ANyone have marble worktops? Do you regret it?

[Hellohello45]

They look so beautiful. I’ve been tempted by Silestone, which has the “look”, but it isn’t quite the same as marble.

Anyone got marble? I can’t decide if it’ll be too high maintenance!

Anyone?

I don't have marble, so am not the best person to ask, but was put off by the fact that it is porous, seems to need sealing and is apparently sensitive to everything - water, heat, acidity, you name it.

But I am one of those people who doesn't even like granite because it's slightly porous!! (I don't like the flake-y look of the rock either).

Yeah that makes me nervous, whiskey. It looks so beautiful though! I’m weighing up practicality versus beauty and not sure what to choose!

Can I ask what material worktop you’d go for?

Silestone looks and feels like marble to me. It’s cold and clicks properly under your nails.

I do, and I love it.

Also, it is arctic white and I’ve never had any trouble with staining or discolouring. Jif cream removes all marks.

I'm making a choice at the moment hello - I'm going for quartz (silestone)! I like how dense it feels.

There is a new material called Dekton, which is £££ but absolutely bomb-proof. It's amazingly hard and tough and comes in matt or polished. They do a marble one - I haven't seen it in the flesh, so couldn't tell you how it compares to the real stone, but the ones I have seen do look very good indeed.

otoh i managed to stain pale granite with either curry or tomatoes - any pale surfaces are at risk. I'd try and put it as a feature on a bit of the counter top that wasn't going to see heavy use.

I know what you mean, it's gorgeous.

I have the most beautiful kitchen worktop it's whiteish Mirastone which is like silestone and I had an independent kitchen fitter who bought it and fitted it for less than 2grand. Kitchen Company quoted me four and a half grand it's absolutely fantastic in the three years there's not a mark on it I'm so glad I didn't do marble or granite. The kitchen companies will do anything to stop you getting your worktop done separately as they have such a massive Mark up.

I’ve just moved to a flat with marble worktops, hate them. Never look clean and show very mark. I had oak in my last house, no problems.

Falling down a Dekton rabbit hole now... it looks amazing! How much per sq m? No sites have prices at first glance.

Another thing that confuses me. How do you know where a really great place to get a worktop FROM is? I have no recommendations in real life and am overwhelmed by the amount of companies offering. I don’t want to go for the cheapest as maybe that won’t be the best, and I keep getting bogged down reading reviews.

(I do cook a lot, which worries me about marble. But my fave food blogger, who also has three kids, has a marble surface - I’ve been examining kitchen photos for every food blogger I follow - and I think, if they can keep it clean with all their cooking, maybe I can. Or maybe I’m just trying to persuade myself!)

No I don’t like marble since I found out it can be radioactive. (Contains uranium or thorium)

DH has a Geiger counter and proved that at his SIL’s house!

If you do it make sure you get honed and then also etch it.

I have honed marble wall tiles and walnut worksurfaces but with a marble area used as a work area and unless you etch it I suspect you'll get upset with the uneven etching. I rubbed all mine down with lemon juice as soon as it was installed.

What does it look like after you’ve rubbed it down with lemon juice, newts?

Radioactive, kursk? 😱 (googling...)

I am seriously confused. I think I’ve spend hours and hours of my life overthinking kitchen countertops now 😂 Pinterest has been visited way too many times.

It still looks like honed marble but very slightly more matt. If you don't do it it will etch anyway as you get acidic substances on it but it will etch unevenly and you'll see it as marks as the light hits it in different ways.

I wanted marble but decided against it die to the upkeep issues. We went for quartz in the end and used GMQ Marble.

hello - I'm at your Dekton rabbit hole. I'm not sure of the cost per m^2, but I can tell you that it was pretty much double the cost of quartz. I imagine marble is pricier than quartz too, though?

I think granite, like marble, can be radioactive. Quartz may too, but to a lesser extent (Silestone say that their materials are not radioactive). I think the concern is less about direct exposure to radiation than to radon, which is produced as part of radioactive decay. Do bear in mind that a lot of natural stones are a source of radiation - there is a constant background level of it around us at all times. The chances of a slab of granite or marble containing enough to have health impacts are pretty low, though some people are still worried by the risk.

(Bear in mind that houses in Cornwall sometimes have to be ventilated because of the radon from the granite there!)

Op - what did you get finally? Curious as I have the same dilemma :)

Hello! Going through the same dilemma with new house but had marble in old house. I'd say if you like the look and especially feel of marble, go for it and don't worry about the maintenance. It will get scuffs and marks but eventually there will be so many that it just becomes its unique pattern. It's imperfect and it ages, just like people, bits fade and chip off, but it somehow always looks dignified, like some crumbling palazzo. If you like baking, there is nothing like marble for rolling dough. Plus the heat resistance is priceless!!! I never used hot pads. And in the mornings I loved just gliding my hands over it. Maybe I'm crazy but I swear I can tell when a countertop is from a "living" stone and not artificial. You just feel a deep connection, to nature, art, history. It feels alive, and it's humbling to think that once we're all long dead, it will still be here. 100 years from now nobody will have heard of corian but marble will continue to be used. Finally, our family is half Italian and living far away in damp cold London the marble always lends an evocative bit of Mediterranean pizzazz and nostalgia. Sorry, this is not a very practical answer! But basically, if you love marble, go for it, because it will make you happy in lots of little ways.

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