Comments : 23

Hello! First want to announce the winner of the Decor Market rug giveaway. Congratulations goes to Sandy who left this comment-

Sandy on

I’m in love with the Roland Round Three Light bathroom lights! I have actually been looking for something like this for a bathroom, I’ll need three and these are a great price. Thank you for introducing me to Decor Market!!
Great giveaway! Love this rug!!!

Please email info@enchantedhome. to provide your full name and shipping into

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Back from a wonderful July 4th holiday after a few stressful months and it did my body (and mind) good! Hope your holiday was enjoyable and safe, onwards to summer that is going by awfully quick!

I still get so many emails about my opinion on marble, marble countertops and using it in general. You might already know I am truly an unwavering fan. I love it so much and honestly would not consider any other material. It is timeless, incredibly beautiful, durable and always elegant. And yes, I did say durable. Use a good sealer and you are good to!

I have used it in our NY home as well as our PB home. I have used it with clients and helping friends with their kitchen and bath selections alike. It seems it always ends up being marble:) I have always looked at it like this- when you go to Europe and walk in palaces and churches that are hundreds of years old and see the fabulous marble floors and architectural elegance with that gorgeous patina that can only be achieved over time….that is when you know marble is forever.

Now don’t get me wrong,  if you are usually fastidious and will freak out if you see a stain , then it may not be for you. I personally don’t mind it, I think it adds character and though I use a cutting board for everything I am not going to tell you that the occasional lemon juice has not spilled onto the marble and left a small marking.Most people come into my kitchen and need to know what we do to keep the marble looking so good. Upon further inspection you will see small imperfections like the time my son cut a lemon on the marble, but you really have to look for it to find it.

That said, it doesn’t bother me, because my kitchen is for REAL LIFE, like cooking and entertaining, using and enjoying. Any little nick or stain is a minor marking of how much we enjoy it:) Let’s look at some beautiful examples of marble being used in kitchens and baths-

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My own kitchen where we used marble everywhere, on the coutertops and backsplash…and it still looks great, 8 years later! We used calcutta gold (honed)

 

Yes, to me a bathroom is a perfect place to use marble liberally, Lauren Haskett

Casey Howard used white marble and an intricate marble on the backsplash, love it

And we love it as much in Palmetto Bluff

What a beauty, love the inlaid floors Oily and Em

Here is my master bath in PB, love it with the white marble

L O V E this sink! Jane Beiles

Here is our back kitchen in PB, where I also used the calcutta gold and subways tiles- a very classic look (both honed)

Gorgeous detailing on this fabulous marble vanity, Parkers and Lamp

Great look here in how timeless this is, will stand the test of time! Design Works

How about a huge marble feature wall with a big slab, so pretty! Shea McGee

Another elegant example of how beautiful waterfall edged counterops in  marble look! Cari Berg

Isn’t the square edge gorgeous? We did this in PB, its very current and so beautiful, Karen B. Wolf

Few things are as classically beautiful as an all white marble bathroom, this will stand the test of time Fox Group

Here is my island in Palmetto Bluff, love the thick 3″ simple edge, very clean and appropirate

Thoughts on a waterfall island using giant slabs of marble? Melanie Turner

White marble is fabulous when paired with colored cabinets, Caitlin Wilson

Wow! This is a first, have not seen a marble slab applied to a hood this way, Kitchen Lab

Stefani Buchman used slabs on the wall, so dramatic and gorgeous!

Did nearly this identical look with the white marble subways going all the way up the ceiling, I really love this effect, Fletcher Rhodes

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A few fast facts-

Use a good sealer (the rule is once a year but we have done it only once and so far so good)!

For daily use- you only need a damp paper towel or cloth, nothing else to clean it

I always use a cutting board to cut anything, though plenty will cut directly on the marble cutting board

Lemons and limes are the number one no no and you should be careful as the acidity will leave a marking

Do your homework! There are marble yards abound, don’t look at just one or two and don’t “settle”. Wait until you get the slabs you want and fall in love with, and when you find them, mark them (they go fast)

My personal favorites are Calacutta Gold which is white with veins of soft gold and grays and Carerra but I prefer the whiter variety (less gray veining)

Thickness of countertops depends on personal taste, the average is 1 and 1/4 inches thick however you will see 3/4″ all the way to 4 or 5″ there is no “one way”

Marle countertops in a kitchen are a bakers dream! They don’t conduct heat well so are always cool to the touch, why do you think so many bakeries have white marble!

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Well, what do you think? I think the key is to be sure you get a top marble sealer. I also prefer honed marble over polished and am told honed is a little less prone to stains and markings. They say you should use a good sealant once a year, though to be honest I have only done it once since we have lived here, and it still looks great. The only thing I am super careful about is cutting things directly on the marble with lots of acidity like lemons, limes (those I always cut on a cutting board in the sink) other than that I use it just like the Europeans do……to do everything.

It always amuses me when people remark how scared they are to use it. One look at all of the old castles and many iconic monuments throughout Europe and you will see things that have been standing for several hundred years and yep, you guessed it……done in white marble. For me, there is no other choice, it’s my absolute favorite material of choice and there is no other substitute. It is classically beautiful forever and ever. OK now your turn to weigh in……….

Thanks for stopping in, until next time…….

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I love marble as well. I love quartz. I love Caesar stone. I have all three in my home. Like anything else, take care of your hard earned dollars. It looks beautiful. ?

I agree that marble is the prettiest, classiest stone. We have used it in our kitchen and numerous bathrooms. I love it absolutely and can overlook the drips and scratches…and yes, a helpful friend put a big scratch into my kitchen countertop sliding something across the counter…anyway,.. this type of thing drives my engineer hubs crazy. If you can’t overlook things like this and are not consistent about using a cutting board for all cutting , especially lemons, limes and the like, find something else.

Had a designer help me choose Carerra marble for a master bathroom…countertops, floor, tub surround, and inside the shower on floors and walls! Beautiful! Never again!!!! I don’t care how often or how good the sealer is. I was constantly battling mold inside the shower. I used a cleaner designed for marble daily inside the shower. Finally gave up after several years and used a chlorine based cleaner to get rid of the mold. Lived with it for 14 years. Sold the house and used tile in the new house bathrooms that can be cleaned with Clorox!!!! That’s my experience with marble in the shower!

I was so excited to see that todays topic was Marble. When we remodeled our kitchen 3 yrs ago, I wanted white marble countertops and backsplash. Everyone tried to talk me out of it…”it’s so high maintenance”, “it will stain”, etc… I argued that it has been in European kitchens forever and we pay thousands to go to Europe to see it, yet we are afraid to put it in our own kitchens. I really wanted Calcutta Gold but couldn’t afford it. Marble has been a hot commodity over the last five years and the prices have skyrocketed! Even going with Carrara, it was pricey and finding the right slabs took a good 6 months! Many of the slabs being mined today have a gray mottled background and what I call fuzzy veining. I wanted a very white background with very distinct gray veining. Also, many of the slabs were already spoken for by designers with connections before they were loaded on the boat! After months of searching, I finally found what I was looking for. We found a very experienced person that specialized in doing a 4″ mitered edge and it looks fantastic!. I also took an entire slab and had it cut into subway shaped tile and installed it in a herringbone patterned backsplash. If I had to do over, that is the one thing I probably would do differently. I wish I had just hung the solid slab as the backsplash and not cut it into tiles. That way I wouldn’t have to deal with grout and secondly we could enjoy the natural veining of the slab. I was going through a herringbone phase and couldn’t see past it. LOL Friends and family tell me how much they love my kitchen when they visit. I agree with you about the Honed vs. Shiny finish. I prefer the honed…I think it looks more up to date. We need to have ours “honed and sealed” again but I am debating on whether to attempt it myself. I was very cautious with the stone when we first got it…..not so much almost 4 yrs later. I always use a cutting board and I’m very cautious when cutting tomatoes, lemons and limes. but other than that … I use it like I would any other kitchen surface. If you want marble, I say go for it! It’s timeless.

This was a wonderful article! I have been putting off replacing my kitchen counters because I was afraid to use marble, but that is really the look I love. Thanks for your helpful advice, suggestions and encouragement!

You make a great case for marble, Tina, and I agree with you about its centuries of installation in Europe. And it is beautiful. However, I don’t think most homeowners are comfortable with a product that will etch, stain, etc (which is part of the charm of European marble installations). I think this choice is about expectations.

Marble is truly beautiful and timeless; however, I still love my black granite (with gold and sage green veining), granite affords a luster or a sparkle embedded within it through feldspar and quartz that I love. I saved for over ten years to have black granite put into my kitchen and bathrooms and still love it now four years later. Again, not dismissing marble, but my first love is granite. 🙂

Thank you for this post! What do you recommend for cleaning the floors? And, would it work for travertine?

I prefer soapstone over marble any day however I do like honed marble don’t like granite at all.

I always love your insights Tina and really appreciate that you share so much of your knowledge. I looked at marble for my kitchen redo and ultimately decided to go with leather finished Quartzite. It is natural stone and truly maintenance free – no sealing necessary unless you want to. Cleaning it is a breeze. No lemon juice or tomato etching and knives won’t scratch it. In fact, if a slab can be etched or scratched it isn’t quartzite. It’s a busy stone with lots of character and definitely more casual than marble. Definitely a matter of what you like. Colors are limited though, mostly grays and sand – none of the pure white with grey veining that so many people love. Because of this many stone companies market some types of marble as quartzite to widen the variety to choose from so you have to use caution when selecting. I loved several slabs but when I took samples home they didn’t pass the etching test. I have it paired with a light grey, handmade subway tile backsplash.

Thanks for your article. As an interior designer of over 45 years, I always cautioned my clients of using marble because of the upkeep. I love it like you do and love both the colors your like and my preference is Calcatta. However, I made my clients sign off that they had been told of the difficulties and that I was absolved of all responsibility. I love marble for all the reasons you mentioned, but when push came to shove, I put a Calcatta looking quartz in my kitchen an love it. It is so durable and never stains.

I would LOVE to know what sealer you recommend! We used marble for our bathroom countertops and it has become very dull. Not really sure how to fix it.

I love marble, too, especially the Calcutta without too much blurry veining. However…with that said….I am not a fan of the vertical applications in addition to the flat surfaces. It just becomes too much to me. Too cold. And sometimes too busy. I love love white kitchens, have always had one….several in fact….and I must say I prefer the contrast of black granite countertops on the white cabs. It seems to give them weight. I find other ways to use some marble in my home….but for me…I want black granite in my white kitchens.

You are so right. I love my honed Carrera in the kitchen and honed white rhino in the bath which has a more cream vein that goes well with the cream cabinets. I have enjoyed both for ten years and have never regretted installing them, even though I was warned I would be making a mistake by so many in the building profession. I am a baker and also agree with you, French pastry tables are marble, in the U.S. old ice cream/soda shops used marble counters, and the Europeans, who are not afraid of imperfections that come with living, set the standard a centuries ago. I would be interested in what sealer you prefer.

I have honed Carrera in the upstairs guest bath. All was well until my mom came for a visit and left eyebrow pencil shavings (black) on it and of course, being her sweet self she wanted to sweep them off to discard them but it just smeared long black streaks. I got most of it out with a cleaner but it left marks. I may be one of those who are just too uptight to own it. I don’t especially care for the look of European marble, it looks dirty to me. Oy vey…I’d probably have to go on Xanax if I had it in the kitchen.

How do you clean marble in a shower? Soap does build up on my marble walls and I’ve been wiping them down with marble cleaner but the grout needs cleaned and I’m not comfortable using any cleaners on them. What do you suggest?

Love Carerra and Calcutta Gold. Used it in all my bathrooms, floors, walls, showers, and counter tops. I also regret not using a slab on the walls vs tiles. I purchased my slabs about 8 years ago, when people were not using slabs for walls like they are doing it now. Marble can be “honed” professionally to take out any etching. Way back, many people tried to dissuade me too. If I used anything other than marble back then, I would now be so unhappy because that would have dated my renovation and I would have to again remodel. Marble is classic and timeless, still beautiful and looks brand new after all these years. After spending so much time and money on remodeling, I can’t imagine doing it again. Going to Europe, seeing all those old buildings built out of marble really convinced me that it would be beautiful over time. Thank you Tina

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