We have polished carrera. Honestly, I haven't noticed any etching. Im sure it's there, so maybe its the lighting in the room. There's a small scratch on mine, we put a drill on it when installing window treatments. No one would notice it but me. I do occasionally notice a ring from the hand soap bottle or shampoo but it fades after a few days. We've been in the house for 18 months.

Marble is graded by its quality or its look. The better the look,detail and less imperfections or marks and surface features the higher the grade. Imperfections,spots,marks and anything that will degrade the overall clean look the lessor the grade . I can share that we have "experienced" what srosen has pointed out re: different grades of marble. In our MB, we used a beautiful White Thassos marble mosaic from Porcelanosa as an accent in the tub surround, and as a ceiling-height backsplash over the sink. We also used White Thassos (Select?) tile/pieces from a LI fabricator/supplier in all three bathrooms to line niches and as shelves, and also used it as tub surround trim (instead of bullnose tile) in the MB. The quality difference between the White Thassos used in the mosaic, compared to the individual tiles/pieces is very much apparent. The mosaic tile is not as "clean" or as pristine white as the individual tiles were/are. The mosaic is still quite stunning overall, but in addition to many of the tiles being less than pure white, some have streaks of grey or small spots in/on them. It doesn't detract from its beauty in any way, but that's how it is. The mosaic wasn't cheap by any means (though we did get a terrific discount), but I am sure it would have been even more expensive had it been made from the same Select tile as our individual tile.

And I thought I did bad work after drinking a case of beer and not sleeping for three days. While splitting my work hours with one eye on the tiling job and two eyes on the portable TV I brought to work with me so I could watch playoff baseball. All while minding my three toddlers that I had to bring on the job because I forgot where their daycare was located. While blind in one eye. And with my left arm in a cast and my right arm in a sling. While working barefoot. On an empty stomach. Okay. My question to him is "why" does he feel that this is the best that can be done? If it's because he has limited talent, he should have forewarned you. If it is because of limitations with the material, he should have forewarned you. But on the whole, no it is not acceptable. Repairs could alter what you have; losing the "polished finish" for example. Replacement, as has been mentioned, may be the best option.

I'm with Jewel654, have you looked at the porcelains? Here is a few that I was looking at. I went with the large one shown here in the center. Thats a pan of snow. The large tile is called Atlas Concorde, Marvel Calacatta Extra, and is from Italy. I chose the matte finish, and this sample is matte. I bought it through Nebraska Furniture Mart. They were very helpful and gave me a discount as well. The other tiles shown are a variety of other tile samples. The tile is ever so slightly warm and looks beautiful with my walnut vanity and woodwork in the bathroom that I finished this past summer: