I'd like to know as well

I would love to know as well

So would I

Ditto

Looks like soapstone on either side of the stove and possibly calcatta marble on the island.

Hi - The perimeter counters are pietra cardosa, and the island is Calcutta gold marble. Both are honed.

Hello, I'm in the midst of shopping around for materials for my new home which totally needs to be renovated and all the stores I go to and professionals I speak with recommend I go with granite for kitchen counter as opposed to marble. They say it is way too porous and stains, etc. All the pictures I look at and like are marble counter tops unfortunately -please help and let me know what your advice is on that.

My (biased) advice is to go with what you love! A product called ClearStone can be applied to marble or any stone for a worry-free finish. (ClearstoneUSA.com) I haven't done it, but it's an option that people should know about. We just had the stone sealed upon installation and don't let red wine or red sauce spills sit on the counter overnight. Have not had any problem with staining, even without the heavy-duty ClearStone sealing.

I'm finding the same problem. My builder, counter guy, counter supplier and even my cabinet guy are saying don't do marble. However, every photo and every stone yard I visit I am drawn immediately to it. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and do it against everyone's advice. Hopefully I will be the one saying I told you so and not the other way around. Has anyone seen any pics of a stained and scratched marble counter that has seen regular use?

I'm not sure if all Williams-Sonoma stores have the same design, but the one in Short Hills, NJ has calcutta gold counters at the checkout island and demo area. It has an old-world patina from heavy use, but I think it looks great.

Also, this kitchen (my kitchen) gets HEAVY USE, and still no stains after 3 years. Just some etching from lemon juice & vinegar.

I am in the process of a kitchen remodel and looked at Cambria yesterday. I had my heart set on granite but after speaking to my cabinet rep I decided that Cambria is much more user friendly then granite. I understand there is one price for Cambria and sometimes it can be more expensive than granite is that true? And if so, what is a decent price to pay per square foot for such material? have you used Cambria in a kitchen yet? Thanks in advance for your response.

Sorry - no experience with Cambria.

I love this kitchen! Subeeskitchen did wonderful job - and thanks for being so patient and generously giving wonderful resources with all the quesion! I am in the same place.. I am about to order marble for my 4x8 island top, after everyone tried to stop me. I don't have a picture, but there is an ice cream parlor about 100 years history in my area, and they use many different color marbles everywhere (counter, wall, floor, tables etc).
They are original, and still look so beautiful! They have cute round marble tables for customer to eat on (looks like carrara), with metal chairs around. The edges are chipped - like big flea bites? and the edge doesn't look any attractive. But with 100 years of history with customer/children, and everyday's putting chairs on top for cleaning?, it's amazingly well held. I even asked a girl working there, if there is any special instruction to treat marbles. She said, "nothing! aren't they beautiful!?". Also I don't notice any stains (if I look carefully, I see them though). And oh, even this chipped round tables look so beautiful and the feeling/looks of marble always makes me comfortable and happy. I am so excited just imagining spending most of the time in my kitchen with marble!

You will love it!

I've decided to go with Cambria because it is much more user friendly and now I'm down to two choices Linwood or Berkeley. As I noted above I'm going with a travertine backsplash and off-white cabinets. I really like both choices although Berkeley seems a little more "blingie" than the Linwood. Anyway suggestions. The Berkeley has more contrast in it than the Linwood but does have specks of gold in it.

And just as an FYI for those struggling with countertop selection as I am right now, make sure you bring home a good size sample along with the backsplash to see what it looks like in your kitchen. It does make a difference from what it looks like in the showroom with the flouresant lights.

I'm suprised no one has mentioned Quartz countertops?

what color are the wallsWrite a comment

what color are the walls and what are the 2 counter tops

island dimensions please?

Cambria is a brand of Quartz

Are slate countertops hard to keep? Do they stain easily? Also, what does "honed" change about the product? I'm just starting on this journey. :-)

Our Co puts a lot of marble into the homes we build. Although its does not seem to stain when sealed it does etch. I love it myself and have it in my home. I warn my clients about the etching and they seem to understand until they do something like spill a glass of white wine very citric on it and it etches. I recommend to learn for the first year and make mistakes. After the second year hire a co that buffs out the counter top and seals it. The factory honed is still pretty shiny. When you have it rebuffed its pretty honed and doesn't show the etches to much. Carrara is very inexpensive usually less than the man made products. I tell my clients you either pay for it now with buying a more expensive look like princess white that holds up better but 3 times the price or later when buying the carrara and getting it buffed out. It would take alot of buffing to add up to to some of those more expensive counter tops. I like that its times less. If you can't find a whiter carrara and have to move up tp the more expensive marbles. Weight it out and do whats best for you.

Thank you for the replies. This is very helpful!

How did you do the seams with a 17 ft countertop? We are putting in a 11 ft island and can not do it without putting in seams, because the slabs are not long enough. They also told us that the large slabs of marble are difficult to install and often break. We have been to 10 different places, and have heard the same thing from all of them. How did you do it?

There was a seam in the pietra in the middle of the sink. I hunted for the calacatta slab for months; finally found one (9' long) through Bedrock Granite in NJ.

Thank you!

What color did you paint the walls?

Wonderful prep kitchen and use of space. Engaging.

What is the height of the bench?

The island was Calacatta Gold marble. In my new kitchen I went with 2" thick Carrara marble (white with gray veining throughout) throughout. Love both, and both etch like crazy. After a year of etches, they flow together and become part of the patina. I do not intend to get them buffed out. Marble is NOT for everyone. See pictures on my blog ( "Kitchen Design" category): subeeskitchen.com

I've had polished Calacatta Gold for 7 years. It was sealed during installation so I have not had any issues with staining, but it etches very easily. If you leave a glass on it with a little water on the bottom, it leaves a ring. You cannot put anything hot on it. I put a very hot cup of tea on mine and it left a ring. It chips fairly easily around the edges and sink cut outs. It's easy to hit the edge while washing pots and pans. I do think honed would be more forgiving as far as seeing the etch marks. I've never seen anything I like nearly as much as this marble, so would do it again, but honed. You need to consider how you and your family feel about the extra care of a marble top and how much imperfections like etching would bother you. Quartzite is a natural stone that has many characteristics of marble, but not sure what is currently available in white.