Threeapples, Before the tiler installed our Carrera marble hex mosaic shower floor, I printed off your entire saga of that original thread for him to read. I was so worried that it might happen to us, too. It was over 20 pages, I think! Anyway, he said he has done hundreds of light marble shower floors and it would be fine. It IS fine. No darkening like you and others have had. There IS a way to do this 100% correctly so that there won't be any water under there. One thing--he didn't seal-maybe that helps? I wouldn't want you to use a dark porcelain if what you want is the white marble. Mightn't it be wet under the porcelain, too, but you would see it? I don't know--this whole business is so confusing, as you well know by now. What I'm TRYING to say is, find someone who has done many successful showers like what you want. Look on Houzz for your area then ask the builder/designer who did the tile then call them up. ??? Ask your local tile shops who sell this material to recommend the BEST installer they know of. You CAN get it done correctly. Good luck to you!

I assume your dandy is honed. Polished stone will always be in most cases a lot less porous than when it is honed-any of those sealers will work well they are all good-somewhat different formulations but all quality. Before you begin sealing you may want to test your stone first by placing a few palm sized puddles of water in two or so locations . Let them sit for 10 or 15 minutes and then wipe away the water with a paper towel. If it leaves a dark spotit will give you a good idea how absorbant or not it is. Dandy is porous but it is good to see for your self what your seling and the difference the sealer will make. Just remember one fact that a sealer will only temporarily inhibit the intrusion of staining agents into the the stone. Temporary is the key word.If you do combine two compatible sealers you may get a better seal. But if your stone isnt all that porous the second sealer wont penetrate the first sealer so you have just spent a good buck on a sealer you dont need. The key to the whole sealing thing imo is that as a homeowner you can do a better job than most contractors because you arent hurrying off to the next job. You can do several applications (I dont call them coats)(because even if you do two coats back to back it is still one application)in this manner. Apply the fist application in managable areas (3-4 ft sections)keeping it wet for 15 minutes or so. Then remove the excess(all of it)so that it is dry to the touch. Remember the sealer is impregnating. (It lives below the surface)If you dont remove all the excess you will have an epic adventure removing the residue from the surface. Ok -when your ready to move to the next area repeat the same procedure but make sure you overlap where you left off. Now you can finish the rest of your surfaces in this manner. Then wait 24 hours and test it using the water test.If it is still absorbent repeat the entire process. The reason for waiting 24 hours to do the next application is that it takes the sealer a minimum of 24 hours to cure in most cases. Once it has cured the second application wont go below the first application resulting in a better seal. Also if you use the proper cleaning regimen using ph neutral cleaners you will prolong the life of the sealer. Be aware that sealers will not prevent etching from acidic products. Oh Yeah-just so you know if you ever do get a stain it can be removed using a poultice-but act quickly and use the right one. You can always email or call us if you have any issues. Stu Rosen www.mbstonecare.com www.stoneshine.com

Hi Jem, I have Vermont Danby Olympian White throughout my kitchen, including all countertops and a slab back splash. I have some of those little white horizontal wavy lines, most of them are so deep that they can't be felt, others are fissures that can be felt a bit. Since they're a naturally occurring part of the stone, and my fabricator confirmed that they weren't cracks, they don't bother me at all. If you have a fabricator who you trust, you can have them take a look. Just make sure you use a fabricator who is familiar with marble, ideally Danby. One who has rarely/never worked with marble might not understand, or might tell you to steer clear because they're not sure themselves whether the little lines are a problem and want to cover themselves. Another idea would be to contact Vermont Quarries. I've found that they're really helpful. Good luck, and pls post pics if you have them!

I am a fabricator. The runnels will be equally likely to chip as any other part of the countertop with the same radius on the top edge. Marble is chipped relatively easily compared to other countertop materials. You might want to specify a rounded top edge for the runnels as this will substantially reduce the opportunity for chipping and won't appreciably affect the usability of that area.