There are a few reasons why marble isn't the ideal material, but if you can live with them there's no problem. Apparently it doesn't stand up to heat, so you can't put a hot pot or anything on it, as you could with granite. They say it stains, but I haven't found that. Before buying a counter, I put a sample down next to my sink for a month. Any stains that appeared on it also miraculously disappeared by the next day. Other people on GW have commented on this weird but true phenomenon! If you're reasonably careful and wipe up spills when they happen you should be fine. It etches, this I have noticed. It's more noticeable with polished than with honed marble. Acids kind of eat through the surface finish. You can feel it, but mine, at least, don't show.

There are a few clutzes in our house, so I do worry a little. But it's been installed about 3 years and so far so good. There are a couple of minor etches, but you'd never notice them.

The bottom line, I think, is if you want a surface that will look perfect years after it's installed, this probably isn't the one unless you don't actually use the kitchen. One of the things I love about marble is that it reminds me of old ruins. So I actually like an aged look as long as it's not obviously chipped or stained. I think it's incomparably beautiful in a white or pale kitchen.

Mermanmike, funny you mention that, you might be able to inherit mine, eventually.... I'm seriously considering changing them, like soon. I accumulated them from two random places over the years, neither of which exist anymore. BUT similar ones can be bought at:Rockler:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=565&site=ROCKLER

Here's another company: http://www.knobsandhardware.com/search/wood-knobs.html

Search for English, or British wood round cabinet knobs or some such thing. The detail to look for is the turned wood on the wide base. They're very common in old English country cabinets. I bought them unfinished, they're usually available in a few species of wood. Mine are maple and I used a low-VOC finish called Acrylacq, by AFM Safecoat.

Mtmax- I'm hoping to have some marble for my baking area. Honed will keep you from having those shiny 'rings' on the marble. Marcolo may post those pictures pretty soon...and you'll see what I mean.

If I thought we could all be as careful as Egg...I'd think about marble countertops for the entire perimeter! But, I know my limitations and living on a farm...I'll be lucky to keep the baking area from etching too badly.

Does anyone know if Meg Ryan really rubbed tomato sauce all over her countertops, to get the etching out of the way? I keep seeing that rumor, but wonder if she actually did that...and if it worked! :)

Somehow she doesn't strike me as someone who does much cooking or housework.

I ran into a problem importing the elevation onto the computer. My drawing is pretty faded, but I'll see if I can post it after this weekend. Actually I think I have a photo of the wall-- there it is. Now that I look at it I'm a little embarrassed. The above-counter cabinets were supposed to have two sets of glass doors, small square ones on top, and longer ones on the main part. But i liked them open and figured I'd leave it that way for a while. I still don't know if I'll make doors. And the knobs -- I'm pretty sure I'm going to change them to bin pulls. Taken as a whole, the room is a little more wooden knobby looking than what I had in mind! And the cabinet legs are going to be different... and... other things will eventually be finished... sigh... The room looks a lot nicer in daylight, and when it's clean!

The kitchen has been years in the making, and it's still not done. I'm doing it all myself, planning the room, and designing and building the cabinets. I'm also renovating the rest of the house and raising a family, etc, etc, so it's about the longest renovation project in history.

The house's addition (with windows) was put on ten years ago but I didn't start putting in the new cabinets until about three years ago. So for years after the windows were in I fretted that they were going to be too small, but now that that wall is complete I think it looks okay. They're each 2' wide and 3' tall, give or take an inch.

Do provide detail and updates, please. Cheers.

Do provide detail and updates, please. Cheers.