Marble Bathroom Countertop vs. Silestone

by Erika
(Alexandria, VA , USA)

QUESTION:

I am trying to decide between Silestone and a natural marble countertop in a full bathroom that I am having remodeled. I have read that marble is both durable and can stain easily which is confusing. I love the look of the marble but I have two small children and am worried about how it will hold up over time. It would be in a bathroom that will probably be a high traffic area as the kids get older and we spread out a little more. I am looking at white Carrara. My fallback would be Silestone, which seems to be pretty maintenance free. Any suggestions? Thank you, Erika

ANSWER:

Erika, you'll find more detailed information on the various 'Marble' and 'Countertop Comparison' pages on this site, but basically in a high traffic bathroom used by young kids Silestone is much less likely to give you a maintenance problem.

Of course, Silestone will not look as nice or elegant as White Carrara.

And marble is durable... it will last forever. How it looks in 20 years will depend on how you take care of it. Now marble may be a bit more sensitive than other surfaces, but the above is true for ALL surfaces.

Staining is not the issue. It's a bit of a myth that marble stains easy. Raw or honed marble will stain, but polished marble is a different story.

Polishing marble (or any stone) changes the surface tension and makes it much less absorbent. Polished marble can stain if you leave something on it for a few hours, but generally it is not a problem.

Etching is the main problem. Polished marble will corrode upon contact with acids (many foods and some bath products) and alkaline cleaning chemicals.

Etching causes dull light spots on the countertop. They are not very noticeable with White Carrara, but you may get them.

I have White Carrara in a bathroom that gets used heavily during parties and by guests. Haven't had a problem yet, but many products can etch marble, which doesn't happen with Silestone or granite.

Most mild etch marks can be removed using a marble polishing powder, but if the damage is severe then you may need a pro.

Cleaning is also more particular with marble. You can use just about any normal household cleaning product on Silestone, but you should use only hot water and/or products specifically formulated for marble to clean a marble bathroom countertop.

This is not a big deal... get the right product and clean it, but with a busy family sometimes things get confused and using the wrong product could damage (etch) the marble.

Hope this helps!

Good Luck,
Ryan

I highly recommend MB Stone Care Products to maintain all your marble, stone and granite countertops and floors in optimal condition. I've used other good products (Stone Tech, Miracle) but found MB Stone Care is the most reliable and effective.