Kitchen Countertops

Some marbles are very soft and not recommended for kitchen use and are better utilized as bathroom vanities due to the ease in which it can scratch. Other marbles are hard (not as hard as the average granite) but still hard enough to warrant use as  kitchen countertops.

A good and through sealing of all natural stone is performed here at Stone Masters shop before stone leaves here and then it is sealed yet again at installation in your home. Properly sealing marble is an insurance that you will have time to pick up spills and prevent any damage or staining to your marble kitchen countertop.

One other potential drawback to using marble as a kitchen counter top material is that marble can etch. Etching is a form of damage that is a result of acidic liquid sitting on the surface of the marble long enough to chemically alter the marble itself. You can polish out light etching, but if the damage is deep it may not be removable by polishing. Sealing marble buys you more time to clean up spills as they occur. Even with sealer it is not 100% protection or a guarantee against staining or etching should you leave a coffee or wine spill on top of your counters overnight.

Some marbles are less vulnerable to etching as they are comprised of more serpentine than calcium content within the marble. It is hard to say which marbles are serpentine and which are not. Typically that kind of geological information is not available in the local stone yards. A lot of opinion is offered regarding stone content but lacks credibility and hard facts to back up claims. For more information on kitchen countertops follow the link.

Take home a sample of your marble color choice and put various liquids on it to see you your choice reacts or handles different liquids. Most people who test marble for stain resistance quickly realize that there is quite a bit of time to clean up before any stain or etch is evident.