I personally have marble in my kitchen and I do it for clients all the time. It does stain and scratch, but the patina looks better after 5 years than it does after the first 2! It's really a matter of expectations and knowing yourself and being honest with yourself about how upset you'll be if and when it gets stained or shows etch marks.

Thank you! I read your postings regularly and value your opinion! I think that I can live with it - I am just not a granite lover. My builder is sugessting travertine - same issues, correct? I think I like ceasarstone, but just have not seen it in mass in a kitchen(my builder also is not a fan of it). I have a choc brown island(my thought is marble) and logos blue ceasarstone on my white shadow cabinents - clean lines, simple, with a flair( mini chandliers over island). I need to make a decision! Cutting templates this week!

rebekahzaveloff your thoughts are well stated.

good to know what we can expect from regular use of a product but.....we all need to lose our grandious expectations overall. Nancy

I too am getting close to the decision wire on my countertops and so want marble on my island. The builder scrunched up her face when I mentioned marble too lol.
I am going to use soapstone on the perimeter and I think the honed crema marfil on my island and just go with my desires and not what anyone else thinks. A few stains and scratches never hurt anyone :)
Go for it frolessfro :)

I would recommend getting a sample of the marble you want for your island. Squirt a little lemon juice on one section of it and red wine on another. Leave it for a little while - I left it over night. Rinse and DRY the sample. I found that the lemon juice etched the marble - something I couldn't live with. As such I decided to go with Cambria Quartz - Waverton™ - expensive, but it looks fantastic.

Just looked at that quartz and it is pretty. Great choice cjohcoh! So many quartz colors to select from!
I wonder if marble would get etched if you had a honed marble?
Does anyone know?

I too love marble but, can't live with the staining. My next option was Cambria quartz. It's costly and not as beautiful as the real marble. Granite was my last option until I found white kashmir granite. It's a beautiful stone!

Thanks so much, @frolessfro! I'm one of those people for which man-made materials just can't ever equate natural stone. Honed finishes do show less etching, but they still etch. I agree with @cjohcjoh, test out a few samples.

I've been testing samples, almost being abusive:), and I do too don't mind a patina look - today I actually went to two more suppliers(I live in SF Bay) and saw a very white honed carrera with one medium vien down the middle - put them on hold - think it's my choice - I've been wanting to just make sure that I can endure the marble! As I've told all, check out Europe, SF train stations, office buildings - - we are walking and eating and living on marble...I agree with you! Once I get things together, I will post some photos! Thanks for all the comments - just think that I needed some reassurance!

Frolessfro, good luck and please come back to show us what you do!

Honed will definitely lessen the appearance of etching. It doesn't completely avoid it, but it's significantly less than if you had it polished.

QUARTZ is the future of countertops. Look through the different brands - Caesarstone and others - I believe there are colors meant to resemble marble...

Here is progress on the kicthen I have been speaking about - marble will be installed next week!

That is beautiful!
You must be SO thrilled!
What is your flooring? It is hard to tell from the pics!
Can't wait to see more!

Hi! This is just the foundation. The floors are currently being installed - they are noche travertine....I'm still waiting for the marble counters to be installed, and I found some really cool sort of metallic embossed glass tile that will go behind my range. The rest of the backsplash will be glass subway to compliment it! I promise to post a final photo! Thanks for your comments!

I thin you will love the marble. I debated and debated using it because i am low maintenance and have a galley kitchen which gets heavy use on all countertops. But I could not find a white granite or composite that I loved as much. Finally my designer said do it even though all the fabricators warned me. We went with honed carrara marble( shows damage and etching much less) and sealed it well. I also bought 24 x 18 inch thck plastic cutting boards and I lay them in the areas that get the most use when cooking . In addition I had the fabricators cut me two large cutting boards out of the leftover marble , I put ut rubber feet on them and set it beside my stove and under the microwave where we set down hot pots , pans etc. If you are concientious about wiping things up you will have few problems and it is beautiful. So glad I did it!

Thank you to Houzz! It was a fabulous resource when designing my kitchen! I am very happy and LOVE the marble. So glad that I did it! Now just need to finish all the decorating details, but need a rest for a bit - both with mind and money! :)

frolessfro: This is fantastic. Please tell us about that fabulous slab and how you came to settle on it. And what did you choose for your floor and backsplash?

I searched high and low, and eventually did a search on the internet and went to visit a few warehouses in the east bay( I live in the SF bay area). I knew I wanted honed, and wanted some veining. I liked the look of calcutta, but learned it was quite expensive. I was orginally not a big fan of carrera, until I saw these slabs(it took 3 for my kitchen!) that had the vein down the middle. My builder fabricated it so each piece would have it's own "character vein". The flooring is noche travertine. The rest of my house is distressed walnut wood floors. My floor plan is very open, and I wanted it to flow, but I did not want more wood! So it was a perfect solution. I fell in love with the backsplash(over the stove) when I saw it. It is a silver/goldish filigre glass tile. I was going for simple lines & clean, under stated elegance but wanted a pop. I always knew I wanted subway tiles and I think the glass version I selected added a more elegant look than traditional subway tiles. In the end, I think that it all worked out! I chalk it up to many years of research - I've always appreciated a well-planned and beautiful kitchen, but our budget didn't support it until now! Thank you for your interest!

Frolessfro, your kitchen is beautiful. I just discovered this web site and I am getting wonderful ideas. What color travertine did you use on the floor it looks like wood?

I love marble but if it is used in the kitchen or in high traffic areas no matter how you seal it you are going to have problem. I have marble in my bathrooms, kitchen and the entrance of my house and wished I used something else, every time I have guest its nervous time for me.

It's just a matter of preference. If you are willing to a little more careful with it and perhaps replace it eventually, then go for marble. Fun fact: in Italy, a marble counter that is all scratched and stained is a sign of a good cook. Also: there are certain granite and quartzites (a natural stone not to be confused with man made "quartz") like Super White (aka Fantasy White) that can give you the same look. See attached image of a kitchen we did.

Your kitchen is gorgeous! Are you still loving the marble? I have to make a decision soon. Did you ,just paint your cabinets?

thank you! I love the look, but it all what people say...it etches, scratches, and has even chipped on the edge(from a pot). I knew what I was getting myself into and you can't see it all the time, just when the light hits the counters right. Still is beautiful and I am glad I did it. To answer your question, my entire kitchen was re-done...there is nothing original in there. The cabinets were custom made...good luck!

If you had it to do over, would you still put the marble in? (it is so beautiful, the "patina" is probably worth it! Can your marble be shined up and is that expensive? Did you ever look at quartz product by Vicostone-polished Carrara? I'm afraid if I use the "94% quartz surface" that I will regret using a fake. What do you think? I loved your kitchen! Mine has been totally gutted!

I have marble on my kitchen floor and all my bathrooms the contractor sealed it after he was done with a high grade sealer, and I sealed it after six months, draw back to marble is even with sealer anything like lemon juice, or anything acidic leaves a etched mark it's unavoidable.My husband is not too happy because I have to police him constantly with acidic stuff.

janetwalsh- I had commented earlier on my galley kitchen and wrestling with the decision . In a galley you don't have alot of counter options so you need to be prepared for the occasional etching and marks.. I still love the look and have attached pictures. Although beautiful in a different way the alternatives( quartz, etc) do not have the richness and patina of real stone. But I strongly recommend honing it to help with etching. As I mentioned in my earlier post if you buy large very thin plastic cutting boards( 18 x 24, available at ACE Hardware) and put them in the strategic areas, it helps immensely. We chop, cut and mix in the area to the left of the stove and that area has the fewest issues of any area in the kitchen as we use the cutting boards religiously. I was very uptight when it first went in as my husband will attest. But once the newness wore off i learned to live with the fact that it will not be perfect. As my daughters boyfriend says it should be a "cooking kitchen, not a looking kitchen"

Beautiful kitchen! You guys are awesome!

I am loving this website and also each of your comments and contributions. I couldn't have found it at a better time. I'm replacing very worn tiger maple countertops. I wanted the traditional look of carrera marble with a subway tile backsplash but my stone designer/consultant told me that if b/c I obviously cook A LOT and b/c I have three kids, I should stay away from the carrera. She was especially emphatic when I told her that we all eat a lot of pomegranates. So she sent me to the granite supplier to look at Danby marble, specifically Eureka Danby. You can see it at vermontquarries.com. Basically it is supposed to be even less porous than granite, and it is stain resistant. But honed is recommended and I really prefer the polished. I live in an old tudor home where everything has a patina on it, and I love age and patina. The kitchen, however, is one place where I think I would really like to see some shine. What are your thoughts on this? And does anyone have experience with this marble?
Thanks!

I love the marble too, but with 4 kids under 10 it's out of the question for me...

what wholesaler do you usually get the calacutta oro from for your jobs??

I have found out that Orange Glo works well on marble, I use it on my kitchen floor every time somebody drips something acidic on the floor and to my surprise it is working after a while you don't even notice the stain. Orange Glo is used on wood floor but it is working on my marble kitchen floor.