I am glad yours works. Mine etched almost immediately, despite more gentle handling than you are describing and cleaning with diluted soap and water only (as advised). it is totally ruined. Looks like we bought the same stone actually!

I’m sorry to hear that. The distributor shared that they actually apply the Azerocare. I wonder if that’s why you didn’t have the same results.

Not sure about that. Azerocare has been very clear in their materials and on this thread that all the treatment is done in Italy with a proprietary, patented process. It just happens to not work, and they will try to blame everyone but themselves. ZERO responsibility has been taken by the company. Just don’t buy the product. it is expensive, does not work, and if you believe Antolini, must be handled with EVEN MORE care than untreated marble. What is the treatment even for if that’s the case? Such a waste of money and a tragic ruining and etching of gorgeous marble.

"The distributor shared that they actually apply the Azerocare."

That's news to me. The guy at Antolini's trade show booth told me Antolini only lets a select few employees into the plant where they do the treatment as they're terrified of getting ripped off.

Hmmm. I wonder what the truth is. I know it’s working for me...I wonder why others are having problems.

Would anyone feel comfortable sharing the cost per sq ft/linear ft for the Azerocare? Or what the difference in price is for regular marble v Azerocare?

Regular marble is worth more. Save your money. Read this whole thread. You are better off without Azerocare.

Alyssa, I can tell you that we went through a very tough time trying to decide. We had our hearts set on a beautiful calacutta gold and were having trouble finding slabs nearby treated with Azerocare. We were able to find some that were decent that were already treated and they were honestly about the same price in some cases a bit less. The trick is finding the one that you really want. We found some that had the look that we wanted but they were very far away. Those were typically around $40/sq ft more but then you have the logistics of getting it delivered from far away. We also looked at some ceramics and quartz but they are honestly just nowhere near as pretty. Ultimately we just chose the calacutta gold that we loved and we had tuffskins applied to it. I can honestly say was the best decision. We've had no problems with ours. It's been almost two years and they are still gorgeous. I don't think twice about spills or having anything on our counters. Good luck!

Routerguy1, how much was tuffskin?

@iontigone it was around $1700 for product and installation (probably just north of $20/sf). I guess sorta pricey but was def cheaper than trying to find an avail slab that we liked with azerocare .. also at the time there seemed to be a lot of back and forth as to how well the azerocare worked. That was 2 years ago maybe that's all been worked out now. With this you don't have to worry though as it's an impenetrable barrier. You do have to be cautious not to drag heavy or sharp things across the countertop or you could potentially scratch it. But really the same precaution you'd have anyway. If you have your heart set on marble you def can do it! Here's a picture of our countertops (not the best lighting since it's nighttime) but it has held up very well for two years of abuse.

Sounds like a much better solution than Azerocare. if you read this chain, you will see that nothing has changed with Azerocare. The product has not worked over and over, and they have taken no responsibility for it. Glad to see that there is something else available.

Not sure about everyone else, but wish xpopex would stop the constant bashing. Thank you for your opinion, but you don't need to continually say the same thing over and over. I get it, you have a bad experience, but enough with the redundant responses. I personally thought the response from the Azerocare team was professional and I WILL be purchasing the product because I believe it is better than nothing. Are there some stories where something bad happened, sure - but you will get that on ANY product, whether it's a car, computer, or any other consumer device.

I don’t think that there is any bashing going on by xpopex or anyone else. I do think that there has been an honest sharing of a personal experience. I wish I had found more honesty when I was researching the Azerocare product originally. I could have saved myself money, time, stress, and mental anguish. Countertops are a big investment. Better to know what to expect going in. I could have been the exception to the rule, but I wasn’t - maybe you will be. I hope that your outcome is different and satisfactory. It’s disappointing to have such high expectations for a product to crash and burn in your own kitchen. Hopefully, your slabs will turn out perfectly. Mine, however did not.

That flaking snd glittering is exactly what my client experienced. Such a shame. A total sham.

i am not trying to bash. Just to warn. Antolini can fix this problem if they want to. They simply have chosen to pretend it doesn’t exist, and for that they will receive my justifiable scorn. I really hope the best for all of you. It’s a huge investment, and the company that has made the promises should stand behind them. That’s not a “me” issue.

Alyssa I don’t recall exactly but I think the cost was lower than some others. We had budgeted for $45sq ft and we didn’t pay a premium for the Azerocare.

One other thing to share…

A bottle of dishwasher rinse aid leaked on the marble over night leaving a large dark spot. We were very upset but as it died over the following week, it completely disappeared and left no etching.

We installed Azerocare Covelano marble, 4 slabs, for the cost of 24,000$ Cdn$. Like written in other comments, we take great care of it; we always use cutting boards, wipes the counter continuously, etc. After only 6 months we see etching on the counter like thousand of knife blade marks, circles from the bottom of a glass that we have no idea how it has happened and we can see some flaking. I wish I have seen all your comments before buying this Azerocare marble, it is becoming a nightmare. I intend to contact the company that sold us the product to see what can be done but my hopes are not very high.

Jordan G.

Antolini Azerocare, Be careful with this product as it can NOT be fixed. If you are looking for a product to protect the surface of your marble stone use the TuffSkin Protection System. This product works great! Call Jerry with All The Marbles in Houston, TX. Also, ask him about the "Dead Look" its another option.

Glad to find this thread to hear of the pitfalls of Azerocare and to learn about TuffSkin. Unsure if TS is available in my area, so will have to do research. I too, still prefer marble and this would be a great option. Have appreciated stone discussions on houzz. *Lisa*

As a follow to my comments of Oct.2021, here is the situation. The supplier came to see our island countertop which is frankly a disaster. The representative has been honest and transparent with us. He had sold several slabs of different marble protected with Azerocare. I am the second customer that has problem with the product. He had brought with him a care kit from Antoloni but it has been totally useless on our countertop. My supplier has recommended a Company specialized in restoring natural stone; mid-March someone will come to sand my 15’ feet island counter top. I am told that the marble will return to its natural state and will require to be regularly sealed. Curiously the other countertops in the kitchen, on each side of the stove, remain in excellent condition. My supplier is assuming all the cost of the restauration.
Here are a picture of our island and a close up of the problem we have all over the surface- flaking, etching, etc..

Wow! What a mess. Glad the supplier is assuming all the cost of the restoration.

As a follow-up, the sanding of our island has been done. Lets say 98% of the surface is like new. Four coating of sealer have been applied. However, even if I protect the surface of my counter with padding and that I take a meticulous care of it, almost to the point of being a bit obsessive, after only a week, I can spot some stains most probably made with water…yes, water. I am really discourage. After reading several comments and articles on the product, I have decided to contact the representative of Tuffskin Canada. I am ready to invest an extra 2K to get rid of the problematic situation. I will try to obtain a compensation from my supplier : after all, originally, I bought a “trouble free marble counter” and I don’t see why I should put up with all the troubles inherent to a regular marble. To follow.

Sorry to hear it. please let us know if the Tuffskin works, as i still have no solution.. Despite griping at me and about me on this thread, Antoloni has never once tried to contact me and make it right. they know their product does not work. They just don’t care and certianly don’t want to pay comepnsation.

Look forward to hearing about the TuffSkin. I would like to try it but the nearest installer is about 7 hrs away. Not worth the high price I imagine that would incur for a tiny cottage that we may sell in a year or two. Still have not decided on counter tops and I need to get on the install list or I won't get them until Christmas at this rate! lol I never thought that selecting counter tops would be SO difficult.

Try www.stoneguardusa.com please.

We had beautiful Azerocare marble put into our kitchen 3 years ago. The marble is beautiful, but would I buy it again? Absolutely NOT.

I have a working kitchen. I cook a lot. I have guests over who slide things across my counter and I cringe because this counter is so delicate. If I had only been warned. The seller of the this stone (I paid 24K for my slabs) said it was great, no care required. As long as spills are cleaned up, no staining OR etching. It was supposed to be revolutionary. I believed this guy. I'm feel like such a sucker. Honestly, I just can't worry about it anymore. I am not replacing it. I will probably end up having the surface repolished completely removing the Azerocare finish and just have it polished and sealed. It scratches SUPER EASY (I had a cardboard box leave scratches on this). I feel like a slave to my kitchen countertops. Seriously!

Disappointed to say the least. I had a house sitter and forgot to warn them about the counter before I left. Now I have etch marks. Worn in spots that are used more often. Makes me sick. Please, PLEASE don't buy Antolini Azerocare.

very interesting thread. i would also suggest StoneGuard

What is the price point for StoneGuard (and does anyone have experience with the product?). I just looked it up and seems a viable solution. We would like Marble, but have not considered due to things similar to this thread...

The biggest advantage of StoneGuard is that the price is much less, than every other option, it performs the best, and your stone doesn’t get ruined during install or potential future removal. Everything else either fails or requires your stone to be sanded down to dust prior to install. You’ll either never get that original factory finish back, or it will cost you an arm and a leg to do so. With StoneGuard, it can just be removed and installers can walk out the door.
Films are the best. People wrap their car with paint protection film, their phone, etc… A film is designed to be easily installed and easily removed while providing a physical sacrificial later

Does anyone know if you can put tuff skin over azerocare. Trying to get a fix for my marked up countertops

You've got to have the stone restored before installing any film.

We've had our tuffskins for 7 years and love It . We have white marble in our kitchen and it looks as good as the day we bought it.

We would never buy this again. We are type A and took care of our kitchen. Constantly wiping down the counters. The counters look horrible. We complained to the distributor at Galleria of Stone in Phoenix. They came out with the Italian rep from azerocare. They wiped some polishing agent and it did nothing. They did not take ownership of selling a product that did not perform. They offered no solutions.

I would never put this in any of our homes again. I would rather have plastic than seeing constant marks that look like a dirty kitchen counter. I wish I knew this prior to putting this in our kitchen.

Nina:

Have your tops professionally restored then have MORE Anti Etch applied immediately. It isn't cheap, but marble does not stain or etch after treatment.

Nina: I am considering a honed marble from Galleria of Stone in PHX for a large remodeling project. The stone is stunning, but I am concerned about the Azerocare finish. Supposedly this finish is 2nd generation, and has none of the problems of 1st generation. Would you mind sharing how long ago you got your counters from Galleria of Stone? Do you know if your counters have the 1st gen or 2nd gen Azerocare finish? And do you have polished counters? Or leathered or honed? Thanks!

I know I’m not Nina 😁 but, given that the company has told dozens of people on this thread that there was no issue with Gen 1, it’s difficult to understand how they would know that they solved any issues with Gen 2. according to them there was nothing wrong with Gen one so what are they fixing?. I think the bigger issue that would prevent me from using this product for any of my clients is that the company did not stand behind the product at all. So if there are still issues, which I would be surprised if there were after the debacle with Gen1, you’re kind of stuck—or your client is.

Agree, Modernous. If this weren't the absolutely perfect stone for the project I wouldn't even consider it. The sales person I spoke with was clear that there was/is a problem with Gen 1. He showed me examples of Gen 1 treated stone in the showroom which were already chipping and flaking. The finish on Gen 2 feels radically different to the touch. But yeah...too big a risk given the history and no new data on Gen 2. This is a case of me wishing upon a star haha.

I would imagine that the stone supplier could find you a similar stone or the same stone with out the Azerocare finish? If not, I would find out the type of stone and shop it around. I’m sure someone knows how to source from the same quarry. Good luck. I know how frustrating it can be when you find the perfect thing cannot use it :-)

I’ve been to every slab yard in a 250 mile radius and this is the only stone with this particular aesthetic. One option is to buy this stone in the polished version, without azerocare, then have it leathered—client preference—and properly sealed. Unfortunately this would equal the price of a luxury vehicle.

Suzanne Leigh Decor Is leathered stone Better?

Toronto, it's not necessarily better, but both leathered and honed options remove the problem of etching, which is a perennial challenge with polished marbles. In my experience, honed stones are slightly more susceptible to staining than leathered. Leathering can have its own challenge, particularly if the surface has a lot of granular pattern, which can translate to a pebbly texture versus a soft, worn/antiqued feel. All matters to discuss with your fabricator.

Our counters are polished marble with azerocare and were purchased in 2019.
Galleria of Stone should have taken ownership for the flawed product.

My marble countertops are leathered and have Azerocare by Antolini. We have had them for one year and they have etch marks all over them already. My installer panicked and did buff the seams (which he should not have done because it totally ruined that part of the slab), but the etch marks are far from the location of the buffed seams. Additionally, the etch mark areas are growing as time passes, even though we have always STRICTLY followed all the instructions on caring for our Azerocare countertops. We are having to replace our ruined slabs and I am nervous to get Azerocare again. I have "regular", non-Azerocare marble slabs in a different location of the kitchen. They are actually the same marble, but have different treatments- They are matte finish, they are not leathered, and do not have Azerocare and they are holding up better than the Azerocare slabs. I will say that I have seen on the "regular" marble (a.k.a. NOT Azerocare) water marks and oil marks from a water glass and a small piece of food that were accidently left on them overnight and when I cleaned it up the next day, I thought that the marks left behind would be a dark stain forever, but low and behold, they did fade over a short time (2-3 days). Now I can't even see where those dark marks once were. We do have a lot of movement and veining in the marble, so perhaps that helps to hide the once dark water/oil marks too. At the end of the day, the "regular" marble actually looks nicer than the Azerocare treated marble because there is no etching. Based on all the similar complaints, it seems to me like Antolini needs to stop blaming the consumer for poor care and needs to realize that their treatment might be flawed on some slabs and start to assume financial responsiblity when this happens.

We installed leathered marble countertops treated with Azerocare by Antolini about a year ago, and unfortunately, the experience has been very disappointing. Despite strictly following all recommended care instructions, our Azerocare countertops developed etch marks throughout the surface—not just in isolated areas or around the seams.

While our installer did make a mistake by buffing the seams (despite being warned not to), the etching is not limited to those spots. It appears in multiple areas across the slab, indicating a broader issue with the treatment rather than just installer error. Over time, the etching has continued to spread, and we are now facing the expensive reality of having to replace these damaged slabs.

In contrast, we have the same type of marble—without the Azerocare treatment and with a matte finish—in another part of our kitchen. Surprisingly, these untreated slabs have held up much better. While we’ve noticed a couple of minor marks from a water glass or food left overnight, those marks faded within a few days and are now invisible. The natural veining and movement in the marble likely help conceal minor blemishes, but overall, the untreated marble has proven more forgiving and easier to maintain.

I was initially led to believe I was the only one experiencing these problems with Azerocare. However, after reading similar reviews, it’s clear that others are encountering the same issues. This is not an isolated incident. I strongly believe Antolini should listen to their customers’ experiences and take responsibility by investigating these recurring problems. When a premium product like this fails so widely, there should be accountability.

@Sarah Mahoney, may I ask what you use to wipe down your AzeroCare treated slabs on a daily basis?

We just used AzeroCare treated slabs from Antolini extensively in our kitchen renovation, both for counter surfaces and for backsplashes. While we haven’t yet moved into the kitchen, I wanted to be sure that I understood the proper daily care recommendations for our slabs.

Not only those, but also our custom cabinet surfaces, our specific stainless Wolf Sub-Zero appliances, our Waterstone kitchen faucet, our Rachiele custom sink—all of the surfaces that we so carefully selected for our kitchen. I spoke to each of the manufactures and got their specific daily product recommendations, and those are the only products that will be in our kitchen—each properly labeled with what it cleans—so we can properly maintain the beauty of these surfaces for many years ahead.

@Suzanne Halley may I please know what you used as a daily wipe down cleaner on your AzeroCare when your slabs were originally installed in your kitchen?

We recently renovated our kitchen and it has a lot of AzeroCare on beautiful slabs, both counter surfaces and backsplashes.

I know it was recommended by the maker of AzeroCare that it be cleaned with soap and water, which means absolutely nothing to me. I saw another lady on here interpreted that as Dawn dishwashing liquid and water on a non-abrasive cloth and her AzeroCare area that she wiped down daily—with Dawn diluted with water in a spray bottle—was ruined, and fortunately for her, replaced by the people involved in selling and fabricating it for her.

Would you kindly share with me what you used to daily wipe down your AzeroCare counters— the ones that became so damaged that you now have to result to drastic action to head in another direction and salvage your kitchen?

All I want to know is what you used so that I do not choose what you chose. I’ve already read your stories so there’s no need to type it out again for me!

Thank you in advance for your consideration in replying to my question.

@Gretchen Madden would you kindly post or DM me the contact information for where you purchase the Antolini AzeroCare daily care product. I would like to buy it by the case.

~Many thanks

@Gretchen Madden Also, may I please know if you use any additional Antolini products or if the only one you need to use for daily wipe downs while you’re using your kitchen to cook and cleaning up afterwards is the C1.07DAY ? They also sent me 2 bottles of samples of the product from Italy you posted a photo of and I agree with you. I love it, but I don’t know where to order it from.