they were using my new Wolf induction cooktop for a cutting board....

Reminds me of this clip:

Here is a link that might be useful: new cutting board

That's a big problem with induction. If someone tried to use your Capital Culinarian as a cutting board, you could just turn on all four 23,000 BTU burners at once. Simple, effective, and permanent.

Maybe I could rig up an acetylene with a motion detector in front of my drapes?

I am also looking for a way to stop people touching my throw pillows. My couch has two functioning pillows and two clearly meant just for show. A few people have the brains not to sit on them but we have made it a practice to say, "Let me get all those pillows out of your way so you can be comfortable" and moving them aside. Most people get it. However, there is the occasional rare bird who tries to pull the pillow away from us so they can, wait for it, roll it up and stuff it under their armpits.

This is where I think some kind of fast-acting chemical coating might be the answer.

This is REALLY such a thought provoking post!! I couldn't help but read it w/103 comments from the very owners of some of my personal best kitchen inspirations.

Our homes manifest and represent such a profound display of the constructs of our individual psyches, it is no wonder that the range of comments are so interesting: deal w/it, dont worry be happy (even if your investment gets ruined), be grateful, you knew what you were in for, living is what is important- etc, etc.

I read each comment over a few times, scratching my head, trying to see which philosophy I best aligned with before coming to the realization that I share a combination of most of the feelings that everyone posted.

Bee, I am just sorry that you have to be confronted with this dilemma !! From reading your many posts about kitchens AND LIFE - you sound like a compassionate, warm person who enjoys her home, and LIKES to entertain there but who is also a perfectionist. Your beautiful homes attest to this fact.

So what you need to concentrate on is finding the right balance so that YOU feel comfortable enough about having guests around the counters and do not feel the angst from either covering them or not covering them !

I do like the look of what babuska_cat did with the butcher block, and I like the idea of a clear thru plexi material on top. The only thing that scares me - is what if something spilled on top and was able to seep underneath these materials? That could be a bigger disaster to your counters because it would probably sweat, etc, So whatever you decide to put down would have to totally cover all surfaces of your counter and be secure.

I am sure we will all be looking forward to want you decided and how you felt after the party. I know it will be lovely whatever you decide. (I sure admire the person who commented about having to have the pizza party inside w/all the kids after the weather turned bad...I dont know if I could pull off being so gracious!!)

Anyway, for now, I keep thinking about that darn SW ! and other alternative material choices!! I am no where near picking out finishes at all - havent even considered a plan yet. But have been on this forum for about the past 5 months and listen and learn from all of you. To tell you the truth, I wasnt even sure what etching was until I read further in the post. But boy, will I ever be aware now.

TY Bee, and EVERYONE who expressed their thought about this. I am forever learning something from this forum.

Fellow Super White owner here. I live in a city with just about the softest water imaginable (something like 1.0 grains of hardness per something or other), however, and I've had no problems with the SW etching from tap water. It will etch, though, as Bee has found, with acids that are left on it. I did want to reassure people considering SW that, in our experience, it's much more durable than regular marble--particularly if you have soft water, like we do. Etching is not instantaneous, even with lemon or lime juice. It takes a few minutes before it happens. After a few months living with it, we have no etches around our sink from the water, and only a couple of minor blotches from other things. We also get tiny, very faint scratches,w which are developing into a gentle patina now. (Is that happening for you too, Bee? I think our SW is slightly older.)

Bee, perhaps repolishing would be helpful once you get a water softener? We figure that if it bothers us a lot in a year or two, we'll have someone come repolish it, but as of right now, it's fine for us (but we don't have the hard water problem).

I have contemplated waxing it as someone suggested. We did that when our old formica countertops were getting worn out, and liquids did bead up on it. If I try it, I will report back!

Has anyone used one of the etch remover products linked above? Perhaps one of those would be helpful for Bee and the rest of us!

Time heals all. Or most, at least.

Our counter (huge calcatta, >100 s.f.) is now over 5 years old. It is etched everywhere, lots and lots of distinctive rings, smudges, spatters, blobs, etc. I love it more now than ever. I spent the requisite 4 weeks after installation obsessing over etches, to the point of getting cleaning instructions translated into Portuguese for our housekeepers. Didn't work. We cook a lot, had teenaged kids, and the etching developed quickly.

Now, though, it's so heavily etched that it doesn't attract attention, the way that first cup bottom ring does when it happens. Otherwise it's perfect--never a stain despite only sealing twice in five years, no chipping, cracking, and for me, infinitely more warm and attractive than granite.

And, the etching remains visible only to those who know how to look for it. When we entertain, no one notices unless they have marble too (and know me well enough to comment).

So, to runninginplace, I don't think the vast majority of marble owners here on GW were "misled" into choosing marble. We knew what we were getting, and we love what we have. Just look at the paucity of "I hate my marble" threads here as an example. Bee's situation is different--she did NOT come into this expecting etching and thus I understand. But I don't believe there are a lot of us marble owners who would trade even after 10,000 etches.

I prefer my works of art on the wall rather than casting them in the role of pseudo kitchen counters or pillows. :) If something cannot be used as intended, then it fails it's primary mission. I'm afraid I'd have to remove that granite in favor of something else, even a picture of stone (laminate), if I couldn't actually use it as a counter and I'd frame that textile rather than putting it on a pillow.

No help I know, but I'd let that counter etch naturally, and if I couldn't stand it in a couple of years when the budget recovered, they'd be replaced with something that I wouldn't have to worry about becoming damaged with ordinary use.

Oh my goodness there were so many posts about this and I could not read them all.

I saw the mention of glass and some thought this was a good idea. My thought, a large piece of glass will be so heavy to move should you want to take it off of put it on and someone will put a glass down quickly and it will shatter. How about a large piece of plexiglass instead? You could get some cut at a home store or maybe a glass shop and just lift it up ( lighter than glass for sure) when you need to protect your counters. Maybe you can just do one end of the island? Such as the end nearer to the living area?
I am sorry about the etching and realize that you did not expect it. Got to get that water softener in quickly!

Best of luck and enjoy your housewarming party!!!!

I have a lot of marble in my kitchen; the flooring and most of the perimeter countertops. I love it and it is holding up well. There is no staining. There most definitely is etching. But it is only bothersome to me in one area, opposite the refrigerator. I had not planned to use it there but caved for esthetic reasons following a design change. I knew it would be a problem because it is a landing spot. I did not use marble on the island for that reason. Although it is true that no one seems to notice (I haven't had a single comment) the etching there is, to me, quite ugly and the transition to patina cannot come soon enough. So I share and sympathize with your feelings, Bee, and while I do have some reservations about the plastic wrap, I do agree that you should take steps to protect your beautiful countertops. It is you who will have to suffer the aftermath every day if you do not.

LOL Marcolo, ......stuffing pillows under your armpits. Every hostess lives for that..HAHAHAHA P.S. Love that pic of the "sealed in" sofa...because it's such a lovely sofa to preserve, hee hee. I remember a movie where this impeccably dressed and coiffed wife had everything in the house encased in plastic and even had runners of plastic on the carpet. If you ever stepped off the runner of plastic on your way somewhere else in the house she would wag her finger at you reminding you to STAY ON THE PLASTIC!!! It was so funny, so stereotypical of how they were trying to portray the wife so the unfaithful husband would seem justified ...of course.

I just had a brainstorm. Why not borrow Marcolo's drapes to cover your counters during the party. You'd protect your counters and the drapes would develop a lovely patina :-)

I don't think hard water causes etching. My understanding is the same as Chef's: hardness is calcium in the water and it doesn't change the PH of the water. Roughness where hard water has sat is more likely to be due to the calcium being deposited from the water as it evaporated. That can happen on any stone or any other counter material (but the deposit is whitish so it's most visible on dark ones). The problem is that removers for the scale that builds up from hard water are acidic so they could cause etching.

Several people have suggested buffing or marble polish products to get rid of etches. If the stone is quartzite mixed with something calcium based, that might not work like it does for marble. Marble is very soft compared to granite and quartzite. Quartzite is harder than granite. If the composition of the etched stone is partly something calcium based and partly quartzite, the quartzite content might resist buffing or polishing.

An attempt at acid washing might also not produce good results because of the mixed content. If one had a big remnant, one might try it there first.

At one point I put this up by my door.

I eventually took it down, but my guests also took the point.

Marcolo, I have a sign waiting to be hung in the garage..

Unattended children will be give an espresso and a free kitten.

As far as my water etching it and those who say it can't....well, it is! Especially in the area under the cleanup faucet, where it was getting wet and we weren't drying it. It is rough to the touch and no shine at all. When I asked the fabricator she told me a friend of hers had hard water, same thing happened, she got the softener and that stopped happening. So, I'm not sure what exactly is going on, but it is for sure due to something from my water.

I like the idea of using Marcolo's drapes. Marcolo, pm me and I'll send you my address....lol

I am sure your kitchen/countertops are still AMAZING (to die for)!!!

My story is no where near your situation but I remember my horror to this day.
When we moved into our first home (felt very grown up and excited), we didn't have any money left for a nice livingroom set. So we lived with an empty livingroom for over 3 years (we had a furnished familyroom).
So after months of savings and searching, we found a beautiful Ethan Allen set that DH and I could both agree on.
A week later was our annual BBQ, where I watched a little girl SMEAR Doritos chips orange cheese sticky from her hand onto my beautiful new upholstered side chair, on her way to the deck.
I KNEW KNEW KNEW I should have plastic wrap the livingroom set, but I was so excited about finally have nice grown up (non-college) furniture.
~7 Years later and my livingroom set is still beautiful - a bit worn but still I love it (what cheese mark?)

--> Help with a question:
Does really hard water both etch AND stain marble?

I am prepared for the etching, but staining? Even with frequent good sealing (w/ either 511 or the 15year warranty Dupont sealing)?
I have really hard water and am not planning (not in the budget) to get a soft water system.

Thank you,
Amanda

In a raking light is the dull area around the faucet raised or not? If it's raised, it could be mineral deposits from the hard water. I get that in my bathroom. It is rough to the touch and dull white. I use vinegar to remove it - not an option for you, however.

I know our moderately hard water will leave rings/marks on our granite if allowed to sit or dry on it. When that happens, I buff the "marks" with a piece of 000 or 0000 steel wool (I keep a piece handy for this purpose, and re-use the same piece for some time, so don't recall which degree of coarseness is in "rotation" at the moment).

Granted, these marks on our stone aren't etches, but it might be worth giving the steel wool a try to see if they remove water deposits from your SW.

With hard water you should be seeing some build-up on your glasses (white cloudy). When we lived in Ithaca the water was sooo hard. I had a baby then and every week I had to soak all the glasses and baby bottles in hot water with white vinegar to remove the build-up. Are you getting any build-up on your glassware?

I intentionally did my countertop in unsealed copper. I knew what was coming, but, I pampered it anyway. Then I set a glass of ice water on the counter and walked off talking on the phone.
When I came back, there was A RING!! And wipe off, it did not.
That's all it took. That 1st spot.
Now, Every few days I spray a different cleaner on it, drip a different substance on it, spill a little something on it....Just to see what happens next.

That's all I need. That 1st scratch, That 1st chip, That 1st smudge, stain, spot, spill. Then I can use it as it was intended.
I sure wish somebody would dribble a lil something on my couch. It sure looks compfortable. I'd sure like to sit on it sometime.
I lost several lbs waiting on the All-Clad to get a good scuff or scratch on them.

A house warming party, to me, is a perfect opportunity to knock the new off of a house and turn it into a home. With an added bonus of being able to blame somebody else for it.

where I watched a little girl SMEAR Doritos chips orange cheese sticky from her hand onto my beautiful new upholstered side chair

That's what pools are for. Big enough for the whole family, plus a few cinderblocks.

I was chatting with a neighbor out front last week, and we invited her in for a glass of wine. She had never sat in our living room before, as it turns out. I think she had a good time, but she kept raising and lowering her glass so nervously she started to look like Hyacinth Bucket's nervous neighbor Elizabeth. That's what I like to see in a guest. Fear.

Marcolo, I literally LOL'd at the fearful guest comment. Love the Hyacinth reference. Wonder how many got that one ?

HAHAHA!!!! I love Hyacinth!!!

Lol, Marcolo you are too funny! I remember a few horrible experiences as a young mother when having other young mothers to my house. My kids were never allowed to eat in the family room. They ate at the kitchen table or counter while sitting on a chair or in a high chair. I actually stopped inviting one gal over because she came with a tote of messy snacks for her tot's. When she left, I had hardened on gunk on the TV, she let them smear crap all over the glass doors, leather furniture, rug And she let them touch the stereo equipment. Why, just because you yourself have kids do others assume you do not mind if they make a food pig troth of your living space? If you have to feed your kids 24/7 please sit them at the table or maybe just pop a few dry cheerio's in their mouth.

marcolo- You are too much! Love the fear comment! I have something to add to your "list": no pocketbooks on the counter!

Promise not to brush against my walls. They�ve recently been redecorated up to and beyond British standards. Now, wipe your shoes. ... On second thought, you�d better remove them. You�ll be perfectly alright. You�ll be standing on Grade One Axminster.

2LittleFishies - ohno! the pocketbook/purse thing is my pet peeve. a relative does that and sets it next to the buffet. ugh.

Bee - did you have your housewarming yet? What did you decide to do?

niblickchick, are you a golfer? I couldn't resist asking when I saw the niblick in your name. I love to golf!! Wish I had more time to get out there.

oh, yes, Mrs. Bucket..

A very unruly neighbor boy used to live across the street. His parents seldom corrected his behavior. One day he was getting ready to jump from my front steps into my flowers below. I kept telling him I did NOT want him to do that. His mother said nothing. Finally I said "if you jump in my flowers I am going to break both your legs". His mother FINALLY spoke up and told him I didn't want him to do that.

VERY late to this party...but...

I thought we were supposed to call it "patina?" ;^)

Hope the plexiglass works. (No time to read entire thread.) If not...I kept my surgical site dry through many a shower with Glad Press 'n Seal (tm) that stuff is MAGIC.

melanie

Hi,I'm a frequent lurker but rarely post to this forum, but I need to add my two cents.
First, as a guest in someone's home it would never occur to me that I would need to use a coaster to put a drink down on the kitchen counters.
Second, as for having plexiglass cut and corners rounded, try a local glass company. Like the ones that fix windshields. We had plexiglass cut to fit the back of some dollhouses that we made, and it worked perfectly.
And lastly, I have a friend who is a quilter and she told me that the Amish quilters often put an imperfect piece in their quilts. They call it a humility square. A reminder that nothing is perfect. Maybe you could think of the etching as your humility square in your otherwise perfect kitchen.

I, too, am very late to this party... Haven't been on the site much since our reno wrapped up and life with 2 little ones took over.
My initial thoughts included a bad joke I once heard...

A man walks into his psychiatrist's office, naked, but completely Saran-wrapped... His doctor says, "I can clearly see you're nuts!"

Sorry, I couldn't resist. That was what came to mind when I read that you were thinking of Saran wrapping your SW!

Oh, Bee... So sorry to hear about the etches. I think that you'll learn to live with them and even embrace all the lovely imperfections with time. The kitchen is just too new at this stage to let it roll off your back. While I havent had any etches with my SW yet, there are small, light stains that I keep finding despite sealing! They arent noticeable except at certain angles in certain lighting. I'm not sure if it's from our hard water (yes, we have a water softener in plans) or from oils... But, partly due to the craziness of my everyday life, I've just moved on. I've always wanted a functional kitchen first, then an inviting kitchen second. Plus, I realize that I'll never be the sole person who uses the space (tho I've mentally given a crazy lecture to my babysitter about how to use and clean my new kitchen)...
I'm certain your kitchen and SW is gorgeous and that you'll be the only one who notices these "blemishes"! The plexiglass is a nice idea... Do share how it turns out if you go ahead with it!

OMG this thread is scary. I saw its inception but haven't looked for, oh, 12 minutes and look what happened: oh my, 130+ postings?

I just came on to chortle over dragonfly's joke.

Marcolo - I picture you as the guy in "Up". I continue to insist in my mind's eye that you are not as big a crank in real life as you make out here. I mean, if you were, you wouldn't be talking about it so freely. right?

...and don't answer that please. I know you'll just maintain you are and I will continue to believe otherwise. sorry.

Bee, I'm sure you know this already, but some time back someone posted pictures of their etched countertops and pictures of really historic, "vintage" countertops. The contention was that old-time kitchens in Europe (Italy? I think there may have been some site-specificity claimed) had these sorts of marble countertops and they were all deeply etched and that was just fine; it was the way of things.

Any chance of just channeling your inner European and going with it? Just pretending - no, believing - that you intended for all this etching all along. Recast the party as your first full-tilt effort at moving the kitchen along in its development from infancy to full-fledged, mature, etched beauty?

Just wondering... sounds like there's no way this is gonna happen, but .... well, and if it comes to pass that you do really need to change out the countertops, then why not just let loose right now and see if, small chance though it may be, the etched gloriousness can be construed to work in your mind? If you do wind up changing them, then you've nothing to lose by letting loose on the throttle now. Bring out the high heels and red wine!

DH's family can never forget Aunt Jackie.......she had blue and green shag carpet, and EVERY time someone got up to get something, she got her leaf rake and raked out the footprints!!!

Cracks me up!!

At my house we give children espresso and a PONY!!

Nancy

I rented my home to students when I went abroad last year. I had just redone my countertops--soapstone--and was nervous about that, so I invested about $80. in clear plastic cutting boards and asked the girls to keep them on the counters at all times as they cooked, etc. They did--no scratches on the counter tops at all! Why not do this?

Update...as my September calendar is filling up, the date of the par-tay has probably been pushed out to October. Early October, we need to still be able to use the deck....

I think I will go forward with the plexiglass idea. I think it's a real winner. I will also try to make it that the other rooms are more appealing to be in (locate the liquor and food elsewhere) and therefore eliminate the possibility for any shenanigans on the island.

Plus, I do believe that one of the "activities" at the party will be having everyone help out to remove the rock fireplace that the builder royally screwed up during installation. (They get one more opportunity to remove it themselves when I submit my 90 day list). If the opportunity to swing a sledgehammer doesn't keep the guests out of the kitchen, then nothing will.

I don't know about that rock and sledge hammer activity. That sounds very dangerous, especially mixed with booze.

Not to mention high heels.

Haven't checked the forum in a few days. Got a real chuckle from
Marcolo's Hyacinth reference.

Thankfully, I've no Onslows among my relatives. Hoping none of
you do, either!

Sorry for the multiple posts. Not quite sure what happened there.

Sorry for the multiple posts. Not quite sure what happened there.

Glad you think it will work. :) Have a fun party!

LOL! Sorry I'm late, but this thread is hilarious :)

If you plan to live in your house...design it for living. If you entertain, design it for entertaining. If you live alone and never have anyone over, no kids, no pets, etc...then you can have a show home. But take lots of pictures, because it's the only way anyone will ever see it. Just my two cents.

To protect my marble, my husband bought me a few beautiful cutting boards. They look nice out and encourages my family and guests to place item on them and not the counters.

Bee - hang in there - BTW - flying in through Harrisburg at the end of the mont to visit DM

Just enjoy them. Learn to love the patina of a worn countertop!

When I saw this old thread pop up, I was hoping Beekeeperswife had stopped in to give us an update!

Thanks for dredging this up. I spent an incredible amount of time reading it all...and laughing. Also now feel like I missed the last episode of Downton Abbey or something. Yes, so what happened??? Did the plexiglass work? How does the island look now - do you still even live there? Did Marcolo have the drapes laminated?

I kind of enjoyed seeing this again too. We are mid remodel and just had carrara counters put in. I'm threatening to make lemonade with the kids as soon as we have plumbing hooked up. Just get those first etches over with!

I remembered Bee posted an update after the party:

Update

I was just hoping she'd check in with us again. Both of her kitchens were beautiful, and her updates and decorating ideas were always very interesting. She posted a lot on the Home Dec forum, and IIRC she'd turned her penchant for design and decorating into a successful career.

I have a beautiful white marble tabletop and was looking for how to stop it from etching and it’s only been a month. I would hate to cover it but do some people put table cloths over it to protect it?