Marble restoration in Eaux-Vives

Eaux-Vives stretches from the left bank of Lake Geneva up to the slopes rising towards Malagnou. On the lake side, the Quai Gustave-Ador is lined with large residential buildings facing the Jet d’Eau and the harbour; a little further on lie the Parc La Grange and the Parc des Eaux-Vives, their broad lawns sloping down to the water. Inland, the Rue des Eaux-Vives and its side streets form a livelier, more everyday fabric, with cafés, delicatessens and small workshops.

That diversity is reflected in the marble. In the upmarket buildings along the lakefront, it lines entrance halls and landings, and often the bathrooms of the larger apartments. In buildings from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it appears as thresholds, stair treads or drawing-room fireplaces. In more recent renovations, it takes the form of kitchen worktops, splashbacks and basins, often in Carrara or Calacatta.

Les Traitements du Sud · Geneva adapts its methods to each of these uses: polishing and crystallization for busy lobbies, stain removal and sealing for kitchens, repair for chips and cracks. We work for private owners as well as for the district’s property managers and condominium associations (PPE).

The district is busy from morning to night: ground-floor shops, markets, café terraces and heavy traffic on the main roads. Parking is regulated and scarce at peak times. We therefore arrive early, unload quickly and leave the vehicle in a nearby car park. Eaux-Vives station, served by the Léman Express, also makes it easy for our team to get there once the equipment is already on site.

In mixed-use buildings, where a café or shop occupies the ground floor and families live above, we agree working hours with the property manager: the noisier operations mid-morning or mid-afternoon, the quieter finishing work at the end of the day. Working wet keeps dust out of the stairwells.

Further up the district, towards the Chemin de Roches and the streets climbing towards Malagnou, there are more buildings from the late nineteenth century and the inter-war years. Their staircases often pair stone or grey marble treads with paler risers, and their apartments sometimes keep a white or veined marble fireplace in the main room. On these older surfaces we favour a light grind, just enough to remove the scratches, followed by a satin polish that sits well with the original parquet and mouldings. The aim is a coherent whole, where the marble regains its freshness without looking brand new amid a period setting.