A marble fabricator told me it's not guaranteed to withstand intense heat. So you shouldn't put hot pots directly on it. There have been a lot of threads here about staining. The consensus is it doesn't stain, but it does etch from even slightly acidic drips. You have to be OK with a certain amount of weathering on marble, unless you're meticulously careful with it. Some people love that look. If you want it to stay looking brand new, you probably have to use it only where it's not going to see much use.

rmkitchen - do you use a special sealer? If so how often do you apply it?

We never have put any hot pots on the countertop -- our cooktop is a six burner, so we either use a spare burner or a trivet. And egganddart is absolutely right about needing to be totally okay with patina -- we don't have any, yet, but we're okay with patina, and I'm actually kinda relishing it.

Our fabricator used a sealer (I don't know which), but based on the multiple recommendations for Miracle 511 Porous Plus that's what I used. Another user here on GW (whose user id I cannot recall at present), on my advice, also used Miracle 511 on her newly installed marble but it may have reacted poorly to the sealer her fabricator used, so do be careful. Others and I had no issues, but I feel horrible I may have steered her wrong: it was completely unintentional!

I sealed it a few times after it was installed and it's a good rule of thumb to seal again every six or so months.

On our island we have butcherblock (wood), and while I love having that large cutting surface I've found it to be a more "sensitive" surface than the marble. Granted, I can't cut on the marble, but even though I frequently treat the butcherblock it's still stained. Not so with the marble!

I think it's not only pretty but a pretty easy material. I did seal it (which was an easy, albeit totally stinky process), but we use our kitchen -- it gets a regular, frequent workout!

Do you have any pictures of your marble? Love to see it.

I didn't even think twice about this slab of marble by my cooktop when I moved here 14 years ago. I doubt is was sealed, and even if it was, I never resealed it. Here are some pics for you. I'll let you decide if you can live with something like this if it should happen.

Actually, I don't have a picture of the edge farther back toward the backsplash. It's very dark from staining. Do you want me to take a picture of it?

Here's ours....I freaked out about it for about the first 24-36 hours, wiping every drop of anything, never setting anything directly on it, always using a coaster/trivet/etc. I quickly realized that that was not how I was going to ENJOY using my kitchen with my family and friends in it. I do use a spoon rest for spatulas, but that is about it. Now we will all enjoy being together in the space w/out the "marble police" present.
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I do love houseful's pics and hope that someday our marble looks that "loved".

rmkitchen: going a bit OT, but couldn't help note your comment about your butcher block counter and staining. A very enthusiastic suggestion for you--Waterlox!!

There have been some recent threads discussing it, but if you're not familiar, it's a polymerized tung oil based product. It is highly water and stain resistant and zero maintenance other than reapplication every few years. As easy to apply as urethane, tough as nails, easy to maintain (you can simply add coats as needed without stripping old layers off), and most important to us, it looks great. None of that "layer of plastic" look that you get with urethane. The standard WL has a mild sheen, and the satin has almost no sheen at all. Unlike pure tung oil, it dries overnight, not over weeks. We have it on our BB counter at the lake, along with ALL the hardwood floors throughout the entire house.

It is a film based product so cutting on it is not advised--but that's really true anyway with BB counters for sanitary and appearance reasons. The only other issue I've ever heard of is an extremely remote possibility that someone who is incredibly peanut allergic could react to it. Not really sure if that's true, but in my kitchen at least, there is so much peanut butter being used that the countertops are the last thing that would kill an allergic visitor!

I would add my total disdain for the conventional wisdom of using mineral oil, beeswax mixtures, etc. Lord knows, I tried initially. Layer after layer of MO, carefully buffed in. The result: 2 seconds of contact with cranberry juice and voila, a nice red stain. I ended up sanding the counter down to bare wood and starting over with WL. Since then, I can spill anything on the counters, forget to wipe it up, and--no stain.

Here is a link that might be useful: Waterlox

Oh yeah: just adding our two cents worth ON topic, we have Calcatta Gold counters throughout our main house kitchen, including a huge (70 sq ft) island, and on both sides of the range. It's sealed with Porous Plus as has been mentioned. Etches easily as expected, but NO staining from either colored liquids like wine, ketchup, coffee, or from grease/oil around the range.

Yes you have to expect etching, and like the others after a couple weeks I got over it. Still, to me it's so much prettier than the alternatives--warm, bright, and not as cold to the touch as a big thick slab of granite. I wouldn't trade it at gunpoint.

Clinresga- Thanks! I would love to see photos!

I so love my Carrara that I tend to gush and wax romantic. Our counters were installed a year and a half ago. Lots of cooking going on, lots of splattering, absolutely no staining whatsoever. After initially sealing them, I did it again about a year later and not since. I've spilled an entire glass of red wine, forgot to put the caraffe in the coffee maker after turning it on and hot coffee spilled all over before I realized it, and plenty of tomato sauce from this Italian cook. Grease splatters galore, too. Like I said,no stains. After the honeymoon phase of the first few days when my paranoia-antennae were on high alert, I calmed down and reminded myself that it was my kitchen, for crying out loud, not a showroom, and I relaxed and have enjoyed -- no, I've SAVORED my beautiful and long-dreamed-of marble counters. The only things I'm a bit careful with are when I handle citrus and vinegar (which we use daily), and in that regard I'm only trying not to be careless (i.e., I don't slice directly over the stone and I toss salads carefully). If you can live with the etching that will inevitably occur (which many of us fondly refer to as "patina"), then select your slabs and enjoy.

oofais - beautiful

clinresga -- thanks for the suggestion. That was nice of you to write all that out, and I hope it comes up in those who are newer to GW's searches. I've seen the Waterlox tips come and go, and it's just not a viable solution for people like us who actually use the butcherblock for its intended purpose: prepping, etc. While I disagree with you about the sagacity of cutting on butcherblock (esp. for vegans like us -- never a worry about cross-contamination chez nous!), I do agree that a Waterlox finish can look great. I'd rather have the stains (which I kinda like, because they show the use our kitchen gets) and get to use it than have a pristine yet unusable surface. But thank you again for making the time to write that information out: I've no doubt it will prove informative and helpful to others here!

I just want to chime and say a BIG Thank you to everyone for posting their experiences. I'm new to this forum and have obtained more "honest" information about countertops, floors, etc. I too have Calcutta marble in our kitchen (we're not moved in yet), and the installer and his guys are looking at my little kids and white countertops and cabinets and just laughing at me. I can't wait to move in and start using everything with confidence!

Oofasis - Beautiful kitchen - what sealer did you use? My fabricator is recommending Stain-Proof by Dry Treat. Have read that it makes the marble feel like plastic - would rather have stains. Thanks.

I have calcutta on my island with granite on the perimeter. The cook top is on the perimeter. My only concern would be the hot pan being placed on the marble. You need to be careful with placing hot pans on the marble. Mine has not stained; was sealed with porous plus 511. I do have considerable etching which surprises me since I am pretty careful about what is place on it. The few spills have wiped right up without stains. If you love marble, then that's what you love and you will continue to like it as it ages. However, you must be realistic and accept that you will have at a minimum etching, and quite possibly staining. I used granite, a natural "river washed" finish to a stone that worked well with the marble. Normally I don't like to mix marble with granite. I envy those that had the courage to use marble throughout. I needed a place where I could be worry free about spills and stains, hence the perimeter. I love having the marble on the island as it is STUNNING and great to roll out dough etc. In the end, go for what you love!

I should not have clicked. My kitchen just got expensiver.

Hi, just stumbled across this thread and have loved reading everyones experiences. I am in the process of choosing my own kitchen counter and everyone is steering me away from white marble. Can anyone give me an update or pictures of how their kitchens are doing now. I would love to know, and it would help me decide to either go with my heart or go safe.

Thanks!

Thank you all so much for helping me decide. I'll go for it and pray I'll love it as much as I do all the pictures I've drooled over while doing my research.

Thank you all so much for helping me decide. I'll go for it and pray I'll love it as much as I do all the pictures I've drooled over while doing my research.

Hi everyone thank you for your posts. I am just finishing up my kitchen and also ordered marble countertops and backsplash.
My question is how do you prevent cooktop cleaner from damaging your countertop?

Induction cooktop and no need for harsh cooktop cleaners. Easy.

Had gorgeous Carrara marble in our last house for several years with our two year old, lived normally with them and didn’t baby them, and they still looked dreamy and gorgeous when we sold the house. Everyone loved the counters. So did I. You’ll even run your hand down them and they feel velvety soft, cool, expensive even though they’re not, and just downright perfect.

Thank you all for this thread which I’ve just came across. It has settled months of angst. Off to choose the slabs and live my best calacatta life

This thread is so old! Mc10, you will love the marble. I've had honed marble as my kitchen countertop and backsplash for eight years with NO stains. There is some etching, but I can live with that. I'm off to choose a slab for a bathroom countertop.

Thanks for the reply - Can’t wait maddie260