Marble questions

11 years ago

I am trying to figure out marble varieties that are more suited for kitchen use. We are thinking to use it on a table that will be the main table for eating. Please help me do the homework and try out a few samples to persuade DH :)

I like white marbles with defined viening. Some of the carrera etc.. seem more grey and too busy with lots of specs of grey. Is there a link someone has that shows marble varieties. Is there a hardness level etc. for marbles similar to soapstone that makes some types more suited for kitchens and resists stains? I can live with the etching but stains are my biggest worry. Especially with red wine, curry, soy sauce, etc..

One thing I took away from reading other threads is that honed is way better for stain resistance than polished (even though most of the onlibe sites recommend polished.) Do I have to look for honed marble or get them to hone a polished slab. I am not sure if there are stone shops in SF bay area who stock a lot of honed marble.

I see that most people recommend getting it sealed at the fabricator and do it a few more times. Do the sealers still keep the surface food safe? Can I roll pastry on a marble table that is sealed with somethin like 511 sealer (this was the type recommended in some posts). Any recommended products?

Lalitha

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Comments (6)

hsw_sc
11 years ago
I don't know anything about which ones are harder than others, but the staining should not be a problem if it is sealed. I have had coffee, wine, etc sit overnight (actually, this happened this morning) and the stains wiped right off.
wishiwasinoz
11 years ago
If you are not dead-set on marble, there are some beautiful quartzite options. It is almost as hard as diamonds, & from everything I have read & heard, it does not stain or etch. The veining of a slab I saw earlier this week was beautiful. The white quartzite I saw has only had slight veining.

Here is a link that might be useful: White macaubus quartzite
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kamkar2006
11 years ago
We have danby marble and it was honed when we bought it. It was sealed with a sealer made by dupont. I have spilled EVERYTHING on it, wine, lemon, green fruit juice etc., nothing stained but everything etches. I don't mind the etching too much and now I don't really worry about things dropping on it. I am going to seal again soon because after our fabricator applied the seal on the marble it left marks where the wiped on the sealer and now as to be honed and re-sealed.

Danby is pretty hard as I have already dropped a few heavy items on it and it has not cracked. It does have some nice veins but it more white. I think the more veins the better as I wonder if etching shows up less with more veins?
nycbluedevil
11 years ago
Take a look at the Calacatta varieties as well as the Danby. I originally wanted Danby but the stone yards were out of it so I looked at Calacatta Caldia and fell in love with it. It is very white with green and gold veining. The veining is softer than the Calacatta gold, which is more defined. I don't have pictures yet but if you check out Arena Stone you can see some very good pictures of various lots that they have. Arena has tons of white marbles. I know you are not in the NY area, but it should give you an idea of what is available.

I thought I read somewhere that honed stains more easily than polished but with a sealer, it shouldn't matter.

Good luck.
lalithar
Original Author
11 years ago
I will look at Calacatta and Danby.

Any input on the sealer? Does using a sealer make the surface not foodsafe? What sealer did you use and how often. It seems to be mostly a simple application - apply and wipe off.

washiwasinoz --> I really prefer marble to quarzite.. quarzite like Bee's is so pretty but looks too polished and modern for my space..
finestra
11 years ago
I have Danby and had Granite Shield come and put a "permanent" sealer on it. I haven't had any stains. I have Montclair Danby and it has some large gray veins, which I think may help to hid some etching. Last week I canned 24 jars of tomatoes and they were all over and not one stain.

I do have a ding near my sink though where a pot must have hit it. I wonder if I would have been better off with a farmhouse sink rather than an undermount.

My Danby was 1/2 the cost of the Calacatta we were looking at.