I have polished calacatta gold, and I'm happy with it. Yes, it does show etching, but I don't notice it unless I'm looking for it or if the light hits it a certain way. I don't see the etching every time I look at it, in other words. But there is a lot of it.

The thing is, it's kind of an individual deal, so I can't tell you if you'll be happy or not, of course. Patina doesn't bother me.

i am in the process of assessing marble as well. there is lots of good info on this site so you may want to do some searches. in particular there are a few folks that have tested samples and reported their findings with photos, very helpful. i would also get a sample of both and bring them home and test yourself so you can really see. it has made a big difference to me. just looked at sample of marble with OJ sitting on it all night (a real world example in this house...) it is not pretty...

You might want to check out quartz countertops... they're pretty cool, durable and have a lot of selection.

Here is a link that might be useful: countertop choices

I just recently had my calacutta marble installed. I had it honed as I had a friend with polished and it drove her crazy as everything she seemed to sit on the counter etched it. Anyway the honed is beautiful, it feels great, looks great and I don't have to worry about the etches. I am so glad I purchased it! Good luck

Does anyone know how much it would cost to get the marble re-honed or re-polished on a yearly basis? I think this would be valuable information. One should have their carpets cleaned yearly  right? Why not have their marble counter re-finished on a yearly basis? IMO  higher end materials require higher maintenance  so perhaps a yearly refinish would be a good solution to many  unless the cost is prohibitive. Anyone know for sure?

We have polished carrara. Wanted honed, and the slab I picked out was supposedly honed, but once it got to the fabricator it was definitely shiny. I do see the etch marks,not all the time as Segbrown said, but I do see them. It does annoy me, but I love the marble. I guess I must be a "masochist" because I tend to keep "looking" for them!!! LOL!!! If I had it to do over again, I would only get honed. Some day I probably will have someone come in and hone it. Good luck!!!

Calcutta is soooooo beautiful. Seg... gorgeous island.

Thank you all for replying. I know either will etch and that's part of it's beauty. I was just trying to see if the people that got polished regreted that part of their decision.

Seg, your marble is gorgeous.

Jeri, this doesn't really answer your question, but the marble guy told me if you scrape the etched part with a razor blade, it polishes the marble back to it's original shine. Of course, you wouldn't do this on the whole counter, but it can be done on a small area.

I have polished Calacatta marble for my island top. I wanted honed, but found this slab in polished and liked it enough. I too have etching, but only see the spots in the right light. It does not bother me and feel that it adds to the beauty of the stone. I would purchase it again. Here's mine.

Good luck with your decision!

I spoke with a marble restoration expert (Chicago area) prior to making the marble commitment. He told me $8/sf to re-hone and $10/sf to re-polish if I ever needed it. I put him in my speed dial and took the plunge with honed statuary. No regrets. Ours was honed to 110 grit, and If I do get an etch (rare), a green scotchbrite pad takes care of it in a jiffy. So glad we didn't chicken out on the marble!

Niffy - That's Great info! Thanks.

My fabricator also told me he would charge me "a couple hundred bucks" to re-hone my island top if ever needed.
When I was trying to decide to go with marble or not, the fabricator gave me a scrap calacatta sink cutout that was polished (although I wanted honed). I left it on my range top for a year. I was always spilling stuff on it to see what would happen. I even tried vinegar and watched it fizz through the polish. I STILL thought it looked good! When I was finished, I put the sink cutout on my back deck and left it sitting there for a few months, uncovered. It still didn't look awful. I guess I just really, really love the stuff, new or broken in.

I am going for calacatta gold (honed) in my new kitchen. I got samples of honed and polished and inflicted lots of "damage" on them. I tested each with lemon juice, olive oil, red wine, & blue gatorade (lots of pre-teen boys here). Interestingly, the honed held up much better than the polished. I left each stain on for 15 minutes, 3.5 hours, & overnight. The etching was definitely greater with the polished and, surprisingly, on these samples, the staining was worse on the polished as well. The red wine was especially bad. On the polished it seemed to seep into a larger area and discolor the stone more, whereas on the honed it was a more contained and lighter stain. As an old house person, the stain wouldn't bother me - it just adds patina. But, if you are someone who wants things to always look new, it could be a problem. Either way, on my samples, the honed help up better to staining than the polished. I suggest you definitely do some testing of your own and replicate the staining possibilities of your particular household. For example, would there possibly be red wine rings on the counter overnight? In my house, a definite possibility. Will there be red gatorade spills? Again, a yes for me. Sooooo, that's a long way of saying test it!

I've done lots of testing with a piece of polished carrara, always thinking that since calacatta is out of my price range, I will go with carrara honed, and the honed finish will not show etches as much.

Now that I can get this calacatta for a fraction more than carrara, I don't know what to do. I don't mind the etching, and I always thought the marble would look better honed anyway, but this piece is soooo gorgeous polished. Decisions, decisions...

I have polished calcutta gold on all my kitchen countertops. I chose it for its clean, pure beauty. Indeed, it is a challenge to keep the integrity of the stone. After years of protecting the surface with coasters, cutting boards, et al - which I would do on any surface : ) - houseguests for a few weeks changed all that. It looks like a war was fought on my counters. I am heartbroken. Any ideas...please?????

Foundart - can you post pictures, please.

How about having the counters re-polished? You should check with your fabricator.

Foundart,
I second Homechef, you should check with a fabricator and see what your options are. I hope you figure something out, that's really a shame. Just curious, didn't your houseguests notice that they were beating up your countertops?

Where did you find the calacutta marble?I've been assuming it's out of my price range!

Cookie - which part of the country are you in? I'm in the NE, and it's a small shop dealing with mostly marble. It's still more $$ than Carrara, but not 3 times more like some other places told me.

Just got my quote for marble, calacutta is twice the price of carrera.
Thought I would jump on the carrera, now thinking I can't rule out the calacutta.
I read polished etches more easily, but is can be polished out.
Honed does not etch as much, but is more difficult to repair.
I need to make my decision soon!