marble tiles

A Buyer’s Guide To Marble Countertops

All About Marble Countertops

Here's What's in this Article...

With such a prestigious history, it’s no wonder that marble in the modern home, usually used for flooring or countertops, is both prized and expensive. Its natural beauty, depth of pattern, and unique markings make it an elegant, luxurious choice for kitchen or bathroom counters.

Marble is the result of the metamorphosis of limestone due to extreme heat and pressure. The more pure the original limestone, the more pure the white color of the resulting marble. A favorite material of master sculptors, Michelangelo sculpted his famous statues of David and Moses from marble. The Taj Mahal in India is also white marble, constructed over a period of 20 years in the 1600s.

Pros and Cons of Marble:

Like all materials, marble has both good and bad points to consider when choosing counter-tops for your home.

Pros:

  • Natural beauty that is difficult to rival with manmade materials
  • Heat resistant
  • Available with a wide range of elaborate edges
  • Durable
  • Adds value to your home

Cons:

  • Very expensive
  • Porous and stains easily
  • Easily chipped or damaged
  • Slippery
  • Can be risky in the kitchen as food spills and liquids can cause damage

Is Marble Right For You?

marble slabs for kitchenIf you have made the decision to install marble in your home, there are still more questions to be answered. You will need to consider your budget, the look you desire, where you will be installing the countertop, and your lifestyle.

  • Are you willing to seal the marble at least once per year? Marble stains easily, and if used in the kitchen, requires sealing to prevent damage. While the process is not difficult, generally just consisting of applying the sealing solution to all surfaces of the marble, letting it soak in, then wiping away excess, it does need to be done regularly if you want your marble to resist stains.
  • Will you love your marble countertops even if they become chipped or scratched? Marble is soft, and easily chipped. If you have young children, or members of your household who are rough, it might be best to keep marble out of the kitchen, and limit it to the master bath.
  • Do you want a solid marble counter, or one made of marble tiles? A solid counter is more expensive, but also has a more substantial appearance. Solid slab counters are the more popular choice, but tile can be a beautiful way to have a marble counter without breaking the bank. Marble tile is installed in the same fashion as ceramic tile, and will have grout, which can stain, chip, or be difficult to clean.
  • Are you willing to substitute cultured marble instead of natural? Cultured marble is made from marble dust and resin materials, and is molded to fit your project specifications. Cultured marble is less expensive than natural marble, and is also resistant to staining, but lacks the depth and richness of the real thing.
  • Are you thinking of installing the countertop yourself? An experienced do-it-yourselfer may be able to install marble tiles or cultured marble, but a solid-slab natural marble counter is much too heavy and difficult to install to make a suitable DIY project. You’ll also need a professional plumber to rough out everything first as there are NO mistakes when cutting holes in marble for faucets or other appliances.
  • Are you willing to take the time to find the perfect marble for your home? Unlike manmade materials, natural marble slabs are unique, each with its own veins, patterns and blotches. Color is not standard, and you cannot reliably pick marble from a catalog, picture or website page. You will need to visit stone yards and look at the various slabs of marble available to find the one that is the perfect look for your counters. And be sure they match your kitchen backsplash as running marble as a backsplash will add that much more cost.
  • Do you want polished or honed marble? Polished marble has a high shine, but any acidic liquid will make spots in the finish, leaving it blotchy. Honed marble has a matte finish, not having gone through the final polishing step. While honed marble is easier to maintain, it also lacks the high shine that most people desire in a marble counter.

Marble Counter Maintenance Tips

Once you have your new marble counters, they require proper care in order to maintain their beautiful appearance.

  • Wipe your marble counters daily with a soft rag to remove crumbs and dust.
  • Clean any spills up immediately. Do not leave wet dishes, glasses or other objects sitting on your counters.
  • Never use abrasive cleaners on your marble. Use products specifically made for cleaning natural stone. You can find spray stone soap at most discount department stores, or at any home improvement center.
  • If you need to remove something sticky from your counter, use a few drops of gentle dish detergent on a damp rag or paper towel, and wipe away the mess. Then wipe with a damp cloth to remove residue, and dry with a dishtowel.
  • Use coasters or saucers under glasses, bottles or cans left sitting on your kitchen counters.
  • If marble counters are in the bathroom, a tray underneath bottles of toiletries or soaps will prevent stains and damage to the counter.
  • Use marble sealer regularly, at least on an annual basis. Every three months is better, especially if you have light colored marble, which shows stains more easily than dark.

 

 

Above is a really great video walking you through the entire process it takes to create a solid granite countertop, including cutting, polishing, the entire process. A great watch!

Perhaps the most important quality one should look for in a stone cleaner is that it is pH balanced, or pH neutral. These terms mean the same thing, and refers to how acidic or alkaline a substance is. For example, tap water is pH neutral. On the other hand, lemon juice has an extremely low pH, meaning it is very acidic, and ammonia has an extremely high pH, meaning it is very high in alkaline. Both acidic and alkaline substances are very harmful to granite and will cause the surface to etch and dull over time.

Since all natural stone is porous to some extent, it is going to absorb any liquid or cleaner left on it. The porosity of the stone depends on the type of stone as well as how much treatment it has gone through.

For example, and extremely high polished granite is much less porous than a tile of tumbled travertine. Natural stone comes from the earth, meaning it is obviously organic. When foreign chemicals are introduced into the stone’s surface, you are at risk of altering the natural makeup of the stone causing permanent damage.

Using a 100% organic natural stone cleaner and conditioner will prevent harsh or abrasive chemicals from infiltrating the stone’s surface, inevitably causing damage. Instead, when you fill the porous surface with an organic, non-toxic cleaner and conditioner, you enhancing the stone as well as cleaning it.

Filling the porous surface with a conditioner also prevents staining agents from seeping into the top layers of granite countertops or marble vanity. If you spill coffee, ketchup, tea, or any other item that has staining potential, it will have much more trouble getting into the surface of the stone if it has been cared for with a stone conditioner.

It is not necessary to use acidic cleaners, such as ammonia, or abrasive chemicals, such as ammonia when cleaning granite on a daily basis. These things will only harm the granite countertops or slate flooring over time, so use a cleaner specifically formulated for cleaning natural stone. It is possible to effectively clean stone countertops, backsplashes, and showers with an organic granite cleaner and conditioner that helps prevent staining and leaves a smooth, reflective finish.

While marble does have more cautions and care involved than many other countertop materials, it also has a natural beauty and depth that manmade materials lack. If you love the style and elegance of marble, the addition of beautiful marble countertops will enrich the look of your home.

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Comments

    • Universal Stone
    • January 28, 2020
    Reply

    Such an informative post about marble countertops! I like the way you have described the pros and cons of using granite countertops. Thanks!

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