Before you try anything: always speak to a professional before cleaning, treating or applying any product to your stone. Every slab is different, and the wrong product can cause permanent damage. Contact us or a qualified stone restorer first.
Quick answer
First degrease your onyx: a film of oil and cleaner is often all that is dulling it. If it is still flat, the surface has probably been etched. Small dull areas on polished onyx can be buffed back with marble polishing powder, but restoring the shine across a whole benchtop means professional honing and re-polishing.
First, check what you are dealing with
- Flat, slightly greasy look everywhere: residue.
- Dull patches near the sink, cooktop or where drinks are served: etching.
- Whole surface dull and slightly rough: worn finish needing professional work.
What you need
- Hot water and dish liquid
- Microfibre cloths
- Marble polishing powder (small areas)
Step by step
Degrease first
Wash with hot water and a good squeeze of dish liquid, rinse with clean water and dry with microfibre. Residue from oils and cleaners is the most common cause of a flat-looking surface.
Professional re-polish for the rest
Onyx needs a restorer who works with it regularly: it is softer and more fragile than marble and easy to over-polish.
Keep it that way
Protection film over the freshly polished surface stops the dullness returning.
What not to use on onyx
- Waxes, furniture polish and "stone shine" sprays that coat rather than polish.
- Vinegar, lemon juice or "natural" citrus cleaners: they etch onyx.
When to call a professional
Onyx needs a restorer who works with it regularly: it is softer and more fragile than marble and easy to over-polish.
Understanding dull surfaces and lost shine on onyx
On polished, often backlit onyx, etches and scratches are visible from far away and light shines through any change in the surface.
Onyx is calcite and usually highly polished, so a drop of lime or wine leaves a dull etch that catches the light immediately.
Onyx needs a restorer who works with it regularly: it is softer and more fragile than marble and easy to over-polish.
Good to know
Onyx loses its glow quickly as the polish wears. Re-polishing by an onyx specialist brings back both the shine and the translucency.
Stop it happening again
Whether yours is honey, white, green and pink banded onyx, often backlit, repairing it fixes today's mark; protecting it stops the next one. Our clear Stone Protection Film sits over the surface, so acids cannot etch it and liquids cannot soak in, and its self-healing top layer shrugs off fine everyday marks. Onyx is usually polished, so Gloss film is the natural match and keeps its reflective depth. It is installed across Sydney with a 10-year written warranty.
How we protect onyx · Fixing etch marks · Dull surfaces & lost shine on every surface