Marble countertops for the kitchen

Marble Countertops

Natural stone countertops are being widely used as the optimal product for the kitchen due to their natural beauty, stain resistance, acid resistance, and ability to be cleaned up quickly.

Marble has been used for thousands of years in the old world because it was soft enough to be worked with hand tools, and yet durable enough for several generations of users.

Marble is not as user friendly in a kitchen environment as most granites are.  The homeowner must know that most marbles are dolomitic or calcium based and can be worn down by mechanical and chemical measures (sanding, scratching, and etching).

Day to day living with a marble top would include:
1)    Always using a cutting board
2)    Always using coasters under glasses
3)    Hiring a fabricator to completely seal the top, instead of a single coat that is the industry standard.
4)    Cleaning up spills as they occur
5)    Thoroughly cleaning the counter once a day with a non acidic stone cleaner.
6)    Never allowing acidic based cleaners into the kitchen (grout cleaner, CLR, toilet cleaner, tile cleaner, and some hand soaps (especially with citric additives), etc

The homeowner is advised to purchase the best (frequently the most expensive) penetrating stone sealer available and applying once every 12 months.  Even sealers that are designed to last a lifetime on granite, can and will be removed by mechanical abrasion and acid etching.  Penetrating stone sealers are not designed to thwart these forces, but will provide more protection than untreated stone.

Since marble is softer than many other stones used for countertops, the homeowner must be made aware that it will scratch with use.  The most common sources of scratching include:  abrasives in ceramic tableware, dirt or abrasives being left on the countertop and then dragged across surface while cleaning, etc.

Marble is more easily “stunned” than harder materials.  “Stunning” occurs in the mines, at the polishing plant, on the boat ride, by the importer, the fabricator, the installer, and sometimes by the homeowner.  “Stunned” stone exhibits “whitish” micro fissures where the stone has been damaged or hit by something as hard as or harder than the marble.  There is no known way to completely repair or hide the “stun” marks.

Marble can be fabricated and installed with either a full polish or a honed (satin) texture.  Fully polished tops will show acid etching much more readily than a honed one.

Marble tops are very popular in the Mediterranean where the owners expect the tops to show use and develop a "patina" or "Old Mediterranean look" (it is said that the patina indicates a dedicated cook). One of our customers wanted honed with no sealers and once we installed, she went to work with some knives, coffee and wine, she was Syrian. Honed tops will develop this look much quicker.

www.akropolismarble.com