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Which historic 100-year old marble should I choose?

10 years ago

So, hopefully you all will think this is a cool project and won't mind giving me some desperately needed advice. :)


Recently the old federal courthouse in my city (built in 1905) was remodeled into a swanky hotel. A local salvage yard got A LOT of the marble that was pulled out of the courthouse during the renovation. My husband and I are both attorneys and I am desperate to use some of the marble that was in the old federal courthouse in our new build. Although I prefer marble that has soft veining, my mother practiced law in that courthouse, and given my husband and my profession I think it is a cool and sentimental touch for our home despite the fact that the veining is more prominent than I prefer. The problem is that right now I am only in the end stages of the design phase of the home, but due to the limited quantity of marble available I need to make a decision soon if I want to use it. I am a FAR WAY away from choosing materials for my kitchen and baths, although I know I would like to do mostly white in all hard fixtures (ala Maria Killam's blog).


For my kitchen, I am going to shoot for something similar to @romy718's kitchen: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3144159/after-much-procrastination-my-reveal, except I will probably choose quartz over her beautiful light marble countertops because I am Italian (i.e., constant tomato sauce in my house) and have 2 young kids and the high likelihood that I will ruin those countertops stresses me out. At this point, I have no cabinets chosen, no countertops chosen, nothing! I at least know the general direction I want to go: white with Quartz marble-looking countertops, white subway tile backsplash, with possibly a different countertop (wooden like Romy's or black) on one of the islands. The floors will be medium brown wood.


Today I spent over an hour photographing and measuring what I think are useable chunks of the salvaged courthouse marble. Basically, I am looking for any and all advice on how I should go about choosing the marble and where it should go in the house.


Any opinions you have on this are very welcome, like:

-->which marble is prettiest or ugliest

-->where I should use it given my anticipated all-white kitchen and baths. I am pondering a few options: (1) use the marble for the middle island in the kitchen; AND/OR (2) as the butler's bar countertop; AND/OR (3) in the downstairs powder bath; AND/OR (4) something else cool I haven't thought about.

-->whether this extremely veiny and stark marble will be impossible to match with white;

-->whether I am nuts for thinking I can make these decisions this early in the game. :)


If you have any pictures of a marble like this in action, I would love to see them. I have tried searching house and this forum for inspiration and haven't found pictures too similar to this marble.


I am putting pictures of the marble in the comments. The measurements are for the largest uninterrupted chunk out of each piece (i.e., some of them have small holes in the middle of the piece).


I am also attaching pictures of my current kitchen design, which shows the location of the butler's bar.

A general layout of the house downstairs is here: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3502739/building-forum-recommended-your-help-with-kitchen-layout?n=20


General measurements of countertops here (although will be slightly different since the design has changed)


THANK YOU for any help! -Erica


Comments (27)

  • 10 years ago


    These are the largest pieces of marble available. There are a lot of smaller pieces also available that I didn't photograph. Like I mentioned, the measurements are for the largest useable chunk from each piece.

    i like how light this next one is:

  • 10 years ago

    Continued!

  • 10 years ago

    Ok actually I can't get number 18 it is already on hold. All the marble costs $22-24/sf and I have to buy the whole piece then have someone else fabricate it. Ok thanks again for any advice! -e

  • 10 years ago

    My thought is maybe use one or two pieces on the island and go with something else for the perimeter cabinets. The pieces are all so different and it's gonna be so choppy and so many seams to use it everywhere. It's really beautiful though and the sentimentality behind it would definitely push me to use it too.

    Erica H thanked dcward89
  • 10 years ago

    What about picking one piece for a side table top, or something of the sort?

    Erica H thanked Carrie B
  • 10 years ago

    I can't offer any advice. I just wanted to say that's so cool that they were able to salvage so much of it! Around here (central FL) they tend to use a scorched-earth approach to construction prep.

    Donna

    Erica H thanked msmeow
  • 10 years ago

    There are some beautiful pieces in your photos and I appreciate the sentimental value attached to them.

    Since you plan to have quartz in a marble-esque pattern in your kitchen, I wouldn't consider real marble for the island. If you're still interested in a Romy look (and who wouldn't?), I assume you would like a wood counter on the island. Wait, you're having two islands? I'm still not sure I'd put real and faux marble in the kitchen together.

    I'd use real marble for bathroom vanities. I love #9 and #11.

    Erica H thanked Bunny
  • 10 years ago

    I see Carrie and benjesbride have already said what I was thinking - use the marble in a custom table or other feature piece. It's awesome that it was saved and you have access to it.

    Erica H thanked omelet
  • 10 years ago

    I think they are gorgeous. I agree with idea to do a side or coffee table, or a bathroom vanity. Trying to use it in the kitchen sounds like it has lots of potential pitfalls.

    I'm the opposite of Linelle. #9 and #11 are too muted for me. I like #s 1-3, 6-8, 14, and 17. High contrast.


    Erica H thanked cawaps
  • 10 years ago

    Use for steps, window sills, threshold transitions...

    Erica H thanked drhomeideas
  • 10 years ago

    I would probably try to have one piece made into a table or dresser top or other non-permanent part of the house so you could always take it with you. But I might also get enough for other uses as well. What thickness are these slabs? What about a fireplace surround? I would also consider getting a very plain white engineered Quartz for kitchen countertops and using the marble in slab form for backsplash.


    I like numbers 4 and 9.

    Erica H thanked Nothing Left to Say
  • 10 years ago

    Do you have an office? Since it's part of not just your personal heritage, but also your professional heritage, a desktop sounds most appropriate and a better size for the slabs available.

    Erica H thanked sheloveslayouts
  • 10 years ago

    I would second everyone suggesting you use it to top a furniture piece. I like 4,7, and 9-11 for what it's worth good luck!

    Erica H thanked farmdrmer
  • PRO
    10 years ago

    Expect a fabricator to hit you hard; I sure would. These oddball sentimental recycles can be very tough to make money on.

    Erica H thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
  • 10 years ago

    I agree with at least something made into a piece you can take with you. If you were to use pure white and also wood counters, what about a slab for a lowered baking area if that fits your use?

    Erica H thanked gramarows
  • 10 years ago

    Wonderful idea to utilise this in your new home, but I agree with other posters that I'd want to do something I could take with me should the time come to move house further down the line. Voice of experience here - a few years back we were restoring a large Victorian house in the UK and happened across a salvage yard selling a large quantity of reclaimed encaustic tiles from the floor of the old church where my parents were married (it was being converted to housing). They were perfect for our hallway so we snapped them up. Ten years later we sold the house and I so wished we'd retained a few to take with us!

    I'd definitely get one or two pieces, but use them for dresser tops etc......

    Erica H thanked raphaellathespanishwaterdog
  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    You're not far enough along in planning to make this a permanent fixture of your design without likely making your life harder (and giving you less design flexibility).

    Just buy whichever piece you think is the most beautiful now (or a couple pieces), nevermind the dimensions, and hang on to it. And then don't worry about it. As your design solidifies and you are choosing fixtures/materials for the various parts of your home, you will find natural places for what you've bought. A special section of counter, a rolling baking table, the front steps, window sills, a coffee table, a desk, a breakfast table, whatever.

    It's like buying a great piece of art that you love when you see it, then finding a place of honor for it in your home later. You'll find one.

    Erica H thanked Jillius
  • 10 years ago

    I agree with Jillius's advice. And thank you.

    Erica H thanked romy718
  • 10 years ago

    I really like #11. Maybe bc it sticks out from all of the others. I think the veining and contrast on all of the slabs are beautiful!

    Erica H thanked amykath
  • 10 years ago

    Jillius, brilliant.

    Erica H thanked omelet
  • 10 years ago

    I love all of your comments, thank you so much! You are all
    so much smarter than me at this. J
    I now have clarity on which direction to go. I completely agree—and hadn’t
    thought about—making the marble into a piece that is a non-permanent part of
    the house we can take with us. I may also try to incorporate it into at least
    one element in the house but will make that decision down the line.

    I am going to purchase a few of my favorite pieces now and
    worry about it later. I told my husband also that I would love a dining room
    table if we can get a large enough piece.

    Once this is all said and done I will definitely let you
    know what we did and post final-product pictures. (haha in a year or so I would
    think)

    And msmeowàI
    live in Tampa so take solace knowing that not all in/near Central Florida use a
    scorched-earth approach!



  • 10 years ago

    Ahhh.. the Le Meridien! I'm in Tampa too and I remember when that was done.

    Where in Tampa are you? I'm in Westchase and our kitchen remodel begins January 5th (after a year of planning) and I'm going for the same look as you.

    Erica H thanked Erica L
  • 10 years ago

    Erica, that's good to know! :) I am in Orlando. They are starting to widen part of the Beachline Expressway that I use in the mornings and I am grieving for all the lovely pine trees that are now just lying brown and broken. Though I did see them loading some on a truck this morning, so hopefully they will go into making lumber or something useful.

    Donna

    Erica H thanked msmeow
  • PRO
    10 years ago

    It would make insane back-splashes for a soapstone counter.

    Were these wainscotting or had they been bathroom stalls? Potential yuk factor for some folks.

    Casey

  • 10 years ago

    I like the one where you say - I like how light this one is. Neat project!

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    My parents did this with marble from a hotel that was being renovated. They made two end tables with marble tops and we also had a slab of marble on the kitchen countertop for things like working candy.