Marble kitchen counter worktops - do you have them - reviews

[MsFunLunch]

I was dead set against having marble as the kitchen worktop material in our new house, as I had it in a previous house - my husband would spill soy sauce, we would occasionally have a replacement cleaner from an agency who didn't know what to use on marble. I was pre-occupied with small children and protecting the counter wasn't top off mind so it didn't look great, it had lots of etching (google etched marble counter tops if you don't know what I mean) & it looked dull.
So I was set on quartzite - a natural material but harder wearing - but all the ones I've found that I like are MORE expensive then the marble I like. I really like something with a lively colourful warm vein like Monet, Arabescato Corchia or viola - i won't consider anything that doesn't give me a look similar to the attached images as this is our 6th house so I've done all the plain looking stones. I've also had 2 quotes to have the marble protected (in a clear wrap that you can't see) - it was 4k for the cheaper quote which is out of budget! My question is - if you have marble at the moment - how are you finding it? I'm now at a place in life that I will be able to be a bit more vigilant with it, but not pedantic. I was also considering etching it all in one go on purpose - that is, rubbing a lemon over the whole thing immediately after install so it doesn't get etched unevenly through use. I've also looked at porcelain that looks similar to the marble I like but we have too many exposed edges and as you know with porcelain the veins don't run into the exposed edges.

As lovely as marble is, I’ve always found it an odd choice for a surface that is prone to coming into contact with acids.
Quartzites are beautiful, less reactive but still have issues with porosity so can stain.
Do the protective coats come with a guarantee?
Otherwise have you considered one of the engineered stone (Arenastone) versions - they do ones that look like marble.

Hi,

I have a mixture of marble worktops on island and dark granite by the sink and cooker. I love our marble worktop, however I did choose to have a Matt finish on it and this hides any etching. I seal it once or twice a year and it remains one of favourite features. I also have the darker worktops for any very messy prep, or staining food. It is well used and still looks great, no wine stains or anything like that.

If you're choosing a stone with warm veins then it will likely camouflage any potential stains much better than plain / cold toned stone. From my understanding, stains tend to be from things like wine, tomato, turmeric etc, so leave more of a yellow / brown tint - easier to hide if the stone has some similar colouring already.

In terms of etching - it will be more or less visible depending on how the light hits the worktop. Also, have a look at samples - some stones have a bit of a 'grain' / texture that tends to hide etching better than totally smooth finishes.

I have Taj Mahal Quartzite, so not quite what you're after, but so far it has performed really well - and we're not at all careful with it. It was expensive but we have a small kitchen! They also used an impregnating stain protector, which can be reapplied. Another thing I like about this warm coloured stone is it totally hides the limescale stains around the taps - they're the same colour as the stone!

We have marble worktops in our family home abroad. I hate it. I feel it’s got so many little imperfections and scuffs and stains that have developed over time. They’re not visible from afar but when I go over after a long time and see every imperfection and don’t like it at all.

I have marble worktops and have kept them looking pretty good for 5+ years now. When we first moved in it was all panic when I realised the risk of cooking in my kitchen (the irony!) so I invested in heat-resistant glass panels to lay over the marble in the high traffic areas. In low traffic areas it doesn't seem to be too hard to keep clean. And also I did a protective layering myself using a clear film/liquid that I bought online. It creates a thin film that needs replacing every few years but is DIY.

It did mean educating my cleaner and anyone who cooks in my house, but that's only a handful of people.

That's such helpful advice. Thank you!

So helpful, thank you.

Thank you for the advice, what is the DIY sealer called?

I have white quartzite in my present kitchen that is 20 years old and is stainfree. It is fabulous. I would not have Matt finish marble (looks like a tombstone) or polished marble again. Too much upkeep- where is the luxury in that? I have also had "leather like" finish dark grey slate countertops that were beautiful but problems with chipping and limescale, but not etching as it is an acidic stone. Fabulous luck with black granite too. I would definitely use quartzite in my next home .

Good question re: the guarantee - although it will add 4k to the overall cost, so it takes it way above budget.

What white quartzite do you have? We're just about to pick one. I loved the Mont Blanc and calacatta ones but have since found they're dolomites and so more prone to staining. Now I'm looking at Taj Mahal as heard that's a lot more durable.

Hello @A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 , sorry can't help you, I have no idea what kind or make I have. I live abroad and my countertops were already in place when we bought here.
Mine are actually slightly off white but not yellowish and have tiny grains of sand and beige resin but look pretty uniform even up close. They look like they are covered in sand actually. They are 20 years old but appear perfectly timeless in my opinion. I love them. Incredibly resistant!
I'm sure you will be pleased with whichever you choose.

I really like this one @A1b2c3d4e5f6g7

@Whataretalkingabout thank you

@MsFunLunch that is lovely. This is the one I loved, but have been hearing it's more durable than marble but still prone to staining if you're not careful. I wanted marble too for the gorgeous veining. This is possibly a compromise, but the crystalline ones (like Taj Mahal and sea pearl) are meant to be much tougher and durable

Do you have a price for it yet @A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 ?

Have you looked at Sapienstone? They have a beautiful porcelain which looks like marble. It is about 4-6k though. Dekton also do one but the colour doesn’t go into the edges.

@MsFunLunch for the quartzite?

For the calacatta Matarrazo about 4K plus vat for two slabs fabricated

For Taj Mahal about £4.5k plus vat for two slabs fabricated

That sounds reasonable @A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 do you mind sharing your stone masons details. Or PM me if you don't want to post it here!

We have dark matte marble on the island and light matte on the workbenches. The dark marble is way more prone to marking than the light and we made a few mistakes early on, although it possible to have it resurfaced. We’re much better at avoiding issues now and I’m just factoring in a resurface every few years. It looks amazing though.

Hi @MsFunLunch we haven't used them yet, but the best quote we got was Toucanstone. And we viewed the slabs in Matching Green at Granite Slabs

We have marble. I was going to go with quartz (manmade) for practical reasons but in the end swapped to marble as I just loved it so much more.

No regrets at all. Still love it. It feels wonderful and the depth in it is not replicable by quartz or porcelain.

It’s honed finish which mostly hides any etches, I wouldn’t consider polished ever as etches show so badly. One day we’ll get it refinished. We’ve had one or two “stains” usually from things like felt tips and wet coloured paper 🙄but they have all come out with a soapy sponge and a bit of elbow grease.

I am careful with lemon/vinegar and make sure any cleaners know what products are ok but otherwise no special care. I haven’t actually resealed it for 5 years… really should!!

If you love marble, get it. It’s worth a few imperfections.

@MsFunLunch I got a sample of the Matarazzo quartzite and tested it - not durable AT ALL! Stained and etched (albeit it was unsealed). However we got a couple of samples of some of the more crystalline 'true' quartzites and put red wine, vinegar, curry paste, strawberries, sauces etc and they did not mark at all. So we've changed our mind to a more hard or 'true' quartzite- still from that same stone yard. Just less dolomite content (take a look at Houzz for how to test quartzites and their compositions)

We were told Taj Mahal and Sea Pearl are true quartzites, as are Crystalo ones. Taj Mahal was too beige for our colour scheme but we've gone for an ivory quartzite with grey and gold veining. Ultimately we personally couldn't have lived with the Matarazzo (as beautiful as it is) because we have young children, like red wine and having people over for dinners etc, and aren't really careful or tidy. It was pretty eye opening

@MsFunLunch also quartzite is meant to be so hard it can cut glass. The two samples that didn't mark at all cut the glass. The Matarazzo (which is apparently closer to a dolomite) did not cut the glass

@AlmostCutMyHairToday please may I know if you are still happy with Taj Mahal quartzite and how heat resistant it is. Can you put hot baking trays on it

We never put hot baking trays on it, as I'd be too worried, so not sure about heat resistance. But I'm very happy with it - it hasn't stained or scratched at all.