Different marble owner chiming in here. I put mine on the perimeter. I liked the white on white as something different (before Christopher Peacock kitchen photos started appearing everywhere), so this was one area where the decision was made more for form than function. We did set up the island so DH and I could both be working -- one on withe side, and that's where more of the prep is done. If DH wnats to seed and chop a quart or two of tomatoes, or if I need to juice a bunch of ;emons, we tend to be working at the island, so the function is following form pretty well.

I'd say that if you prefer one look over the other, go with that. If you are trying to use function to help break a tie or near tie, put the marble where you will work with doughs but be less likely to be chopping quarts of tomatoes or juicing a dozen lemons.

BTW, I have spoon rests near the cooktop and no problems at all over there -- even from tomato sauce or lemon juice splatters. I have noticed some marks by the sink and above the DW. Nothing I get upset about, but the funny thing is that area is less of a work space and I would have been less concerned about it. Seems to be when the guys set something down rather than get it into the DW, recycling, etc. and not where I might be working. I have no regrets about the marble though. Well, with the possible exception that too many people are getting it now. ;-)

Hi chainmama!

I think what I meant is that I was comparing our marble to our butcherblock -- the butcherblock is (for me) just such a workhorse! Like, I cut on it with impunity and don't think twice about anything I put on it / use it for, even when the marble would clearly be a better work surface. (like the other day I was making biscuits and I rolled the dough on the butcherblock -- of course the marble would've been a smarter choice!)

I also think, in my instance, it might be the way our kitchen is set up: because our marble is on the perimeter, in general I'd have to work with my back to my (small) children if I did the bulk of my prep on the marble: the island (with its butcherblock top) is just in a more sociable position (plus I can see the tv from it -- shh, don't tell I love to watch tv as I bake / cook).

With all that said and done I have to say I canNOT imagine having anything other than our marble. I love it. It truly gives me joy to see it, and I would do it the exact same way again, I really would. Contrary to lascatx, I also LOVE seeing its resurgence!

Sorry if I sounded negative in that other post -- I'm not, 100% not negative about marble! It was just comparing it to the butcherblock.

My husband, who was totally anti-marble during the planning (he was afraid he'd stain it and that I'd kill him), does all his prep on the marble! He won't use the butcherblock (except as a landing place for his junk when he comes home -- drives me nuts). He uses cutting boards, but I don't think I've ever seen him working on the butcherblock. Isn't that funny? I mean, funny how differently people work.

So I'm not trying to be evasive or difficult: the marble is a resilient, fine work surface. You should put it where you want to see it and I bet when your kitchen is done you'll find your natural work space (as I found mine on the island and my husband his on the perimeter) and it'll all work out.

I wish you the best of luck, and I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for more info about your kitchen!

Fellow marblers, I have been meaning to post on this so will jump in on this thread. I put marble on my island which I designed to be the major prep area (stove and sink are on perimeter). We have only been back in the kithcen for two weeks but I am way too paranoid about the marble. Then, just the other day I chopped some veggies, no lemons or tomatoes though, and some water ran from the chopping board onto the marble which I didn't realize and sat under the board for at most an hour. It has totally left a (to me) very noticeable, not exactly tiny mark. It is more of an etch, not a stain, and I only notice when the light hits it (which it does every time I walk in from the most common angle). Now, 5 days later, it's driving me crazy!!!!!!!!!! My granite people SAID they sealed it, but I am starting to wonder. I plan to reseal it again soon, but in the meantime, what was I thinking? I am regretting the decision a bit. Can you marble owners talk me down? I admit I was aware of the possible issues but maybe I actually am not the type that can live with the "patina" as I had thought. Or maybe I am just disappointed that it only took two weeks to develop. Ha. P.S. no one else has noticed, and I haven't pointed it out or told DH who is probably weary of my neurosis through this whole thing.

Katmandu - I do understand how you feel, having felt the same way a year ago when my marble was installed. The installers sealed it and I didn't immediately re-seal. I meant to reseal, but things were chaotic. And of course within the first couple of days I found a glass ring near the sink. OMG, but my heart sank. I kept reminding myself that it's the nature of the stone to do that, that I knew going in that I could expect "spit" to happen, but my marble was so new that it bothered me every day. Well, sister, I'm here to tell you that time (and excellent re-sealing my me) has done much for my peace of heart. A year and numerous etches later, it doesn't bother me at all. I no longer see the etch marks. And certainly guests (and, really, most other family members) don't see the etches. As you say, the light has to be just so, etc. What I do see all the time is this fabulous stone surrounding my kitchen (I have it on all the perimeters and my 8' island), and it's just gorgeous. I have no regrets whatsoever. I've never had an issue with staining at all. So my advice to you is to try to relax. The stone is going to be with you for a loooong time.

HTH

I have marble on the island. It is sealed and so far no stains, but it has etched - as described above. sealing will not prevent etching. Mine is honed so the etching is not that prominent. If you can't live with etching don't get marble. I love the look, but I have had to accept that there will be etching and possibly stianing.

Katmandu, the sealer will not prevent etching. At best, it might buy you a little buffer so that you have time to wipe something up, but a sealer won't prevent etching if something sits on the marble. There are one or two products now that say they are etch proof, but they are a coating, not a typical sealer. I got a sample of one and it totally changed the feel and the appeal of the marble. I'd have rather saved my money and gotten a laminate.

Give it some time. I think the first noticable etch causes most people to wonder about how they will feel as the stone becomes more itself and less machined perfection. Unless you send your jeans and T's to the cleaners and the car to the body shop with each door ding, I think you'll be okay.

Try living with it a while. If you get a spot that really bothers you and you can't ignore it after a while, try a nylon scrubber pad (not the ball type, but the flat, finer mesh ones) and rub (not too hard) in a circle to see if that buffs it and at least softens it a bit for you. It may buff it out completely, but lemon juice sitting a while may be deeper. You can also use a fine sandpaper or emery cloth to buff it out and then reseal, but save this for things that really bother you and catch the light just right so they are really eye-catching or you will drive yourself crazy. I also can't tell you at what point you would rub puddle-catchers into your stone, but you don't want to do that. I think of the steps in 100-200 year old buildings I've been in and how the center of each step dips in the center from the foot traffic. That would bother me a lot more, but I think it helps to know you have the option.

Even if you don't do anything, I think knowing that you can helps put your mind at ease. However, if you find yourself using sandpaper as part of your regular cleaning routine, then maybe marble wasn't your best bet.

Hope you come to love and enjoy them.

Thank you for the thoughts. I know I can live with the patina- at least I have convinced myself so becasue I just can't seem to see my kitchen without the marble. Maybe this will help me- does regular water marks from glasses of water make etches? The kids are good about getting dishes on the counter next to the sink- but not in it. They are huge water drikers. If it leaves a mark perhaps I am better off putting the marble on the island where I work. Eihter that or teach them to put the dishes right into the dishwasher:)

I have posted a few times about my layout and now think I have it. We will start demo in January and I will follow up with pics. I am sure I will have a hundred questions once we begin. Kitchen will be classic with a modern twist, white cabs, marble and either a greysih/brownish limstone or a black granite flamed. We ahve tried to eliminate most uppers so we have a long wall of windows on one side- I hope it works.

The water marks (and coffee stains!) disappear from my carrarra perimeter counter tops. Some faster than others. Of course I wipe the coffee stains, but my point is that they do not actually STAIN, or etch for that matter. But acidic things do etch.

I also dropped a small bottle of almond extract from way up high onto the counter by my range and it chipped the marble. At first, DH and I sort of freaked out--DH: "You have to fix that, it looks HORRIBLE!" That was several weeks ago and he hasn't said a thing since. I don't even mind the chip now. I do think I'll try to fix it at some point, but I guess even flawed I love that marble.

I like how lascatx brought up the jeans--I think most people see marble and think "ooohhh, high-end, pricey, pristine," but I like to think of it as homey, classic and only more so with time--like a favorite pair of jeans. Kind of corny for a kitchen countertop, I know!

Regardless, I LOVE my marble and would be sad if I had not insisted on it (DH was not sold). I forewent wood for my island and have a beautiful granite I love, but still pine (forgive the pun) for the wood from time to time.

Chaimama, sorry to the extent I kind of hijacked your thread but hopefully you find my comments and others' responses helpful in making your decision. Best of luck to you with everything!

As for my marble, to continue the saga, just 30 minutes ago I spilled LEMONADE all over it. I wiped it up immediately, clean it with water, dried it, and I can already see where it all was? What the heck is the deal?? Can it etch that fast? I know it's acidic but 30 seconds?? I am chagrined. I just e-mailed my fabricator to confirm they sealed it but I am kind of at a lost as to how to care for and clean it. No, I don't take my jeans to the dry cleaner or iron much of anything anymore, but the thought of having spent money in this climate on this 'centerpiece' only to have it, well, bother me, is making me ill and regretful. Hope I pull out of it!

My understanding is that any kind of acid, fruit or otherwise, will etch marble on contact.

I don't think you're going to avoid etching. Over time, though, it's supposed to develop a patina from use. Anyway, that's what one of the fabricators told me -- give it time. If you look at the honed marble counters in Williams Sonoma stores, they have a nice patina to them.

My cat vomited on my polished marble bathroom floor. I wiped it up right away, but when the light hits it, you can see a perfect outline of the vomit patch!

katmandu -- I am really sorry you are having such a negative experience with that gorgeous marble of yours! It makes me wonder two things: 1) if the marble was completely honed, and 2) if the marble was thoroughly sealed.

My family, well, my husband and I, are slobs, plain and simple. In another thread (I think about carrara) I wrote about a splotch of tomato sauce sitting nearly twenty-four hours on our countertop before I noticed it and scraped it off. After I wiped the countertop down there was a faint rust-colored spot where the tomato was, but seriously, no joking, by the next day the spot was gone. And bending this way and that, with the light hitting that spot at various angles I cannot see where it was.

Tomato is probably the biggest offender 'round here and trust me, it has been splattered on our countertop / backsplash plenty, and I just can't see those etches (I have really good vision, so it's not as if I'm unable to see them!).

Anyway, so you can see why I'm confused / concerned about your experiences. Even though we really use our kitchen and don't baby the marble at all, I just can't believe that in the six months we've been living with the marble we've already patinaed it to the point of all our dribbles / splatters not showing!

Can you take some photos of the etching for us? I really am sorry it's giving you so many problems! (ps I'd also love to see more pictures of your kitchen!)

Thanks RM (and others who seem to confirm that some stuff will etch on contact, but I thought I'd have a little more leeway in clean up time!). I agree RM that it does not seem to have been properly sealed so wrote my fabricator about it last night. We'll see. I don't know about the completely honed thing. I'll ask them that too.

I'll try to take a photo later (not at home now) - not sure it will show up but will try.

Thanks!

There is a fix for white honed marble counters. Take Comet powder, make a paste out of it. Take a Scotch scouring pad and apply like you are waxing a car completely over your entire counter. The bleach will whiten the marble and the pad will take away any etching. This is also good for stains. I do it twice a year on my white Danby counters and it gives the entire counter a beautiful egg shell finish. It also add some sort of stain resistance from whatever else is in the Comet. Do a small out of the way area for an experiment if you don't trust me.

I've been reading the several threads on white marble in the kitchen, which I think I would like to live with (thoughts of Paris!). Although I see lots of mentions of sealing, etching, etc. what I haven't come across is what you use daily for cleaning the counters. I use Clorox Clean-Up all the time on my formica counters (soon to go, I hope!), but I'm not sure that would be a good idea on marble. But I think I'd need something more than water to make me think the kitchen was really clean.

So what do you marble lovers use?

Good question ...
What do you use, on a daily basis, to clean your marble counters?

A tile and stone shop salesperson told me that different colors of marble have different reactions to staining. She also told me I would need to do the research....Has anyone heard this as well? I am also considering marble because I love the look of it, but my husband cannot stand stains

I just saw the last three posts (about cleaning and different marble reactions), so I'm going to chime in.

In general I "clean" (if you can call what I do cleaning) our marble countertops / backsplash with a sponge -- our biggest culprit is crumbs. Every so often if I'm feeling energetic (ha ha!) I'll put a little dishsoap on the sponge. Behind the sink I've used some SoftScrub (which I also use in the sink, so I just keep going).

wantakitchen -- I think you can continue to use your Clorox Clean-Up; I'm assuming it's those pre-moistened wipes?

napagirl -- it is so nice to see your name again! You've been missed 'round here. How's your remodel going???

thefloridian -- yes, different colors of marble will have different reactions. What color marble interests you? I've white marble (with grey veining) and still, now seven messy months later, not a single stain. Not a one! There's the occasional "stain" but to a one they've disappeared. And I have not been fastidious about sealing. I mean, I sealed like crazy after it was installed, and then I did badly stain a section of the marble with a rusty steel wool; with a poultice I removed it (instantaneously) and then sealed sealed sealed again, but that's been it. I think it's recommended to do every six months but I'm behind, I guess.

If your husband cannot stand stains I don't think that would necessarily rule out marble, I really don't. If you can get a sample of marble, seal it and then test the hell out of it you'll get an idea of the staining (or not) and the etching. The etching is the real "problem," only it's not a problem for everyone (like me). Etching will be a problem if you get polished marble, but not so much if you get honed.

It was so nice to see your post. Actually, I use the spray Clorox more than the wipes (on an old formica countertop). The last marble company I talked to said I would be best using soap and water. How hard is that???

Thanks!

rmkitchen - - Thanks for the welcome back!
Unfortunately our remodel hasn't been doing much this past year but the good news is we're getting back into it again. I finally found my marble and a fabricator/installer so I feel like doing the happy dance! The rough plumbing is done but not the electrical. We're also adding a new M. bed & bath, so we still have a lot ahead of us.

Hello - For those of you who have marble countertops - what sealer did you or your fabricator use?? My fabricator is recommending Dry-Treat's Stain-Proof. Having read one post that indicated a change in the feel of the marble - I am concerned. Reading the literature about this product leads me to think that is was designed for exterior surfaces and not kitchen countertops... would really appreciate your input here. Long decision process and finally back to marble which I am sure that I will enjoy.
Thanks.

My installer used some brand I'd never heard of. I noticed right away that when I spilled water it would soak right into the marble. I used mineral spirits to remove the sealer and resealed with Miracle 511 Impregnator purchased at Home Depot. This is one of the products recommended by resident tile expert Bill Vincent. Now liquids puddle instead of sink in, and so far it's done a great job repelling stains such as spaghetti sauce.

Good luck!

Thank you, Erikanh. Are you pleased with the way the marble feels to the touch?