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Marble Countertops ?

6,914 Views | 47 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by The Fife
evan_aggie
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10:11a, 8/4/18
AG
Been reading a lot of info. Friends and family say "don't do it", but most people don't run a tight ship and clean like my wife and I do.

I've read that if you seal it twice a year, due your diligence in wiping up any spills...it should be fine.

Looked at carrera and Calcutta and both are so much nice looking (imo) than any of the engineered products.

Talk me out of it?

Marble

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Quartz

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Aggietaco
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10:22a, 8/4/18
AG
Those two products look so different because the quartz products are trying to match the higher end marbles that have less gray splotches and more pure white.

If you like the marble, go for it. Just take care of it.
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evan_aggie
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In reply to Aggietaco • 10:30a, 8/4/18
AG
Very different. I've never really found an engineered countertop that comes close marble.

People keep saying they exist. I think it is easier to mimic more uniform granite than marble.
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toolshed
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11:31a, 8/4/18
AG
We did a remodel for a customer a couple years ago and the insisted they wanted Carrera Marble in her kitchen. I, the designer and countertop guy warned them about using it there, to give them an understanding that it's not going to hold up well to usage.

I'd say she's an overly cautious, clean minded person and within a few days, they already had issues with the polish etching, somehow a paper towel or kitchen rag left a "grid" imprint on the marble, etc.. The marble is so soft, and the polished surface shows every imperfection easily, in my opinion. They assumed hat since "stairs in Europe have had marble treads for centuries, our kitchen will be just fine", until it wasn't.

I think the marble you pictures would be a little more forgiving, because it has more color and movement than a mostly white surface. If at all possible, I'd suggest a honed finish vs high polish because it will hide imperfections and defects better.

Staining alone is not the isssue, the softness of it can be problematic as well. Ask for a sample of it and put it through the ringer. Leave a wet towel/ cleaning rag on it. Spill wine/ ketchup/ mustard on it and leave it a bit and see what it does and how it performs.

I agree the marble is much more appealing than the quartz in your pictures, just be aware that it may not hold up long term and look the same in a year, 5 years, etc as it does when installed.
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Aggie1
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12:03p, 8/4/18
AG
Though pretty, marble is much softer than either quartz or granite - both of which are very hard on the Mohs Scale. That's why marble is often used for sculptured busts and statues. Real marble without cracks and fissures is extremely expensive. Even travertine - a marble natural stone look alike, is harder and typically what is used in building cladding because it looks like marble, but is much harder and will weather wear better.
On the Mohs scale of 1 (soft) to 10 (hard), marble is a 3 and quartz a 7 - 9 is corundum, 10 is a diamond.
A steel file, good pocket knife is a 6-6.5.

That should tell you all you need to know about marble surfaces - it's not how clean you can keep it, it has to do with scratches, etc., that can be difficult to sand/grind/polish out.

If you really want a marble look, porcelain ceramic is much harder and can be found to look like just about any marble. They come in all sizes, thicknesses, and shapes and can be used for floors, walls, counter-tops, etc.
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HeightsAg
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1:36p, 8/4/18
I agree with you - I hate quartz because it lacks depth and I have never seen one that mimiced marble well. It is crazy to me that people are willing to pay so much for artificial stones like quartz, silestone and the like. With that being said, as you already know marble is super porious and was not meant to be a countertop material. Even with the highest level of maintenance, marble will etch, stain, yellow, and show visible wear over time.

Because of that, we went with calacatta quartzite for our kitchen. It is natural stone and has beautiful veining but is also super durable like a granite. The only downside is that it is pricier than marble. If you dislike man made but want the marble look, I would definitely look into quartzite.
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evan_aggie
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In reply to HeightsAg • 3:17p, 8/4/18
AG
Really? The Cesar stone prices were far less than the calacatta marble. It was $30-$45/ft and marble was $40-65/ft.
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HeightsAg
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In reply to evan_aggie • 3:38p, 8/4/18
Sorry, I'm confused. Why the mention of caesarstone? I was advocating for the use of quartzite over marble or man made materials such as quartz. Quartzite is more expensive than marble.
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histag10
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4:06p, 8/4/18
AG
Get a sample of the marble you want. Spill a little olive oil on it. And then clean it.

I have seen it leave horrible stains.
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evan_aggie
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In reply to HeightsAg • 5:09p, 8/4/18
AG
"Because of that, we went with calacatta quartzite for our kitchen. It is natural stone and has beautiful veining but is also super durable like a granite. The only downside is that it is pricier than marble."

My misunderstanding! I thought quartz/quartzite were similar and also what caesarstone (Israel brand?) were made of. Didn't realize they were different.
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rondis23
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8:42p, 8/4/18
AG
If you post just a snippet of the marble and an entire quartz slab...opinion may vary. Had marble in the past, and if you have kids or entertain a lot...go with the quartz.
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Oogway
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10:16p, 8/4/18
This article, while a bit wordy, has a good summary of marble and what to expect. The author suggests (like the poster above) getting a 'honed' finish and resealing twice a year. It does seem like the American trend has been toward the glossy polished marble but personally I prefer it when it isn't that way because it develops a warmer, softer appearance as it is used and loved. Not unlike the way older wood floors can be when they've been in a farmhouse for a century.

Edit- forgot to add the link! http://fortheloveofahouse.blogspot.com/2013/03/marble.html?m=1

It's your home so it has to work for what you want.
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Enviroag02
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7:20a, 8/6/18
AG
We also had this same issue. The wife really wanted the marble look in the kitchen without the marble durability issues. We have Carrera marble in the bathrooms, pantry, utility room, and master closet island. However, the kitchen, butler pantry, and mud room desk are Super White Quartzite.

This is the master closet. This is Carrera Marble:



This is one of the bathrooms. This is also Carrera Marble:



This is the kitchen. This is Super White Quartzite. We sourced it from Levantina in Dallas.



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evan_aggie
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7:28a, 8/6/18
AG
I had recently read the same thing about quartzite. I am going to try and find White Fantasy/Princess to look at.

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Cromagnum
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7:38a, 8/6/18
AG
Marble is soft and will absolutely get etched by even slightly acidic liquids spilled on it. Get granite.
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YellAg2004
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9:00a, 8/6/18
AG
We have a bathroom vanity that we bought from Overstock.com that came with a polished marble top. It was beautiful, but after less than a week, it was already showing signs of wear. I wear disposable contacts and just the a drip of saline from the little contact container, if left on the counter for more than a few minutes, would leave a mark.

Realistically, no matter how much you commit to babying the surface in the kitchen, you're going to spill stuff and it's going to get marked/etched/stained/etc. So if you go the marble route, just be honest with yourself and your wife that it's going to happen, so when it does, you won't be disappointed/mad/etc.
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sts7049
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In reply to Enviroag02 • 9:11a, 8/6/18
AG
beautiful house!
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Enviroag02
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9:13a, 8/6/18
AG
I realized after I posted that all of the photos were before we installed the door pulls on the cabinet doors and drawers. I had about 300 holes to make total. Talk about nervous!
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RK
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9:29a, 8/6/18
AG
are those kitchenaid appliances? fridge too? if so, happy with them?
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RK
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9:30a, 8/6/18
AG
and agree...we've done marble in the bathrooms, but would never consider it for kitchen (partially because we have kids...partially because i sometimes am as responsible as a kid).
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Enviroag02
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In reply to RK • 9:39a, 8/6/18
AG
RK said:
are those kitchenaid appliances? fridge too? if so, happy with them?

Kitchenaid cooktop, oven, microwave, and dishwasher. The fridge is a Samsung. Pretty happy with all our appliance choices.
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Enviroag02
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9:46a, 8/6/18
AG
A couple different views of kitchen





Here is the laundry room. This is the side with a sink and built in dog kennels and aforementioned marble countertops.



The other side of the laundry room with a dog shower/boot shower

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evan_aggie
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10:32a, 8/6/18
AG
You do your own laundry with a pad like that?
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Tecolote
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In reply to evan_aggie • 10:35a, 8/6/18
AG
evan_aggie said:
You do your own laundry with a pad like that?
He just didn't show the live in maid's section of the house. Wonder if they used marble there like in the dogs' room.
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Enviroag02
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10:42a, 8/6/18
AG
ha! It's a one story 3200 sq ft 3 bedroom 2.5 bath home so fairly average by North Texas standards. It was designed and decorated entirely by my wife.
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notheranymore
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In reply to Enviroag02 • 10:55a, 8/6/18
Props to her!
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The Fife
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5:33a, 8/9/18
If you plan on doing any cooking in there I wouldn't go with marble. Ours would've been ruined many times over even if it was sealed thanks to tomato juice and food with tumeric in it.
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evan_aggie
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In reply to The Fife • 5:39a, 8/9/18
AG
We are leaning towards dolomite, which is not quite quartzite and not quite marble.

"SuperWhite".

This place is calling it Granite which it definitely isn't.


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Kenneth_2003
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5:53a, 8/9/18
AG
Quote:
On the Mohs scale of 1 (soft) to 10 (hard), marble is a 3 and quartz a 7 - 9 is corundum, 10 is a diamond.

A steel file, good pocket knife is a 6-6.5.
To add... Your fingernails are ~2.5
So your marble countertops are only slightly harder than a fingernail.
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Enviroag02
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In reply to evan_aggie • 7:14a, 8/9/18
AG
Evan that is exactly what we have in our kitchen, and its beautiful. See the pics above.

What stone yards are selling as Super White is never a granite, but it could be a calcite marble, a dolomite marble, or a true quartzite. Most stone yards won't distinguish between those because the difference would be incredibly confusing to consumers. The point is though, you would be getting a material that is harder and more durable than marble. We have had no issues with ours!
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Enviroag02
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7:24a, 8/9/18
AG
BTW...I'm guessing the slab place isn't pricing it like a granite. Ours was classified as super exotic which was obviously reflected in the price.
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gerken10
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In reply to Enviroag02 • 9:55a, 8/9/18
AG
Enviroag02 said:
I realized after I posted that all of the photos were before we installed the door pulls on the cabinet doors and drawers. I had about 300 holes to make total. Talk about nervous!


What pulls did you go with?
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Enviroag02
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10:27a, 8/9/18
AG
Here are a couple pics with the pulls:






They are similar to this:

https://www.build.com/amerock-bp53013-cabinet-pull/s439038?displaypla=true&uid=1314513
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HeightsAg
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In reply to evan_aggie • 12:28p, 8/9/18
Superwhite is controversial because it is often mislabeled as quartzite and sold at quartzite prices (glad that isn't happening here). But as you've said, it is actually dolomite and while it is hardier than marble, it will still etch and stain if not careful. Before making the investment, I'd ask for a sample piece and try it out. See if you can live with it or not. There is some good discussion on houzz on specifically Superwhite if you haven't googled it already.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/832198/super-white-dolomite-not-a-quartzite-or-marble-counter-durability
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Enviroag02
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12:42p, 8/9/18
AG
Not all Super White slabs are dolomite. There are three things it could be. Calcitic marble, dolomitic marble, or true quartzite. The glass scratch test will tell you what you have.
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