I'm not a stone expert, but WOW - what a match for your baker's table!

Oh man.....that is incredible!!

YOu guys aren't helping!!! You're suppose to tell me about cracks and fissures, how it'll etch and get ruined, why it won't match and be too busy, how it's too fragile to fabricate, and all the reasons why I CAN'T want it!!!

Is it close enough so you can see it in person? Maybe just as one piece for the bakers table and a white marble for the rest of the kitchen.

Yea... it's Miami... no more then 45-50 minutes. But I think they want to sell the entire lot. I actually really do want to know about how this stone functions. If it's super durable and practical. I'd take a ride to look at it in consideration. BUt first I'd have to find a competent fabricator and see how much they'd charge.

Just like me putting the cart before the horse... DH is no where near ready for the cabs yet and I'm picking stone. Yep, that's typical me!!

Looks like they have a craigslist ad, too. (http://fortmyers.craigslist.org/col/hsh/1594193590.html)

Searches show that it its used for counters, walls, and low traffic floors. Found this historical reference, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Historical reference

What the stone apparently was not used for was statues. I'd guess that it doesn't stand up to the outside elements well so probably more prone to etching and hairline fractures than more commonly used kitchen marbles.

All marbles etch when they come into contact with acids. It's simple geology and chemistry. Things like wine, lemon juice, tomato sauce, even water will dissolve the surface of your marble and leave dull whitish areas behind.

And while sealers may help a bit, they can't prevent etching unless they completely top-coat the surface. If the sealer completely top-coats the surface, your slab won't feel like stone; it'll feel like sealer. Like plastic. You may have seen and felt slabs that have been sealed this way, and once you have, you know to avoid it...

Darker polished marbles show the etching more than lighter or honed stones, but busier stones might camouflage etching better than plainer stones. So this stone would be a mixture, with etches highly visible in some spots, and less so in others.

Some materials age gracefully -- Meaning they acquire a patina that blends harmoniously into the material itself and enhances the appeal. Carrara marble and soapstone are often considered to be such materials. Golden oak, butcher block, brick, and wrought iron also age gracefully. Polished materials often don't. How would you feel about this stone when it is etched and dinged?

Here's my .02 cents for what it's worth:

The stone in question (BV) has been available for a long time - and the quarry
still has deposits - so it's not like a 1932 Ford Coupe... it'll be around for a
while.. cost wise is a little more than the going rate for Fabricators -
It's in South Florida where times are REALLY hard right now for Fabricators.

This material (2CM slabs) is NOT for Monuments OR Statues (sp?).... It's
for countertops or the "Dimensional Stone Market" _ it's totally gorgeous on
any countertop - but IF you want to use it in your kitchen - it IS GOING TO BE
VERY HIGH MAINTENANCE BECAUSE IT'S A VARIANT OF MARBLE!!!!

I have only done this stone ONCE in a kitchen, and it was spectacular - BUT -
The kitchen was not used a lot, and we combined the BV with Galaxy Black.

IF you JUST CAN'T GO ON LIVING WITHOUT THIS STUFF IN YOUR KITCHEN -
What I would suggest is having this material EITHER "Honed" OR "Leather Textured"
to help hide the wear that will show IF you were to use BV in it's polished state....

There's TONS of OTHER stones that will work BETTER in your kitchen - but
not as many that have that Psychadelic Rabbit Phlem - Acid Trip - "Look" that
you get with BV..... LOL!!!

It's your kitchen - just remember that IF you DO USE BV - It'll take a lot of
extra care and maintenance (keeping it clean and keeping acids off the stone
if it's polished) - to make it look like it did when it was new...

hth

kevin

kevin,
thanks for the heads up... as I suspected and you and sweeby verified; this marble is not for me. I am a low maintance girl both personally and the way I like to live. I am also a serious down and dirty up to my elbows in dough kinda girl. I love to cook frequently for family and friends and am known to do so. And when I do... I am like a tornado in the kitchen. My DH kids..."get outta her way... she's on fire"...

Nope... I have a bakers table that's screamin' for a piece of Calcutta or Danby marble. And i want it honed... and I won't mind that kind of etching. Well... looking at that marble was at least entertaining!

Remodelfla, it does look drop dead gorgeous. Have you considered putting a chapel in your home?

Oh, bummer about the care and feeding of the marble. It was absolutely stunning.