Some people are not so concerned about cleaning or discoloration.
You could put a Plexiglas or glass sheet in front of it for protection.

The purpose of this post is to see if this discoloration actually happened to Houzzers here who had marble there, and if they were able fix it at some point. Not all kitchens showing the marble there are zillion dollar kitchens. Some here look to be under $50,000, and yes they use them. There are some in the Architect & Design building in NY that are beyond belief. Ballrooms with stoves. Huge crystal chandeliers, the most intricate cabinetry and finishes. I think the real kitchens must be in back...lol!

As long as you never slop a bit of tomato sauce on that marble, you'll be fine. By the time you wipe it up, the marble is etched. And no, you can't seal your way out of etching with anything out of a can, however, you can install a Corian marble look alike that will never etch.

Anglophilia has a marble backsplash. Maybe she will chime in on how it has held up (I suspect it has held up for her judging from the fact that she recommends pairing a Corian countertop and marble subway tile to people considering marble counters.)

Thanks Joseph. It's not the etching I'm worried about but the discoloration of the marble from heat and baked on grease with the marble being so close the back burners. I'm not sure a back piece of 4-5" would help. Don't like regular stoves with the backpiece as they are unattractive and you have to reach over hot pots to change settings.

You know Joseph, I was shocked at that. Took a marble sample and dripped a bit of grapefruit juice on it. Sure enough a big etch on the polished surface. I don't think that would much of an issue on a mosaic though. They must have waxes and such fixes for that. I wouldn't use a large polished expanse of it though. I still don't understand why they can't "marinate" the slab in some concoction to prevent etching before fabrication.

I have a marble backsplash behind my range and after 2.5 years there is no heat discoloration or staining. It is a herringbone mosaic but it just wipes clean (even splashed on tomato sauce), and I cook a lot. Can't see any etching as the light doesn't hit it the same way as it would a flat horizontal surface.

That's good to hear. Was it a white marble mosaic? Do you have a slide in range, or one with a back piece.

Yes, its white marble- herringbone behind range and subway for the rest of the splash. I'm not sure what you mean by a back piece? There is a vent at the back of the stove that's 3" deep. You can see it in attached pics.

Thanks so much for the pics. Free standing ranges have a piece in back that has oven and other controls on it. Slide in ranges such as yours come as you have it, or some with an optional stainless piece that's attached to the back that comes up 4-5" or so. You do use the back burners when you cook? Your splash look great with all that cooking.

I do use the back burners, mostly for simmering sauces, steaming veggies, rice, etc. The largest/highest power burner is the the right front, so that sees the most action as far as searing meats, wok and other high heat cooking.

We have crema marfil marble subway. No issues with it after 6 years. The tile is honed, though, so we don't have the etching issue that you would have with polished tile, and our grout is not light. I try to avoid lots of gunk splashing on it.

We have honed Carrara marble subway tiles behind a slide-in gas range. I applied a couple of coats of Miracle 511 Porous Plus sealer at installation. After two years and cooking at least 600 dinners, it still looks new to me, with no staining or discoloration. The oven vents at the back and is routinely used at 500 degrees. I do cook almost exclusively on the front burners, so there have been few splashes on the tile.