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andrelaplume2

cultured marble top quality

andrelaplume2
15 years ago

We need to swap out 20 year old Moen faucets. My wife does not like the 80's style laminate counter tops in the bath and I figure that if I was replacing the faucets, maybe thats a good time for the tops.

I was walking thu Lowes and they had 'Estate' brand premium cultured marble tops, Onyx (sort of off white marble) on clearance super cheap....$29 for 31" and $39 for a 49". Thats a saving of over $100 on each. I bought them....they said they could be returned. My wife likes them. I was wondering though if there is a downside to cultured marble tops in general, a downside to the 'Estate' brand, a reason to stay away from them etc etc.

Thanks!

Comments (5)

  • awm03
    15 years ago

    Cultured marble seems to have dropped off the map as a bathroom counter choice, now that the rage is for natural stones or engineered quartz. I have a cultured marble vanity top in a half bath and am amazed at how easy it is to clean & keep looking good. It's 20-30 years old and unstained, whereas the 9 year old laminate in our main bath is stained from various toiletries.

  • hilltop_gw
    15 years ago

    I'm not familiar with the Estate brand.
    We have cultured marble in our 3 bathrooms. Make sure when cleaning you use a product such as liquid gel gloss which comes in a pink can (also comes in spray form but recommend the can). Never use a powdered cleanser like "comet" or "bar keepers friend" or you'll have permanent scratches.

    From our experience with cultured marble the darker colors tend to show water spots & blemishes whereas the lighter colors hide a lot and stay looking like new.

    We recently replaced a 12 year old solid black cultured marble which was a disaster because every water spot or use of toothbrush or soap showed horribly unless it was wiped down afterwards. In its place we put in a cultured marble in a lighter almond colored "granite look" that I love.

    Another one I'd like to replace is darker green with a white bowl. Again, the hard water spots show (even tho we have a softener) & this ones scratched from use of the wrong product.

    Sounds like you got a good price. If the plumbing holes line up with your existing, it should be worth the money.

  • chisue
    15 years ago

    The two cultured marble tops in our condo baths have held up very well. (18 years)

    I use Bon-Ami powdered cleanser without seeing any scratches. (The can has the little chicken saying, "Haven't scratched yet.") It's much cheaper than the gels. I've used it for years instead of Comet, etc.

  • andrelaplume2
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    The plumbing holes will not align in our one bath, the old sink was offset, this new sink.top is centered. I would think the plumber could handle this though....

  • hilltop_gw
    15 years ago

    A plumber can align things pretty easily. We ordered & installed our replacement countertop from the same place as our original purchase; however the holes came in a different distance from the wall. Try as we might we couldn't get the pipes to fit. Our plumber was working at a nearby new build and was able to retrofit it in less than an hour.