than just the pigments in the grout; water has minerals too, and the stone itself is full of minerals; so those all combine to change the color of stone if/when it gets wet. Generally however, for lighter colored marble, you'd want to choose a lighter grout to counter this somewhat, but there will still be changes in color (stone is porous) especially in wet areas.

[@HellNoMoreBiden]

Try the newer grout that has the sealer added. It's for a smaller area to work as it gets harder than previous grout can in 15 minutes. Don't take lunch in the middle of it or you'll need to start over.

[@jamesmedina3271]

Sal you have to seal the marble 1st then grout. Think 🤔 💭 Looks fantastic 👍🏽

[@cindycleland7026]

It is totally true that even polished stone needs to be sealed BEFORE you grout and then every year as well. All natural stone has tiny pours that will hold the grout. If you're using a contrasting color of grout their will be speckles of grout that will not come out. So also for easy grout clean up seal before you grout!

[@kalebmayberry9630]

Thanks for the help this video came in clutch and was the best one I found should definitely be higher up on recommendations

[@SalDiBlasi]

Thanks for watching my video.

[@integralsun]

Nice.

[@javierc.salazar512]

Nice one brother Sal.

[@cindycleland7026]

I like a polished edge BUT bull nose, Schluter edging or pencils ALL close your grout lines! If you're tile is going on a wall inside that is an exterior wall you will have quite a bit of movement with change of temperature. If you're grout isn't held on all 4 sides don't be surprised if it crumbles out on the edge.

[@saljablo2767]

Sal. Quick question. I’m a tile guy like yourself. Recently this recently divorced woman was a few hundred short of the final bill. She asked if there was anything she could do to make things right. I thought about just letting the $300 or so go, but then I thought “what would my friend Sal do?” So I gave her a little grin and told her to “take care of the kid”. Next thing I know this divorcee is on my like white on rice. Right there in her newly tiled bathroom. It was great. I give all the credit to you. Thanks brother.

[@SalDiBlasi]

😊👍

[@AlanMcCarthyguitar]

So she blew you ?

[@tyyg9469]

So what was the question for Sal? Condom or raw?

[@ralphemerson497]

So, $300 + for some worn out, old cooch? Should have asked for the $300.

[@stephenmartin8988]

@@tyyg9469 Good deeds always pays off

[@firstpitstop]

Nice tip.. Hi Sal, is there any other types if tiles you can also polish?

[@SalDiBlasi]

Yes, absolutely

[@KB3M]

I need to cut a subway tile for use in the middle of a wall and not in a corner. Is there any way to round the cut edge to better match the factory rounded edge? Would cutting out the middle and butting them together be better? Is there paint to fill in the seam that matches the white gloss finish?

[@nikolasvel]

Thank you for the video as always. What blade do you prefer to use when cutting marble tiles? Any specific brand?

[@SalDiBlasi]

You can spend money on a specialty blade, but try the one you have first, it may work perfectly fine. Montolit and Rubi blades are great.

[@user-jq1cc3uy9e]

How u get your edges so smooth

[@Archer21344]

What speed on the grinder? I have that same one

[@gonzalogomez5907]

If you make 45 the tile and polished ist look more beautifull

[@robbiedale9641]

Why do u finish it half tile short of the bench

[@pp6663]

Sal, to polish the edges do you have to use all those pads to polish one side to polish/get it smooth? 🤔 Thank you. 😊

[@SalDiBlasi]

Yes you do

[@pp6663]

@@SalDiBlasi Thank you. Wow. Good job. Takes patience. (that you have).

[@joshuacilley4265]

What if you have a scratch in the face of a marble tile?

[@hughtoobin7207]

Just polish it out.

[@jay62898]

How are you cutting in the house lol

[@williamsauder1823]

Sand paper

[@Methodical2]

So, no water was needed to polish the edges.

[@SalDiBlasi]

Not with this kind of pad, but you can use water if you like.

[@Methodical2]

@@SalDiBlasi Thanks. I will look into those pads.

[@Sugarshane88]

They didn't want tile edge on the ends eh weird

[@IowaCoyotes]

Should of took your time in 45 your corner 😢

[@lindablaise262]

Would it have made a difference after grouting and caulking? I am no expert, but I think he would have had to sand the corner after installing the tile. Is that true.

[@shipreckstrings]

Very sloppy for a “professional” especially one that is so critical of others

[@Relief2007]

What's sloppy about it?