Carrara Marble Kitchen Countertops

by Claire
(Westport, CT)

QUESTION:

I soooooo love the look of carrera marble for my kitchen counter top. But everyone is telling me it will stain and scratch as it is too porous........get granite they say.


A friend of mine has had carrera marble in her kitchen for 8 years and it does not look bad at all......she is kind of sloppy too. I am dying to hear from anyone who actually has it and what they think about it in the kitchen!!!!

ANSWER:

Claire, you are not alone in your love of Carrara marble. Very beautiful.

There's nothing wrong with marble in the kitchen. Marble has been a standard worktop in Europe forever.

HOWEVER, it is much more difficult to keep marble looking like new, which Europeans don't fuss over as much as Americans.

Here's the deal.... marble is sensitive to acidic substances and to harsh alkaline cleaners. These things will corrode and etch your marble creating dull and lighter spots.

This is not staining. Staining occurs when a substance absorbs into the pores of the marble, which is not a big problem with polished marble.

Marble is not as porous as most think and polished marble is hardly absorbent at all and does not stain easy.

So, staining is not the problem with marble in the kitchen.

The problem is with etching and... since marble is softer it scratches much easier than granite.

Etching simply cannot be avoided in the kitchen. So many foods and drinks are acidic that you will always be fighting a battle against 'water spot' and 'glass rings' and etching. And sealing has nothing to do with etching and won't prevent it.

Now, you can remove most etch marks on polished marble easily with ETCH REMOVER / Marble Polishing Paste, which is specifically designed for this purpose.

If you insist on marble in the kitchen, it's best to have it honed and sealed properly (honed marble is more absorbent than polished). This way etch marks are not noticed as much (since etching destroys the surface layer of marble, the dull spots are more apparent on polished marble).

The point is that granite is just so much less maintenance and worry than marble it makes a far better choice for kitchen countertops.

Your kitchen gets so much use, needing cleaning everyday why compound the issue by guaranteeing additional ongoing, never-ending maintenance to keep it looking perfect like you probably want it too.

Put the Carrara in your bathroom.