There are few things that are as stunning to me as a white marble counter top … I love them and appreciate the character and history they have as a material. Whenever the subject of white marble counter tops comes up (which in my line of work is a lot) the topic of damage (scratches) and maintenance (stains) comes up in every conversation.
I thought I would put together some information that might help that person who loves the look of white marble but is afraid of using the material. It’s definitely a good look and a fantastic material, but you have to be prepared for a give and take relationship. Since marble is a natural product, it is going to evolve and change over time and with use no matter how much you baby it. It’s that last sentence that should be your major clue as to whether or not this is the material for you.
If you are okay with your counter top showing signs of use then by all means, white marble away! Marble is a calcium-rich stone, porous, has relatively low abrasion resistance,and is susceptible to expansion and contraction. When spills are left on a marble counter top, they seep into the pores … but seriously, who doesn’t wipe off their counters? If I spill red wine on my counter, I tend to clean it up right away. However, there have been times when I’ve had a party and I’m playing bartender, and in my haste to be a good host, I might slop a teeny-tiny bit when mixing up my cocktails. It’s important to wipe up any spills immediately, then wipe the area with a little water and dry immediately, otherwise you are going to see the evidence of that awesome party – this is caused by a permanent change in the marble’s composition and can only be removed by professional polishing.
For finishes, you have a choice of polishing or honing your counters. Polishing creates a shiny reflective surface and honing produces a matte finish. I generally recommend that a person hone their white marble counter tops – polishing creates a sheen that will make it easier to see any changes in the surface created by acids (like lemon juice or tomatoes) – which isn’t really desirable. A honed matte finish is far better in my opinion.
Some people also think that a white counter top will make it easier to see just how clean the surface really is – not true! The darker the surface, the easier it is to see marks and “remnants” on the surface – which includes fingerprints. When a person wants their kitchen counter top material to look pretty much the same over time AND wants a material that will require less maintenance, they should probably look at choosing an alternative to white marble. Some very attractive and quite suitable alternatives include engineered quartz counter tops like those manufactured by Caesarstone, Zodiaq or Silestone. They’re man-made, almost completely impervious, and virtually indestructible once installed.
If I haven’t scared you off yet, here are some fairly generic best-practices to consider:
- Always seal marble prior to use. There are a lot of great products to use, your specifier, designer or installer should be able to help you choose the right one.
- To reduce the appearance of etching, choose a honed finish.
- To reduce the appearance of staining, always wipe up spills immediately. Oil and highly pigmented liquids (i.e. cranberry or grape) can penetrate and stain the marble and may need to be removed using a poultice.
- Always use a neutral detergent to clean marble. I generally tell my clients to use a non-abrasive liquid dish soap (like Dawn) and water only.
To set the record straight, I love white marble counter tops a lot. They are as timeless as they are modern and there aren’t too many materials out there that can make that boast. I also don’t have a problem with the life becoming part of the story behind a material. I know that my marble counter tops are going to scratch and get etched over time and through use – and I am completely fine with that. I am also the sort of person that is okay with cracks in concrete because I expect them to be there. Is marble more maintenance than a granite or a man-made quartz counter top – absolutely. If you are okay looking at your counter and remembering that awesome Christmas party then I highly recommend taking the leap and going with white marble counters. I can guarantee that you will be talking about them every time someone new see them.
and I think that’s pretty cool.
Cheers,
Leave a Reply
My wife says marble looks like a tomb.
I’m waiting for a decade from now when we’re throwing out the granite countertops like the 80’s white countertop tile.
I am a metamorphic woman, and love white marble. In Brazil all kitchen counters were cheap white marble back in the, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Therefore I just think it is supposed to look stained. LOL
I have just renovated some of my place. Put carrara in one bath, and Brazilian travertine in another. I have got one little stain already, and think it is are just part of life.
Thanks for the article.
Usha
Fascinating article, and the comments are very revealing.
Now, y’all just go ahead, and send me your reviled and discarded coffee- and wine-stained slabs of marble, please, as I love that marble is almost alive in its reactivity (is that even a word?), and the stains will eventually ease out by themselves over time. Or not, but I don’t think it’s the end of the world as we know it to see the occasional flaw.
It’s STONE, people, a natural material, and an incredibly beautiful one at that. I live on a hill farm, I’m surrounded by stone, copious rocky amounts of it, and a little splotch of discolour here or there really isn’t going to ruin my life! Or my kitchen…
I received your article via email – thank you. Pretty interesting reading and I think I will amend my article to reflect some of the data your reference. Considering that most of what I was interested in learning when I started researching this article was the porosity of the various stones – and just how hard that was for me to find – it made your article that much more interesting.
Cheers
feel free to email me some documentation on the porosity of stones, I’d love to see it. Ignoring your disparaging comment about not being able to think for ourselves, but why should we listen to you regarding sealers? I’m not sure that listening to you is that much different, what makes you something other than just another source of information? You’ll have to do better than just throw a frag into the conversation because like they say “the proof of the pudding is in the eating” and I’ve seen the etching and the staining.
I’d love to see some information on the porosity and I would gladly read your article on sealers, this is after all a forum of sharing and educating. Email me at bob[at]lifeofanarchitect.com
Cheers
Bob, Limestone has some of the same issues. Our house is what our architects called a Texas Modern and with it comes thoughts of Limestone. So we used Limestone in our bathrooms with the promise of diligent attention to cleanliness and frequent protectant additions. Well who would have thought (everyone except us) that shaving cream, makeup, hand lotion, etc. would stain or etch. Fortunately, it is a less porous limestone, but still suffers from the character of being used.
I’m glad you commented on the visibly clean counter top question. We went with honed black granite counter tops and they show every smudge and crumb. Personally, I like this. We lived in a house with light counter tops and dark floors; I could never tell when the counter was clean and the floor always looked filthy.
I loved my honed black granite counters as well but they had to be spotless in order to appear clean. Not only did I have to wash them, I had to dry them …
It was extra work but I still thought they looked terrific.
I love the look of a white marble counter and my favorite white marbles are from Vermont…Vermont Danby being my all time favorite. This marble is a bit denser than the Italian marbles!
Thanks Tammie – I am looking for a chart of something that ranks the different marbles based on their porosity and densities, now I have Vermont Danby (very beautiful BTW) on my list.
Great advice, Bob. I wouldn’t consider it for a kitchen, but I put a white marble countertop on top of built-in bookshelves that separate our dining room from the living room. It seemed like a safe place; all it would be used for is a place to put pictures and the occasional Santa Claus. All was well until my wife and I left town for a weekend. My son took advantage of the situation to have a party, and we returned to find a circular stain in the marble. I wonder how that happened.
kids …
they don’t get away with 99% of what they think they get away with
Great points about the countertops! I’ve had clients in the past that were INSISTENT on having them. Pain in the rear to get the right one picked… but when it was finished, turned out great. One cool thing to note, is the ability to ‘under light’ the counter! It gives the stone a sense of life and can highlight certain areas.
I think you are showing onyx in this picture – it’s beautiful when lit. Is this one of your projects?
I believe you’re right on it being onyx… this unfortunately isn’t one of my projects. This just happened to the best out of a quick google search! Don’t have access to my personal work on a company machine… womp womp.
I once did a condo makeover project for a bachelor in Boston, he insisted on Carrera marble counters against my warnings of maintenance issues (Let’s just say this was not a guy who valued cleanliness). It was installed and the client visited to check progress and proceeded to leave a paper coffee cup half filled in the middle of the island right before he went on vacation for a week.
The cup eventually leaked forming a 3′ diameter pool where it sat for about a week on the island. I learned much about Poultice in the following weeks to lift the stain and most came out but it was still visible. It eventually had to be replaced!
Love the look of marble but if you’re looking for low maintenance it’s not ideal. If you have kids just forget it unless you’re actually looking for conflict in your life for the next 15 years.
wow – what a story. At least the client was the one who left the coffee cup behind. When you took the counter top out, did you go back and replace it with the same thing or move to a more maintenance free material?
Good post on marble counters. Would like to add another item to watch for. And that is placing coffee cups on the marble. Coffee stains like wine stains are almost impossible to remove once they seep into the marble.
Keep up the good work. Always enjoy your take on being an architect.
Thanks Ron – coffee can be a beast to deal with AND it’s acidic which means it will etch the surface of the material. Coasters will be your best friend.
Great post with great advice- will be sharing. Thanks-
Thanks Courtney!
Thanks for sharing on twitter, Bob. Are there certain regions that produce marble that is less porous than others; or are they pretty much the same across the board?
When I was doing my research for this post, I found a lot of cut and paste advice on sites referring to the density and porosity of the different marbles – except none of them actually listed the differences. So I sent a email off to various trade representatives to see if I could get some additional information. If I get something worth sharing in response, I will come back and amend this post.
Another point that is important for me when i chose a material, is the noise it produces during use. Stone for a counter top, yes, but for a bar where people put down glasses, forks etc all the time, i would not use stone but rather wood. Same for a table : i can’t stand the noise from stone or glass tables. Maybe i’m more sensitive than others but to me the ear is as important as the eye in architecture.
I have to admit this was something that I hadn’t ever spent much time thinking about – thanks for adding it to my list of considerations
If you hadn’t given such an articulate explanation I would have said you lost your marbles. Beautiful material (I love the story it tells) but it’s not for everyone’s lifestyle. “Love the story it tells,” how many materials can we say that about.
good one 🙂
it is definitely a classic material, just have to make sure that the end user is aware that what makes it great is what makes it a high maintenance product. Eventually it doesn’t really matter, once you get past that first mark of history …
I love reading your posts and totally agree that a material that shows its history (and grows old disgracefully) is always of benefit to a well designed room. Bob; Thanks.
Thanks Craig – I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone not respond to seeing a kitchen in an older home that had marble counters in it. You can almost imagine the lifestyle that comes along with the material.