Is Marble Kitchen Countertops Island a Good Idea?

QUESTION:

Will I regret getting a marble countertop for my island instead of granite? The marble looks so pretty!

ANSWER:

Yes marble is pretty, which helps trap many buyers into overlooking the maintenance demands of a marble kitchen countertop.

Many people who install marble kitchen countertops do so without knowing or being warned about etching, which presents an ongoing marble maintenance nuisance. Most often they do regret it.

Most people who originally wanted marble kitchen countertops that are warned about the unavoidable extra maintenance and visual annoyance of etch marks choose not to install marble.

To clarify, cleaning marble is not an issue for installations anywhere else in the house... kitchens and wet bars are the only problematic areas because these areas are exposed to so many acidic foods and drinks that will etch.

So, short answer is.... yes, most likely you will regret installing a marble kitchen countertop especially if you are doing it because you like the look.

The kitchen just gets too much abuse and really should be designed first for function, then aesthetics.

You don't want to always be hassling with repairing etch marks even if it is relatively easy to do on polished marble using the ETCH REMOVER / Marble Polishing Paste.

You have 1000s of beautiful granites to choose from that require very little (if any) maintenance beyond routine cleaning.

Just be sure to water test for sealing granite countertops and the lemon juice test to rule out the rare granite that etches and to find a granite that is not too absorbent.

Put the marble in a bathroom where cleaning marble is much less trouble.