Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
sfmomof2_gw

Head to Head Marble Test With Photos. Surprise Ending!

sfmomof2
13 years ago

Hi all,

After weeks of obsessing we finally went out and got four marble samples from two local stone yards. In doing so we had two questions: 1. How bad is the marble etching issue, and 2. Is the premium for Danby marble worth it?

Two days later we have our answer, and it was a surprise!

First the test: Samples of Danby, carrara 1, a calacatta, carrara 2, and white granite with dots of olive oil, food coloring, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, grapefruit juice. All were sealed with Miracle 511 sealer (couldn't find Porous Plus). We got two carraras because they were the cheapest and we really hoped to use one:

Five minutes later: Except for granite all etched from the vinegar and the grapefruit juice, some small stains from food coloring:

Following the protocol on the Danby Web site, next morning I scrubbed the samples with some Comet. I didn't go crazy - scrubbed them maybe 15-20 seconds or so. No benefit from the carraras - both remained as etched as ever, though the staining faded. As expected, the etching vanished from the Danby. Though a small spot of stain remained it looked as new:

Here's the surprise - the Comet also removed all etching - plus all staining - from the random calacatta I picked. I picked it because it was the cheapest calacatta in the yard we were at. I looked at it for at least 10 minutes in every kind of light and couldn't find a trace. The little spots you see are cracks from when the sample was broken off of the slab:

So now the tough test: Same substances for two and a half hours.

Result, as expected, more prominent staining and etching. Couple of examples:

The Danby

The Calacatta

A Carrara

I again scrubbed the samples with Comet to see if I could get the etching/staining off. Once again the carraras disappointed - while the staining wasn't an issue I couldn't get the etching to budge.

The other disappointment: While staining improved, etching didn't improve that much on the Danby. Also in addition to etching prominent "dark spots" remained on the stone.

Finally we turned to our calacatta. At this point I was really rooting for it but not expecting much. The final result:

Stains gone, etching still there (you can see the circles if you look carefully) but considerably improved. Note that sample was taken in same place under same light as pre-Comet treatment. The small dings are the cracks noted above. Also note that when I pick it up and really scrutinize it the etching *is* visible - its just harder to see.

The winner: Random calacatta took the prize!

To be honest, after weeks of being pro-marble the test made us pause. We really thought we were fine with etching until we saw it up close and personal. After the test the carraras are out of the running. We were fairly happy with the calacatta's performance; that is the only marble we're considering now. We are fairly neat people - only time we could imagine leaving liquids sitting on a counter is during a dinner party.

My conclusion: Marble is gorgeous. There is no substitute. The stuff also etches like crazy - it is *really* something to think about. Good news is every marble is different so if you're considering it test, test and test some more! Don't rely on someone else's results - I've noticed that all my "honed" marbles felt different and the etching looked MUCH worse on some than others. That might explain why some "marble" people say the etching is no big deal while others freak out. Try different kinds - you never know what might happen.

Good luck!

Comments (32)

  • lisaslists2000
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for sharing! That was neat.
    Lisa

  • francoise47
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dear sfmomof2: This is super helpful. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us.

  • smiling
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you for your time, effort, photos, and explanations that make your testing so helpful to others. What a great contribution to this forum! Best of luck as you move on with your project. Thanks again for this wonderful post!

  • sfmomof2
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You're all very welcome! This is such a friendly and helpful forum.

    I was looking at everything this morning trying to figure out why the mystery calcatta is so much better at hiding etching. Partly its because of the veining - the etches are a lot less visible in the thick greenish/greyish vein than on the white areas, and partly it has to do with its finish, which is somehow grainier or something. It looked pretty good this morning - I'm going to show it to our contractor/architect and we'll see.

  • gbsim1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the great photo documentation! Makes it so clear!

    I also had to smile at the way that you had the samples and bottles on your bulletproof tile without having to worry!

  • Fori
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great testing--thanks for sharing it!

    Are you in San Francisco (as opposed to Santa Fe or other town)? If so, where did you find Danby and/or other good marble suppliers?

  • jeri
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I also want to thank you for taking the time to post your results it is truly appreciated.

    I would love to have marble, DH is against it. Unlike you, we are messy people. IÂm watching how we do things and we will really have to change our ways if we use marble. For example, itÂs the start of Strawberry season here in So Cali. I buy a whole flat  wash in the sink and then pour them onto the counter only protected by paper towels to absorb the water. I could never do this on marble!

    I hope you keep us posted; I really enjoy reading about your quest.

  • Fori
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Come on Jeri--just pour them into an edged cookie sheet with paper towels in it! You can't be messier than my family! (OK, I confess I'm only putting it in one spot, and not near the cooktop or sink...)

  • Stacey Collins
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We're messy and we have marble!

    When we do things involving lemons, strawberries, etc... we do them on the cherry island. I am sooooooo glad I got wood on the island. in fact we do most prep, bainkg, etc on the island. The perimeter counters, in marble, get used for serving and of course for rolling out doughs and crusts, and kneading bread. They're still etched, of course, but nothing like they'd be if I was sorting strawberries on them- we pick literally gallons at a time so edged baking sheets wouldn't really cut it :)

  • sfmomof2
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes the tile is bulletproof. Then there's the grout...

    I am in the Bay Area. I confess I'm a little hesitant to give out sources until we make a decision - this is a popular forum! - but I promise to post them here soon, probably in a couple of days.

    Our contractor has totally etched up marble countertops and he loves them. I've got to check them out sometime!

  • Gena Hooper
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks so much for posting this! I really appreciate your taking the time to photograph everything and post the photos. You've certainly helped this GWer. I was considering marble for part of my counters. The staining issues you describe are making me reconsider. Etching I can probably live with. Staining would drive me nuts.

  • Fori
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks SFmom--I hadn't seen any Danby at the places I looked, but it HAS been several months since I've been shopping.

    Shopping for marble counters can be annoying. I found it's easier to just say "It's for a baking counter" so you don't have to listen to the lecture on how you can't use marble in a kitchen...

  • firstmmo
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    SF Mom: Thanks for the super test--we did something similar and it didn't take my husband more than 10 minutes to say "NO" to the marble. But it sounds like the random Calacutta may be a true winner for you! We went with white granite, but I admit I still have marble lust :)

    Good for you! Can't wait to see some lovely pics of your counters!

  • maddielee
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Your Science Project gets an A+....thanks for doing this.

  • sfmomof2
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Fori,

    I don't know if you'll see this but my architect saw the samples and we're definitely leaning away from the Danby at this point - just didn't work visually in our application. After talking with our architect looks like we are going for the random calacatta - as soon as we pick out the slabs I'll start a new posting with marble resources in Bay Area.

  • jeri
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Strawberries will etch? I was worried about them staining! :-)

    I have time yet to figure this out and the more I talk about marble, the more DH is softening (not sure he knows this).

    The one question I cant answer is: "If not Marble then what?" Nothing Ive seen yet appeals to me as much - - though Plllogs tiles come very close. :-)

    Our contractor has totally etched up marble countertops and he loves them. I've got to check them out sometime!

    This is really the issue for me. I too would love to see a marble counter that has been used for a while. I have no idea if the etching would bother me or not.

  • cheri127
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow. Very interesting. This is great info as we have a small calacatta counter which is already quite etched after only a few months and little use. One other thing to consider though is chipping. I expected etching but we have at least a dozen small chips in the counter. I'm not sure what's causing them...it's a landing spot for the fridge and plates are stored above it but still, we're quite careful. They don't bother me but they did make me glad I didn't do the whole kitchen in marble.

  • sfmomof2
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We've got a lot of chipping on our tile counter too - you can probably tell from the photos that our current rental kitchen is very low-end! The chips don't bug me though (the horrid dishwasher is another story).

    After this test I think there's etching, then there's etching. This is totally subjective (and hard to see in photos) but the etching on this calacatta bothers me much less than the etching created on the others. On some it looked to me like the area was coated with something dirty - on this sample it looked more like what it is, a small crystalline etch in the stone. The etches are also harder to see on this sample - I had a much harder time getting them to show up photographs, and by the last photo they barely showed up at all.

    After our experience I'd really encourage anyone considering marble to get some samples at the stoneyard, crack open a few oranges and have at it!

  • jeri
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    sfmomof2 - Did you say these were honed samples?

    Another general question - how easy is it to get samples? And, once you have a sample that you like - are you sure the slab will give the same results? I guess I'm wondering if the properties (etching etc) can change from slab to slab even if it is the same type of marble?

  • sfmomof2
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes these were all honed. But as you can see from the photos some honed marbles are a lot shinier than others. The Danby was fairly shiny but held up well in the five-minute test.

    Getting samples is no problem - you ask someone at the stoneyard and they give you a piece. I checked with the calacatta yard and they said the slab that sample was cut from was part of a batch of 12 slabs that all came from the same source. No guarantees I guess but I'm willing to risk it.

  • kateskouros
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    THANK YOU so much for posting this! i fell in love with my calacatta gold -and it's been on hold for me for over a year now. the danby has been talked up so much i was beginning to think i should go on the hunt again. but i don't have time for that now so i was just hoping for the best. but honestly, i've left a 24" square sample out and have abused it for over two years now and it's still beautiful. i sealed in once with porous plus 511 and just wipe it clean. i use it mostly as a spoon rest while making tomato sauce ...and there's no trace of it anywhere. so while i already knew it would hold up i'm glad to know the danby doesn't outperform it. thanks again!

  • ajard
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you for the results!!

    Jeri.. my cabs are going in end of April and shortly after my 2 inch carrara will be fabricated... I will surely share my experience... It is too late for me to turn back, the marble is purchased and as you said.. if not marble.. then what????

  • simplegirl
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am new here, but have been lurking for a few months while planning our remodel. First, I have to say a big thank you for all of the amazing, helpful information.

    Second, and I'm so sorry if this is somewhere but I've not seen it mentioned yet, how do the white marbles respond to heat? I want to put it everywhere, including on either side of our range. We hope to upgrade to a high-end one and I'm wondering about the sheer heat the thing will generate and its effects. Also, can you set hot pots and pans on it directly w/o it cracking?

    Many thanks....

  • bmorepanic
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    But doesn't that mean that the calcutta is just much softer- I mean, if you're scrubbing it away with comet? Wouldn't it scratch like heck?

    Plus I've often wondered if the etching and scrubbing remove the stain sealants while they dissolve the rock. I don't imagine the sealers penetrate all that far.

    Does anybody know for sure?

  • sfmomof2
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I didn't put hot pots on it - I know it isn't recommended.

    My contractor raised the same question about the Comet (I got the idea from the Danby Web site) so in another test I only stained and scrubbed half the sample and compared the two sides. They did look a little bit different though neither looked particularly "scratched". But the difference was pretty subtle in my opinion and I thought it looked much better than the original etch. I would assume that after that one should reseal though I don't know definitively.

    By and large I think I'll probably leave the etching as is. The Comet would be something I'd resort to only if an etch was really bugging me, then I'd reseal that area. Just wanted to see if there was something I could resort to short of rehoning the entire slab.

  • francoise47
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm one of the many gardenwebbers trying to decide if marble countertops are right for me and my family. Inspired by sfmomof2, I took a 10" round carrara marble cheese server (purchased years ago from RH) and spread lemon juice all over it. The shiny, highly polished finish, which had withstood years of wiping down with water and melting slices of brie and espoisses, almost instantly etched. The surprise: I loved the etchings! It gave the slab a beautiful, matte finish and old-worldy look. i.e. it looked even more like marble. (I'm starting to think that the "Meg Ryan" technique is the way to go.) Now I just have to decide that I'm OK with that look for an entire island top. (I'm seriously considering the marble-top "French kitchen island" at Crate and Barrel.) I'm curious if there are other etched marble lovers on the kitchen site.

  • ajard
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    francoise47.. what did you end up doing?

  • sayde
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    bump. sfmom's marble test was very helpful --

  • Wmsimons
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi, I am just now having the same dilemma and being told don't do it! Before seeing this thread I too did my own test with lemon juice on the marble and was quite shocked how quickly it etched. :( But I still can't find an alternative I just don't like the look of granite.

    I would love to know how sfmomof2 got on and others here have got on with their marble worktops. Please :)

  • Wmsimons
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    When I go into the kitchen forum section this thread is not appearing for some reason so thought I would try again! Am I doing something wrong?

  • Wmsimons
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Argh! Decided to go with the Silestone Bianco River. It is heartbreaking but after seeing what a drop of lemon juice would do to my beloved marble thought I would save my marriage instead of going for my love of marble. :(