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Danby v. Dolomite?

5 years ago

After a LOT of searching for a marble alternative, I am looking into the more durable marbles. I've heard good things about Vermont Danby, and also fell in love with a slab of Calacatta Diamond (which appears to be a dolomite). (Below, the Calacatta is the closer-in image). Anyone have any info on which might be more durable?



Comments (19)

  • 5 years ago

    I love your choices.

    I believe Marble is Dolomite. I am a fan of marble and have it in my kitchen. Love it.

    Here are some great links that might help you.


    cleaning-sealing-dolomite


    Marble, Quartzite and Granite Oh My


    Dolomite counters

  • 5 years ago

    I love marble, go for it! I like both, but between the two the Danby seems more classic. Definitely shop around. I went to four different marble yards and some of them wanted $35 a square foot for Carrara, and another one only charge $17 a square foot!

  • 5 years ago

    Interesting question! Dolomite (aka dolomitic marble) is slightly harder and slightly more resistant to etching compared to a standard calcite marble. Staining is caused by (or prevented by) porosity, and that can vary with either of those stones. Danby marbles are low porosity and tend to be less prone to staining.


    Ultimately, testing them is a really good idea.


    A nice advantage of Danby is it's made in the USA and has a much smaller footprint from shipping. Also, the whole operation is pretty darn cool, taking place entirely underground.


    https://usenaturalstone.org/a-mountain-with-a-heart-of-marble-going-underground-with-vermont-danby-marble/



  • 5 years ago

    Thank you so much, everyone! This is so helpful.

  • 5 years ago

    Wow thats a great link @karin_mt thank you

  • 5 years ago

    I LOVE your blue/gray cabinet color! do you mind sharing what it is? we have decided on Danby for our kitchen, and we are struggling to find the right blue.

  • 5 years ago

    Sure @Lisa! It's called Marina, and it's one of the set cabinet colors available from our company. It looks more blue or gray depending on the lighting. I also looked long and hard for the right blue and can't wait to see it all installed!


  • 5 years ago

    Love our Montclair Danby. We got it from Bedrosians for $14/sqft but it was 5 years ago. We did full backsplash also. It’s a very clean, modern look. It may be worth considering.

  • 5 years ago

    So good to know @Shasta! How has it held up for you?

  • 5 years ago

    Beautiful!! Thanks so much for sharing @Shasta!

  • 5 years ago

    Thanks for letting me know the name of your blue color, @Keshet Starr! So pretty!

  • 5 years ago

    Of course--and thank you!

  • 3 years ago

    What did you decide Keshet? Are you happy with your choice? I am deciding between dolomite and danby

  • 3 years ago

    @sandrafay I had polished dolomite in a previous kitchen and honed Danby in my current kitchen. I loved the dolomite but don't like the Danby and really regret getting it. I read in a lot of threads like this one that it's stain resistant because it's low porosity but that has NOT been my experience - in 3 months I have already seen about 4 stains from oily things that did not even sit very long. My polished dolomite never stained in 3 years and I never sealed it or anything. Both etch but I was prepared for that - the Danby staining drives me crazy. I think maybe it is the honed vs polished aspect? Anyway, now I have to be fanatical about other people using my kitchen and not getting oils on the counter.

  • 3 years ago

    Lisa- thank you for your reply! Did you seal the Danby? Do you find the Dolomite etches less? I am deciding between the two. I also looked at quartz but just don’t love the look.

  • 3 years ago

    @sandrafay No, I haven't sealed it yet. I think I'll have to because it's driving me crazy. I saw a lot of comments where people said "I never seal my Danby and don't have problems" and I was hoping to avoid toxic chemicals on food prep surfaces - I have no idea what is in the sealers but I don't think it's anything good. If I could do it over I would probably do soapstone or black granite, I just really didn't want to go dark and I hated all the fake quartzes.

  • 3 years ago

    @Addition you sound exactly like me! I am not a fan of the chemical sealers either. I currently have black granite, but wanted to lighten up the kitchen (it was here when we moved in). It is indestructible though. I also don't like any of the quartzes. I looked at quartzite which is very strong, but does also need sealing, and I couldn't find a color I liked. I am looking at Monte Cristo dolomite now, which they said is stronger than other marbles, but still needs sealing. Did you like your dolomite? Was it sealed?

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    @sandrafay I loved the dolomite in my previous house. I think it was mont blanc or shadow storm (that's what it most resembled) we were told it was quartzite when we bought the house but it definitely wasn't because it did etch. We didn't seal it in the 3 years we lived there and never had a problem - I think it was the polished finish that helped. I also looked at Taj Mahal for our new kitchen but all the slabs I could find were gross - nothing creamy or nice available.


    our old kitchen