Honed marble is just as gorgeous as polished, and you won’t have to worry about etching nearly as much. It has a more matte surface finish, meaning any dullness that may occur from a rogue lemon slice will be much less noticeable than it would be on a highly polished surface. Honed marble has a soft, satin finish rather than a glossy shine – a look that many home owners actually prefer.
It can be sealed to add stain protection. One of the main concerns that homeowners have about choosing real marble for kitchen countertops is that will stain. While marble can be more susceptible to stains or etches from acidic foods and beverages (such as red wine and tomato sauce), there are precautions that can be taken to help avoid this. Your countertop fabricator can ward off stains by applying an impregnating sealer that fills the pores just below the stone’s surface to slow the absorption of liquids, allowing more time to clean up spills.
Some homeowners choose to install manufactured quartz countertops that look like marble products, which can be made to mimic natural stones like marble, believing that they will be easier to maintain. While an engineered material might be lower maintenance than marble, it will never have the same depth, unique patterns, and range of colors as natural stone. Plus, when you install a true marble countertop or vanity, you have the opportunity to select a 100% unique slab. No other kitchen will have the exact same veining and characteristics that you have in yours.
Marble is naturally heat resistant. If you’re a baker, you’ll be happy to learn that marble is one of the most heat resistant stones out there, and is much more heat resistant than a common competitor – resin-based engineered quartz. This quality makes marble a popular choice for fireplace surrounds as well as counters, islands, and vanities.
It’s cost-effective, depending on the type of marble you buy. Calacatta marble (a grayer version with softer veins from Carrara, Italy) is one of the least expensive natural countertop materials on the market, mainly because it’s readily available. Opt for a rarer, luxury stone like Calacatta marble, which offers a whiter surface and more dramatic veining, and the price tag goes up. Unfortunately, much of the marble you’re seeing all over the internet might not be the affordable stuff.
Be prepared to see some scratches. And to slice lemons on a butcher’s block. Prolonged exposure to an acid (called etching) removes the polish or sealant from marble’s finish and makes it dull and more vulnerable to scratches. Honing your marble — a process that results in a matte, less polished effect – might make etching less noticeable, but won’t stop it from happening, unfortunately. Another reason for chips? Marble is much softer than other durable stones (think granite!). For this reason, avoid leaning up against your marble island wearing a belt
