wow - those are some gorgeous counters - they just light up the room! I tend to think that marble is tougher than we all can think - we have a marble floor in our foyer (house is circa 1925) and it looks fabulous - is it shiny and perfect? No. It is patina-ed and still perfect (and substantial and timeless...). Enjoy!!

Nan - I went through the same doubt when my carrera was installed last month. I couldn't afford calacatta and the carrera was greyer and had much more movement than I had hoped for. But a few weeks later - I am so glad for it! I have soapstone on the most of the counters, but planned on having walnut on this particular perimeter - that is - until I fell in love with marble. Love it now! The extra movement makes it seem less prone to etching - although I am not baby-ing it at all and haven't seeing any etching.

At least wait until the kitchen is done to fully judge.

Take care -

i agree with the other posters - think it is too soon to judge and once the backspash, painting and hardware is on you are going to love it! hang in there, keep an open mind. can't wait for the follow up "i am in love with my kitchen" email!!!

Thanks everyone. I re-read these very posts all the time, each one offering a little something to think about.

I promise to post when everything is done! :o)

I think the marble is gorgeous and putting the wood on the island is a perfectly practical choice. I don't know about how you live, but in our old (unrenovated) kitchen, my kids did all their messy stuff seated at the island, and I had more control of the perimeter. Keeping that in mind, I'm choosing white marble for perimeter and walnut for island in our new kitchen. Can you contain your kids and their art & snacks to the island? When you mentioned about the dirty dishes overnight, that sounded just like our family when my kids were very young (they're now 7 and 9). We had a horrible nasty bug issue one summer that caused us to completely change our post-dinner habits. Now one of us heads upstairs with the kids while the other loads the dishwasher and wipes down all the surfaces. When hubby is traveling, the kids get a bonus 15 min. to play while I clean up. (I know this is hard with a baby who can't play independently, though.) Don't sweat your marble choice (and I wouldn't do 3 different surfaces) -- I think it is beautiful and would love the name of the white paint color you used on your cabinets!

nantucket23: We put Callacatta Gold marble in our kitchen on Cape Cod (I think I showed you pics of the floors in another thread) and sealed it with AKEMI based on Roccocogurl's suggestion in a thread a ways back. Well last Summer we had a big cookout after we finished the kitchen and my husband and I spent most of the day outside grilling. Late in the evening I went inside and found that someone had put a bottle of red wine on the counter and it had created quite a ring. It was dry and crusty and we thought Oh God, the counter is ruined! Sure enough, it wiped right off and I could swear for a couple of days that I could see it, but now if I try to find where it was, I can't. I also have a 2 and 5 year old and they get spaghetti and sauce all over the place, we just wipe it up and it's not a concern. I hope this helps ease your mind if even a bit. What I more so want to point out is that I do *not* feel like we can't let our kids be kids in there. We do have some etching, but in our light you almost have to be standing in a certain spot to see it and when I point it out to my family they laugh at me like I'm crazy :-) So don't worry too much, spend some time with the counters and if you still feel the same way, as others have suggested, see what the cost would be to change it. Good Luck!

Wow, Nantucket,
That's really beautiful! The mix of the dark wood with the soft white marble is just lovely. I truly hope you give it enough time to be sure before you rip it out, because I can see in my mind what it will be once it's lovingly lived on, and I think you'll the ease of it. It's timeless, and the more you live on it, the more timeless it will become. Your counters will tell the story of your family's experiences and time spent in your kitchen together, and I think that's much more beautiful than a perfect kitchen!
PLEASE give it time!
And on the second guessing note, I'm so glad that advice was given; I'm building right now. It took me forever to order stone. I put it off for a month before I bit the bullet! I just had to decide that there is no "perfect," but there is lots of beauty. I will enjoy the beauty of my choice and not wish for unattainable perfection.

Nantucket,
I'm wondering if you've gotten used to your marble since you've had time to live with it. Your kitchen is very beautiful, and although you said you did it inexpensively, it doesn't look inexpensive. I would love to see finished pictures (if it's finished!).

I'm also deciding between marble or wood on our island. Many of my friends have marble and love it, and I'm noticing that just about every decorating blog has white kitchens with marble countertops...suggesting that it is a proven look. But how is it working for you?

Thanks!

I'm so sorry to hear that you're not as thrilled as you thought you would be. I actually know what you're feeling because I was in the same boat (minus the budget to rip it out!).

My fabricator made an error with the placement of the prep sink on my island and we couldn't find a honed jet mist slab that I felt 'matched' the rest of the kitchen. Fueled with kitchen forum bravado I ordered the island in carrera. I love the look but spent too much time panicking over spills and drips. Note to self: apple cider drips will dull the finish and leave a permanent mark in seconds. I'll be honest and say I never got over it but the point is moot since I'm moving in 2 weeks.

You are lucky that you have the option to make a change. Why don't you live with the marble and not baby it at all- if it gets all yucked up then who cares? You're ripping it out anyway! Maybe that attitude will help you live more comfortably and find that the natural patina doesn't bother you as much as you feared?

Best of luck to you. Your kitchen is gorgeous!

Nantucket - If you didn't get marble, you would be even more upset, that you didn't get the marble that you dreamed of, and which was your vision for the kitchen. Then you would live with that regret and would never know that you were not going to be totally happy with it.... you wouldn't win either way.

Marble is luring me too. I've been deciding on counters now for over 3 months, and going nuts. Before this, I have second-guessed every decision I've made with our house renovation. I have "panicked" right after every decision I've made, wishing I could change it.

Now, I'm deciding between an all marble kitchen, to all soapstone, and now it's marble on the island and soapstone on the perimeter. I also think that I'm capable of handling marble,but I don't want to have to be super careful, and everyone is scaring me about it.

Your kitchen is very beautiful! I would NEVER take the marble out unless it wore so much that it starts to look hideous, which I don't think will happen.

On April 15th "PUPPEEZ" posted here, saying to do the vinegar/lemon/tomato juice thing for the etches. I'm VERY curious about what that is? Does anyone else know what that is? I wonder if it has something to do with something I tried.....

I had a sample piece of honed marble. I put dabs of oil, vinegar and ketchup on 3 spots. All 3 spots etched the marble. so, I taped the stone down the middle of it, and put white vinegar on one entire side of the marble. I left it on there, and when I washed it off, all 3 of the etched spots were gone! It seemed that the vinegar stripped off the honed finish, and without the finish, the etching wasn't there. Then I put vinegar oil and ketchup back on it and none of them etched.

I tried this because in another GW thread about marble, one person wrote that her marble never etched and that she that had never sealed it. So, it seems to be the surface finish that is etching (whether it is honed or polished).

This is driving me crazy, because I too really want marble, but not have to be careful with it. Curious is anyone knows what the vinegar/lemon/tomato juice thing is, that was mentioned?

Nantucket, what did you do? I just read this post and I LOVE your kitchen. Personally, I would not change the marble. It looks beautiful! But you have to choose what makes you happy. I just think the marble looks like it belongs in that kitchen...white cabs, dark wood floors, and beautiful marble...very nice.

I had a sample piece of honed marble. I put dabs of oil, vinegar and ketchup on 3 spots. All 3 spots etched the marble. so, I taped the stone down the middle of it, and put white vinegar on one entire side of the marble. I left it on there, and when I washed it off, all 3 of the etched spots were gone! It seemed that the vinegar stripped off the honed finish, and without the finish, the etching wasn't there. Then I put vinegar oil and ketchup back on it and none of them etched.

Isn't that basically pre-etching the entire piece (the half that you coated with vinegar)?

So, it seems to be the surface finish that is etching (whether it is honed or polished).

Marble etches. Each and every time it comes into contact with acid. It is a chemical reaction, and results do not vary. Etches are most visible as changes in the reflectivity of the surface. So a polished surface shows etches the most. Some people have etching in places where the light does not reflect off the marble, so their counters show etches the least. All marble etches. All the way through. Those who say their marble never etches are not correct. Chemistry is not a matter of opinion.

Right, so the etches all blend for an even surface.

I've been testing the marble samples I have with a similar process. My favorite piece is the lovely honed Calacatta Gold that the sales rep sealed and color enhanced for me. I etched it up with my test offenders, then I tried scrubbing it with a ScotchBrite pad, as someone here suggested (can't remember who, sorry!). When I finished scrubbing it, the etches were gone...but so was the layer of sealer/enhancer. I left a quarter of the sample untouched, and you can clearly see the delineation.

So I think what's happening is that the acid does indeed etch the marble itself, which is a chemical reaction occurring on the surface which has been sanded with an abrasive to a smooth finish, either honed or polished. You're wearing away a tiny bit of the stone, including the surface treatment, which is why it's more noticeable on a polished finish. When you etch a large area, it blends in, but you've also removed more of the surface treatment, along with your sealant. Scrubbing it with a Scotchbrite pad is essentially sanding off the etch, but again, removing the sealant along with the polished finish, if you opted for that. It's still sort of honed, but not as cleanly and beautifully as when it's brand new from the stoneyard. But the sealant can be reapplied to help prevent staining, at least.

Right, so the etches all blend for an even surface.

I should take a picture of a local restaurant with a huge marble bar. There's no blending. You see every single glass mark, fork mark, dish mark that has ever etched into the surface.

In my opinion, people who even test a marble for etching should not be buying marble. It etches, period. It may happen not to show a lot in your kitchen, or you may be lucky and the splotches are more irregular, or your light may not bounce off your counter, or whatever. But it will etch and you will have zero control over where, how, and what shape. You can be lucky or extremely unlucky, and you won't know in advance.

Marble belongs to people who don't notice, don't care and want a rustic or old-world look. Everybody constantly says Italians have had marble countertops for hundreds of years (not actually true--most people have tile or metal, but it sounds good). However, these are also old kitchens with wonky walls or bumpy plasterwork or whatever. It all blends in and looks worn and it's fine, and p.s., you're in Italy.

So it works with rustic. It works with antique, or old-world. For someone who wants pristine and new, it doesn't work at all.

Marcolo- I hope you do take a picture of that marble bar. I think it would be very helpful, to a lot of people on this forum, to see what marble really looks like with regular use. Too many 'perfect' marble countertops, in the magazines, are very misleading.

I wish the magazines would show a few pictures, after Thanksgiving or Christmas....when all the guests have left the wrong things sitting on the countertops. That would be educational :)

I'm still thinking about using marble, on the work table, but I'd love to see the 'real thing' after some heavy use!

That was a cross-post, Marcolo; I was referring to the person who no longer saw the single etch spots after putting vinegar on half the sample where it was etched. On the sample I tested and then scrubbed with Scotchbrite, you can't see the etches. Where I scrubbed it, it has that look of lovely old patinated marble...but if I left another piece of lemon sitting on it, it would certainly etch again in that spot. I agree that people who want pristine surfaces should not even think about marble.

I think it was marthavila, IIRC, for whom the Scotchbrite didn't work. Depends on the final surface treatment. Also somebody mentioned that repeated Scotchbriting will eventually create an uneven dip in the counter.

I should take a photo of that bar. In context, it's ugly that works. It's an Italian restaurant, so it goes with the theme. It's also in a vast lofty space that used to be an old firehouse, full of beams and bricks. So you get that intentional old, weathered, reclaimed sense to the place, and in that context it's nice.

Our marble (Gioia Miele) is going in this week for all our counters. Honed.

Bottom line is any counter surface will ultimately show marks, just like your cabinets will get nicks, glasses get broken, keys get lost.

I'm secretly hoping having marble counters will force us to be a little more neat and tidy ;) but at the end of the day, it's going to stain, chip, scratch, etch. Just like the marble fountains, stairs, buildings, bathrooms etc. etc. all over the 'old world'. Enjoy them, use them, break them in.

Just for fun:

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

I think it was marthavila, IIRC, for whom the Scotchbrite didn't work. Depends on the final surface treatment. Also somebody mentioned that repeated Scotchbriting will eventually create an uneven dip in the counter.

Right, I recall reading that as well. All I can say is that it worked quite well on the ones I tried but that's a pretty limited field test.

I do find it hard to believe that it could cause an appreciable dip in the counter. I mean, it's STONE, and you're only wearing away an infinitesimal fraction of the surface when you scrub it.

At any rate, I thought it was an acceptable solution for any etch marks that show up under the light when I care enough to do anything about them, and I'm comfortable enough with it that I decided to go for the Calacatta on all surfaces except the ones on either side of the range. I quite liked quartzite and the sample I had didn't etch, but on reviewing all my samples, it was a little cold in color and the Calacatta is beautiful with everything else I've picked. It will be honed as well, so it won't show etches as much as polished would. And I like kitchens that looked like they're used and loved.

Those are very helpful pictures from johnliu, and comments from maracolo.

We just had our bathroom vanity installed that came with a light marble countertop. Some liquid soap spilled on it and I can't get it out. It has an ugly ring mark like the pic above.

FWIW Nantucket, I think your kitchen is lovely.

Jillsee, have you tried using any sort of poultice on it?

Wow, Anna (and I say this with no disrespect intended) I can't imagine making a poultice for my countertop. This is just me (and I do live on a farm) but I don't have time to do more than a quick once over with a cleaner. For me, it's either love the etched look or choose something else that doesn't need any special treatment. Again, that's just me...I know some people like to have nice things that take more work and maintenance.

Johnliu- Are all those pictures polished marble?

A poultice will not work on the soap ring it is not a stain but a physical change in the surface of the stone otherwise called an etching. If the top is polished, tin oxide can polish it out and if it is a honed surface many have tried the scotchbrite trick.

Or you can embrace it as character which is how i think of scratches and etchings in marble. Like the smile lines in a loved one's face each change and mark has a story. I have a blemish(quite large etching) from the Indian takeout we accidentally left out on the counter to leave for the hospital the night my daughter was born. Every time I see that "imperfection" I smile and remember that perfect day.

oooo, that is one hunky piece of marble! Downright Marblelicious.

So much support from everyone here. You will be in love with that marble soon.

Until then, you could consider wrapping it......(just thought you could use a smile)

ahhhh, now I see, this is an old post. duh, I guess I should have read a little closer.

Johnliu- Are all those pictures polished marble?

I don't know - they do look it, but I just grabbed them off the internet.

LL, she's talking about a bathroom vanity, which I assume is less used than a kitchen countertop. And what's so hard about trying a poultice for it? Mix it up, spread it on, cover, let sit.

Roarah, etching is caused by acid reacting with the calcium carbonate in the marble. Most soaps are alkaline, meaning something else is likely the culprit, and possibly fixable with a poultice. At any rate, it can't hurt.

johnliu, yes when I put the white vinegar on the entire half of the sample piece of "honed" marble, that WAS like pre-etching (or stripping) the stone, but it looked good, it had a perfectly smooth surface, and all the etches were gone. It was just duller than the low sheen finish of the honed surface. I then put separate drops of vinegar(again) and ketchup, and oil on the stripped side, and neither the vinegar nor the ketchup showed any etching, or staining on it, at all, only the oil showed an oil spot, which evaporated out in 2 days.

There's a restaurant we eat at called "The Cheesecake Factory", and all the tables (Large tables) are marble, like a crema marfil, beige marble (even though it's obvious, I asked to make sure they are real marble tables). They have NO polished or honed finishes on them, and I couldn't find any etches or stains on them. I've been looking, especially because of wanting to get marble counters.

Lavender lass, The 3 pictures of marbles are all polished surfaces. You can see the shine in the pictures. The middle picture looks like the base of a toilet bowl.

I then put separate drops of vinegar(again) and ketchup, and oil on the stripped side, and neither the vinegar nor the ketchup showed any etching, or staining on it, at all, only the oil showed an oil spot, which evaporated out in 2 days.

Oh, that's interesting. I'm going to try that on the samples I etched up and Scotchbrited to see what happens and will report back.

NOT trying to be "self promoting" here, but IMHO = simple honing of your tops (albeit a little more difficult now since they are installed) should solve your problem, along with a really good deep penetrating sealer like Hydrex or 511 Porous Plus is what I'd recommend.

I just finished fabricating and installing (about a month ago) a really nice two slab island using Calacatta Oro - OK, it;s nit Carrara, but it IS marble in a kitchen application, and it turned out really nice - customer loved it (with no "sinking feelings"....

I honed the stone and took off the polished finish, then sealed hit it with Tenax Ager Tiger (stone enhancer), then finished up with a 220 grit hone, and a deep coat of 511 .....

Nantucket - you can have the tops honed in place, you can even DIY if you feel industrious.... AND - In my professional opinion (yeah, I DO do Fabrication for a living every day) = your Carrara tops look really good from the pics you posted. I'd keep 'em if I were you, and take my advice (free of charge)........

Honing polsihed marble will help hide scratches and rings - they'll still be there, but the honed surface makes it harder to detect stuff like that - as opposed to a polished finish (which I'd rather go home and hang myself instead of installing a polished marble on a kitchen countertop)

hth

kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: Honed Calacatta Oro Island VIDEO

I put in Calacatta Oro for my island and had it honed. Yes . . . there are quite a few etches in it but that is what marble does if you don't baby it. I'm married to an Italian - we cook, make sauces, chop, dice, and often drink while cooking, We have spilled things. I do keep it sealed - however I know it will over the years acquire etch marks. You don't really see them unless you actually look for them at a certain angle or in the right light. When I clean the counters, I sponge it off and it's clean and it looks beautiful. In Paris, most of the bistro tables were marble - hell, in Europe everything is marble and it has lasted "hundreds" of years. Your counters look beautiful and it's possible that if you relax and not worry about it - -the etches will eventually stop bothering you. My parents had an entry table with a carrara top for as long as I can remember. It is beautiful even though it has been used and abused to DEATH. Keys have been tossed on it, glasses, vases, etc. etc. I now use that same table as a night stand where my coffee often sits or a glass of ice water that creates a water ring. It has been abused for at least 50 years and still looks lovely. Give it a chance - at least for a brief time.

I put polished carrara in my son's bathroom. He has been using for 2 1/2 months now and has almost single handedly honed the whole counter with his Proactive acne stuff!! I was pretty upset at first and asked him to be more careful...that hasn't happened so I think I will hone it myself and seal it and see if that helps.

Kevin, thanks for chiming in! And that installation is so beautiful.

My cousins have polished Calacatta counters they inherited when they bought their house. There are a few etches. I suggested that they have it honed but I don't know if they did or not. It really does help hide etching when the surface is less reflective.

Hi Nantucket23!

I don't come around very often, so I'm just now seeing your post.

It has been a few months now, are you in a better place about the marble? I sure hope so. It takes some getting used to. Getting your first etch is somewhat like getting the first door ding on a new car. No one really notices it but you. Eventually, you will be able to relax and not worry about the stone.

I'm going on over 6 years now and I still love, love, love my countertops. Sure, they're etched a little more now. I don't even bother to try to "fix" it anymore. Unless I put a huge crack in them or chip off a chunk out of the edge, if worse comes to worse, they can be rehoned, in place, for a "reasonable" price if I really, really felt they needed it.

My counters, with 4 kids and their friends, my DH, and all the cooking, homework, school projects, etc, etc...I have NO stains at all. We have certainly LIVED on the counters and I am STILL happy with them. Maintenance just hasn't been an issue. I did reseal a couple of years ago. That's it.

As to the ScotchBrite...I have done that, early on. Gently. Then I took a finer grade silicone sandpaper and buffed even more. To me, and maybe it was because I wanted to believe it to be true, I thought it worked at reducing the appearance of the etch mark. I resealed the spot. Nowadays, I don't even bother doing that. Again, no one sees the marks but me. So, I just don't care, let it all go and enjoy.

Years down the road, if we decide to sell, I'll have the counters rehoned...maybe...or then, again...maybe not. I guess it will depend on what I read about how people feel about marble counters at that point in time.

Keys get lost?

Just kidding.

doubt the original poster is still around, but i would be curious to know what she decided! it was like reading a cliff hanger book, only to find at the end of this long thread she never posted what she ended up doing...did she keep the marble? did she replace it?

I'm curious how you feel about the marble 6 months later?

I'm curious how you feel 6 years later about your marble countertops. I think your kitchen is great

We are now renovating another house including the kitchen and I've decided not to do marble counters , rather a marble -looking Quartz/quartzite. But this is mostly just to keep it fresh/new to me. I'm doing everything a little different. I may do a marble counter in the bath because I never had it in a bathroom before.

This is a much bigger renovation (entire house instead of just kitchen) and I've learned to be much more relaxed about decisions and missing perfection on a few things.

Very nice of you to share the outcome with us!

Thanks for sharing. Best wishes in your new home

"I've learned to be much more relaxed about decisions and missing perfection on a few things."

These words are absolutely irresistible romance to a contractor.

I love the way the marble looks in my kitchen and island but want to rip it out. Life if way to short to worry about etching staining cooking having friends put their wine on the counter. I hate the upkeep and maintenance of it. I cook every night and hate worrying about a counter. I picked out a beautiful granite and when they came to take the template, the guy said are you crazy changing this beautiful kitchen. i caved in and kept them, it's two months now and I hate having them more each day. Will wait until Christmas and they are gone, found a beautiful white granite. The fabricator said . don't do it, I was warned and hard headed and now it will cost me between 4-5000 to replace it. Crazy me

Rosella, as long as the money spent is already down the drain, why not let the marble go forward until it's really stained and used? Give yourself permission to actually use your marble kitchen, to make messes, to spill, to have a ball.

Why not?

"Life if way to short to worry about etching staining cooking having friends put their wine on the counter." This is why we don't worry about these things with our marble countertops.

I agree with you that life is too short and if you can afford marble, you can afford to change your mind and drop another $5K on granite. So do it and be happy, but I'd try to worry less about a few etches and stains on what is supposed to be the working surface of a kitchen.

Rosella:

You could Stoneguard your marble and have no etching ever again for much less than $5,000.00.