IslamabadCleaners
Why marble goes dull, and what actually fixes it
Marble does not lose its shine because it is dirty. It loses it because the surface has been physically damaged. Marble is a soft stone, and every footstep grinds grit across it, leaving thousands of microscopic scratches. Those scratches scatter light instead of reflecting it, and the floor reads as dull and cloudy no matter how often it is mopped. Acidic spills make it worse in a different way — lemon, vinegar, tea and many household cleaners etch the stone chemically, leaving dull patches that no amount of cleaning will lift.
This is why polish in a bottle never works for long. It puts a thin coating over damaged stone, which looks better for a few weeks and then wears off unevenly, often leaving the floor patchier than before. Real restoration means removing a microscopically thin layer of the stone itself with diamond abrasives, working through progressively finer grits until the surface is flat and smooth again, and then closing that surface so it reflects light.
We restore marble across Islamabad and Rawalpindi — floors, staircases, landings, kitchen counters, vanity tops and wall cladding. A great many homes in DHA, Bahria Town, the F sectors and Gulberg have marble throughout, and after a few years of traffic and the wrong cleaning products, most of it needs this rather than another mop.
What is included in marble restoration
The exact steps depend on how damaged the stone is. We assess that from your photos and tell you which of these your floor needs.
- Inspection and test patch — we grind a small area first so you can see the achievable result before committing to the whole floor
- Grinding — coarse diamond abrasives to remove deep scratches, lippage between tiles and etch damage (only where needed)
- Honing — progressively finer diamond grits to flatten the surface and remove the marks left by the previous stage
- Polishing — fine abrasives that bring the natural reflectivity of the stone back
- Crystallisation — a chemical and mechanical treatment that hardens the surface layer and produces a durable high gloss
- Grout and joint cleaning — lines cleaned and, where needed, refilled during the process
- Stain treatment — poulticing of oil, rust and organic stains drawn out of the stone where possible
- Sealing — an impregnating sealer applied to slow future staining, particularly on kitchen and bathroom surfaces
- Full clean-up — slurry and dust removed, the area left ready to use
Want this done at your place? Send us the details on WhatsApp — fixed quote in minutes.
Get a free quoteWhat this service does not include
- Replacing cracked, broken or missing tiles and slabs
- Structural or sub-floor repairs, and fixing tiles that have come loose
- Guaranteed removal of deep-set rust, ink or old oil stains that have penetrated right through the stone — we poultice and improve, but cannot always eliminate
- Polishing of granite, terrazzo or engineered stone using the same process — these need different abrasives, so tell us what you have
- Re-grouting an entire floor as a standalone job
- Moving heavy furniture, wardrobes or appliances
How it works
Tell us the area and condition
Roughly how many square feet, which rooms or stairs, and what the problem is — dull, scratched, stained or etched. Photos help a lot here.
A fixed price on WhatsApp, then a test patch
From your photos we send one fixed price in writing before we come. On the day we grind a small test area first, so you see the realistic result on your actual floor before the whole job starts.
Grind, hone, polish
Working through the diamond grits in stages. Each stage removes the marks of the one before, which is why skipping stages never produces a proper finish.
Crystallise, seal and clean up
The surface is hardened and sealed, all slurry and dust removed, and we walk the finished area with you.
What affects the price
Total area
Priced per square foot. Stairs are priced per step because they are far slower than open floor.
Condition of the stone
A floor that only needs polishing and crystallising costs much less than one needing full grinding to remove deep scratches and lippage.
Whether lippage needs removing
If tiles sit at different heights, flattening them is heavy grinding work and the most expensive scenario.
Stairs, edges and detail work
Staircases, skirting, corners and small bathrooms take disproportionately longer than open floor of the same area.
Furniture and access
Whether the area can be cleared, which floor it is on, and lift access for heavy machines.
Frequently asked questions
How much does marble polishing cost in Islamabad?
It is priced per square foot, and the rate depends far more on the condition than the size. A floor that just needs polishing and crystallisation is at the low end; one that needs full diamond grinding to remove scratches and level uneven tiles is at the high end because it is several times the work. Send photos of the floor on WhatsApp and we give you one fixed price in writing before starting; on the day we do a test patch first so you can see the result before the whole floor is done.
What is the difference between polishing and crystallisation?
Polishing is mechanical — fine abrasives smooth the stone so it reflects light again. Crystallisation is a chemical and mechanical step that reacts with the surface of the marble to create a harder, glossier layer. Polishing restores the stone; crystallisation protects it and adds shine that lasts longer under foot traffic. Most floors benefit from both.
Will it remove scratches and stains completely?
Scratches, yes — grinding physically removes the damaged layer, so surface scratches and etch marks disappear. Stains are different. Oil, rust and organic stains that have soaked into the stone are drawn out with a poultice, which often improves them dramatically but does not always remove them entirely. Send a photo of the stain and we will tell you which category yours is in.
How long does the job take, and can we stay in the house?
A typical room takes a day; a whole house is usually two to four days. The process is wet and uses heavy machines, so the area being worked on has to be empty and closed off. We work room by room so you can keep living there, and we can do commercial spaces at night or over a weekend.
How long will the shine last?
With normal domestic traffic, expect two to four years before it needs doing again, and longer in low-traffic rooms. What shortens it most is acidic cleaners — many common household products etch marble every time they are used. After we finish we will tell you which products are safe, and using a neutral cleaner makes a large difference to how long the finish lasts.
Can you do stairs and kitchen counters as well as floors?
Yes. Staircases, landings, kitchen counters, vanity tops, window sills and wall cladding are all done with the same process using smaller hand machines. Stairs are priced per step rather than per square foot because each one takes considerably longer than the equivalent area of open floor.
Is it very messy?
The grinding stages use water and produce a slurry, which we contain and remove as we go. Doors are sealed off and the surrounding areas protected. By the time we leave the area is clean and usable — but during the work it is a genuine building-type job, not a light clean, so plan around having that room out of use for the day.
Areas we cover
We cover the whole of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. These are the areas we work in most often, but if yours is not listed it does not mean we cannot reach you — send us a message and we will tell you straight away.
- DHA Phase I & II
- Bahria Town Phase 1–8
- Bahria Enclave
- F-6
- F-7
- F-8
- F-10
- F-11
- G-9
- G-10
- G-11
- E-11
- I-8
- Blue Area
- Gulberg Greens
- Gulberg Residencia
- PWD Colony
- Media Town
- Soan Gardens
- Park Road
- Bani Gala
- Saddar
- Rawalpindi Cantt
- Chaklala Scheme III
- Bahria Town Rawalpindi
- Askari 10
- Askari 14
- Adiala Road
- Gulraiz
- Satellite Town
- Peshawar Road
- Morgah
- Westridge
Book marble polishing in Islamabad or Rawalpindi
Send us a photo of the floor and tell us roughly how many square feet and which area you are in. We will send one fixed price in writing on WhatsApp, and start with a test patch so you can see the actual result.
WhatsApp us any time — we reply within minutes.
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