Pietrarte Tables Care

General Care & Maintenance Tumbled Marble Dining Table (Interior and Exterior Use)

Construction:

Made from high grade underlayment materials, these tables are great for indoor and/or outdoor use. (For exterior use, you must have an exterior grade paint on the iron.) Embedded in an "Angle Bar" aluminum or iron ring with transverse supports, a cement/fiberglass compound board provides the structural rigidity for the table top. The marble is quarried from the most Southern reaches of Mexico and washed in baths of solution to age and tumble it to this beautifully organic look. Naturally occurring holes and broken edges of the mosaic tiles are expected and inherent to the design of these tops. (These are not Manufacturer's defects.) The marble is set using the same techniques that stone and tile workers have used for centuries. A standard grout, fortified with latext to allow for various degrees of expansion and contraction, is applied to set the marble. There is no wood used in the construction of this top!

All materials used in this table top will not degrade with exposure to water or to drastic swings in temperature alone. While the tops have been sealed with a stone and grout sealer at the Manufacturing facility, the marble will remain a porous material. With anticipation of atmospheric events in which there is both humidity (i.e. water within the top) coupled with freezing temperatures, the top should be brought indoors or covered before getting humid with a high-grade marine vinyl cover to keep water from penetrating and freezing from within. (The action of freezing and thawing is what can damage the top.)

Tumbled Marble Top:

Maintenance for the Tumbled Marble top requires the same care that you might put in your tiled kitchen counters and/or shower stalls. The Manufacturer seals all tops with a latex stone and grout sealer before shipping to its Retailers. We recommend a process of resealing with any standard grout/stone sealer on a regular basis depending on use. (Once every 6-8 months min.) Wipe up spills quickly. If stain persists, use any standard grout or stone cleaner (available in major hardware stores)Then reseal once dry. Wipe on sealer generously (follow directions on bottle) with a rag, covering the entire surface of the top. (If you don't get a stain in time, fear not.....because marble is porous, it will ultimately leach the stain so deep into the table that you will no longer see it from the surface.)

The natural color of the Tumbled Marble tends to have a "dusty" look. To heighten the inherent color of the Tumbled Marble, one can use any kind of stone enhancer. This brings out the deeper color of the marble. Oily stains (ie. salad dressings, grease) will stain the marble only temporarily. The porous nature of the marble will ultimately pull the stain deep into the surface. (Those of us who own one of these tables, often just add to the stain by rubbing the entire surface with oil.... we have even used butter to enhance the color!!.) Just imagine the beautiful patinas of the ancient statues of Italy with years of exposure.......it is your personal preference to keep this table spotless or worn!

Wrought iron base and chairs:

To take care of any unsightly rust spot, either of the two following processes can be used to renew your iron with very little effort:

1. When a rust spot appears on a table or chair with the Brushed finish, simply sand out the area slightly larger than the rust spot with a fine grit sandpape (#220 or Finer) or 000 steel wool and recoat with either a furniture wax, oil polish or "Fast Drying" Clear Gloss Spray. If using wax or oil polish, this application will retard oxidation but must be reapplied as needed.
2. Starting with the same sanding process from above, a small amount of clear nail polish or a matching paint finish (available from the Manufacturer) can be applied over the area.

For interior use, dust iron regularly with a soft rag and furniture polish or wax to inhibit rust.