marble in the home

Update: We’ve been living with our kitchen marble countertops for over six months now, and love them! Be sure to check out the entire rehabbed area, here!

We receive a lot of questions pretty frequently, that go a little something like this:

…I know you guys had marble in your home. I was wondering if you would do it again or recommend it? What is your personal experience with it?…

We’re delighted to cover this topic, because we plan to cover an array of finishes for the house, and why we’re choosing what we are, for our own little rehab. We hope you guys will enjoy this little mini series of sorts as we discuss the options.

Marble in the home was something we were on the fence about for some time. And this was for a lot of reasons… some of it was because we were guilty of listening to everyone elses opinion on it. Another was acclimating to something different in our home other than builders grade countertops. We think there’s an adjustment period to educating yourself and becoming accustomed to the finishes and what they offer for your home. When we redid our bathroom a few years ago, we went all the way with some beautiful carrara marble in our bathroom. And while it took some getting used to, we decided we absolutely love it.

What we were surprised by, was the absolute passion with which everyone referred to marble when it came up. And what we were equally surprised the most by, was how many people were vehemently opposed to the material in their home and ours. Most of said torch-carrying opposition had also never actually used it in their own home. Funny correlation huh?

We want to say this, first -In our new home now as well as our last home, we’ve found this very much to be true: Don’t let others dictate what you bring into your home. This is true with materials, color palettes, furniture choices, anything. People get excited about their own vision. But at the end of the day it’s yours. You have to live with it.

The most valuable thing you can do for yourself, is educate yourself on every choice and change you make for your house. I’m simply blown away with how many people are left with impressions of something, having never even dealt with it on their own before. We’re guilty of this until we become conscious of the fact. But a lot of people are basing their their bias on what they thought they read somewhere about something else. They think it works well for a magazine shoot, but not real life. All of this based on what their mother’s sister’s cousin’s neighbor’s plumber’s contractor said.

Yikes.

In a way, we live in fear of materials when we don’t know much about them. It’s up to us to learn and investigate.

Be your own biggest ally in choosing what you want. And know why you want it. The views on marble were best explained in an article I read {and I can’t even find it now but if you know where it came from, please let me know so I may give proper credit}.

There are two ways of looking at a home and deciding which materials are best for you: 1. Is the American way. 2. The European way. 

The American way: We love our brand new homes. Everything is shiny and new and will stay brand new upon purchase with the utmost care. FOR. EV. VER. Spotless. Pretty. Perfect. See: Shiny finishes and pretty new fixtures. People who want things to stay perfect, probably aren’t going to choose marble because they’ll shy away from maintenance, and the “challenges” they pose. This isn’t appealing to someone who doesn’t want to deal with it. We get it. We really do.

The European way: Marble has been used for centuries in famous places, pieces of art, in the Taj Mahal. It has withstood the test of time. There’s something awe inspiring about walking into an old restaurant or train station or church or kitchen and seeing the marble countertops and the beautiful veining and patina. The sculptures of beauty that have been outside. The history behind it. And so as your countertops begin to show wear, there’s something appealing about that. Timeless. There’s a process of embracing what the material is, and how it functions in it’s space, making it work for your home and lifestyle.

It helps to think about how much fuss you want to make over something: Do you usually clean up your kitchen after you use it? Or do you leave things out overnight? Things like mustard and pasta sauce and wine can affect your surface. You don’t have to keep it pristine {I mean, who does?} but it helps to not leave puddles of things out over time. And to be knowledgeable about cleaning and sealants. Decide which approach you want to take with your home, along with your lifestyle in your house, and embrace it.

The Material – Let’s break it down easy- Marble, according to wikipedia:

Marble is a metamorphic rock that may be foliated or non-foliated, composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Geologists use the term “marble” to refer to metamorphosed limestone; {basically a relative of limestone} however, stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.^[1] Marble is commonly used for sculpture and as a building material.

Marble is different according to where it’s mined. True to its nature, no two pieces are alike, either. Which means they will behave differently under wear, according to what kind of marble it is, as well.

For instance, Carrara Marble is from Carrara Tuscany. It’s mostly what you’ll find in our former master bathroom, and has beautiful blue grey streaks. One of our favorites.

What we’re currently looking at for our kitchen: Pearl Grey Marble bottom left and top right {also pictured with White Cherokee Marble} top left, bottom right. These are mined in Georgia, thus making them US marble and have more shimmering white crystals in their makeup.

 

Marble for countertops, is mined in slices. Think of it like a loaf of bread. In the quarries, they retrieve slices of it from the rock. {Image from Polycor from their Tate, Georgia quarry} So if you visit a yard {and you should just to further your education if you’re interested in the various materials along with pros and cons} you’ll find that slices in a row look similar because they’ve been mined at the same time.

Applications: 

Marble is used in various applications for commercial and home use. There are endless considerations to remember when it comes to fabrication: Tile, slabs, architectural stone, blocks, pavers… We’ve found that because of the makeup of marble, it’s use in various places require different treatment and care. But again, it all depends on your lifestyle.

For instance, we love it on countertops. But consider the width of your countertop and the length available for your slab. Where will the seams go when you’re connecting more than once piece?

We also loved the look of it on the inside of our shower. But for tiles inside the floor of a shower that stayed wet most of the time, it required a little more work for cleaning with a special sealant. It wasn’t the tile itself so much as the grout and keeping it clean, without being too harsh on the tile.

For the floors themselves, they were fine. Where you want to use it, and their finishes is a major consideration. Which brings us to finishes…

Finishes:

Beyond the initial types of marble, you’ll find the finishes you can choose for stones in general – all based on your application for the product. We find this language varies a little from distributor to distributor beyond polished and honed, and considerations vary from each application. Here’s a few of the most popular:

Polished: It’s probably the most popular finish for marble. It’s a high gloss finish achieved by grinding the stone with a series of diamond grit pads. It gives off a very shiny, slick look, and brings out major contrast in your marble. {See countertops above} You’ll see this finish in a lot of bathroom vanities you can purchase, and gives a mirror-like effect.

Honed: A matte finish achieved with a coarser grade of grit. Less glossy but still very smooth. To us, it has a natural feel about it without the shiny. Did you know that honed marble will actually etch less than polished? Something to consider with countertops.

My aperture was incorrect when photographing this, so the back samples are a little out of focus. But if you look carefully, you can see a shinier finish in the front {polished} and a matte finish in the back.

Brushed: With steel nylon brushes for a slightly textured, rippled feel. Helps keep the marble resistant to scratching. Because well, the scratches are already there.

Antiqued/Tumbled: Vibrates the stone in a bath of sand and grit. Removes sharp edges, and gives a worn, antiqued look. Smooth to the touch but with what we would refer to as tiny lumps. This can toughen up the stone ahead of time to prevent scratching.

Flamed: Applied with an intense flame to the surface which causes the stone to burst and become rough. Used primarily on exteriors to prevent slips – mostly applied to granite and hard limestone

Waterjet: Applied by a high pressure water jet, gives the stone a rough finish and erosion type of finish. Abrasive to the touch.

Cleaning and Maintenance: 

I’m going to leave this here, because your fabricator and distributor will be able to recommend the best possible sealant/cleaner and schedule for your countertop, when it comes to specifics. Your fabricator can seal it for you. We simply purchased a special cleaner for our marble countertops in our bathroom that repeatedly cleaned and sealed the stone. We will be asking our distributor what to use this time around, since they are the experts, and its different according to where your marble originated.

Here’s some things we noticed over time with our marble countertops in our bathroom {and with samples we’ve been testing for our kitchen}:

From our own experience we found that etching, that thing everyone is worried about when it comes to marble, becomes charming over time and fades into a nice aged look. It’s calcium based, so anything acidic causes etching, and then fades to a patina, if you will. It does this big time with everything it comes into contact with, so this brings us back to our “European Vibe” above. Remember, marble was used for centuries before our modern day views of kitchens came into play. They had their own ways of caring for their marble, and I’m sure it was more beautiful with time. There’s a little bit of an adjustment process you’ll go through when it comes to countertops, and at first, {if you’re OCD like us} it will probably bother you. It bothered me. I don’t think I was prepared for it, really. There’s an acclimation in adjusting your expectations that takes place with your materials and adjusting to their behavior and the maintenance. If you can get past the first few months and accept the material for what it is, we find you’ll be happy with it. If that’s what you want.

Etching is like a shadow underneath the stone or a wet mark that fades with time. It blurs to deepen the appearance of the stone, and is absorbed to become part of it. They recommend sealing the marble every six months to prevent staining. Remember that there’s a difference between staining and etching. Staining would be the red mark spaghetti sauce would leave behind. Etching is like a shadow of a puddle that’s left there, that will absolutely happen.

Scratches show up differently on surfaces, depending on your material and finish as well. It’s inevitable with any surface you work on in your kitchen. Never use abrasive cleaners on your marble. Here’s more details on getting rid of scratches, here.

We definitely suggest taking your samples out for a test run. Throw red wine, mustard and spaghetti sauce on them with abandon. We’re considering soapstone for our island {more on those material specifics soon – I’ve wanted soapstone all my adult life and we’re so thrilled to use it in combo with the marble for a nice, timeless feel in our kitchen – I’ll link it up here when it’s written} Remember that these samples are un-sealed, and the soapstone itself will be a richer dark appearance when waxed. But you could even get your hands on a sealant and test them out with a little bit of a protector on them.

If you’re not giving your samples a run for their money, you’re doing it wrong. This should tell you a lot on how you feel about the marble. We do know that spaghetti sauce is the devil, and gives me anxiety and that you should seriously watch out when it comes to all things tomatoes. But again, once it’s sealed and you’re careful to clean… it will leave a beautiful patina over time.

I think it’s also important to remember that you’ll be the one who notices them the most. When people come into your home, they’re not really paying attention to the little etches and charm that have accumulated over time. They’re probably taking in your beautiful countertops. If they’re judging you they can leave.

The sooner you can accept that European vibe and view, the better for your sanity and kitchen if you’re really wanting marble. We had things appear in our bathroom and had no idea where they came from. No matter how many times we buffed and cleaned, it didn’t budge. But time was a healer and it gently faded into something different. Many people view this as a major con. We view it as interesting and charming. Maybe even a great metaphor for life. ;}

We love surfaces that are more beautiful with time, and this is just part of the process for us.

It really just all depends on what you truly want. It helps to be educated and prepared.

_________________________

We hope you guys find this post useful… Do you have marble in your home? Would you do it again? Any other topics you’d like to see us cover? We’d love to hear from you!