I don't have it, although I do dream about it. Just to add more anticipation to the process....I saw this photo this morning on a blog called The Enchanted Home. Had to share.

{{!gwi}}

Also, as I was cruising my stone fabricator's website yesterday (looking for a friend, no, really a friend, not a "friend") I saw that this is posted in regards to caring for marble. I'm sure many many many of you already know this, but I thought I'd post it since, well, I don't have marble and really want to use it somewhere.

"We recommend investing in a really good stain protection sealer with a stain warranty from Daltile and DuPont Advanced Protection. This is the only sealer that actually warrants against stains specifically for Marble for a period of 15 years. This does not warrant against scratches or etching, but it does cover staining.

Here is a link that might be useful: If you need more details about the photo, or to see other marble photos.

hi water..

Oh my...that was me with the cookie sheets:)...

I only do that if I think we are going to make a really big potential mess, which isn't that often... and it is more to protect my GROUT...NOT the marble. I don't want the grout (which is sealed right along with the marble) to become stained.

Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but my kitchen is still new to me and yes...I'm babying it!

I find the actual marble tiles I have to be durable as a backsplash material..I just wipe them down with warm soapy water.

I would think that a slab of marble would be a great choice for behind your stove...no grout to worry about...so you could skip the cookie sheets:)

KA:)

All. Marbles. Etch. Every one of them. No exceptions.

If you put marble behind your stove, you can protect it with foil or a cookie sheet. You can stop cooking with vinegars, wine, tomatoes, lemon or any other acidic ingredient that might cause etching. Or just learn to live with the etches.

Hopefully, we are only talking about small spots here and there, not water rings or other oddities that can appear on a horizontal countertop. In your lighting, you may not even see any etches very clearly anyway. Or they could be blazingly obvious. But you will get etching if a bubble or drip of any acidic substance touches your backsplash. You have to be fine with that, or don't get marble.

I have crema marfil marble 3x12 (cut by the installer) on my backsplash. I think it is similar to KA's. I don't baby it. Oil (my husband now thinks frying french fries and Ton Katsu are fun on the new induction) has not been a problem. Nor has tomato things. It is sealed and everything seems to wipe right up.

I had a similar backsplash but with limestone in a previous kitchen i remodeled in 2000. 5 years and nothing stained there either.

My soapstone fabricator, who also deals with marble told me about a new 'green' sealer for marble that seems to work more effectively against etching etc..and is the new advance in marble use in kitchens. I wasn't getting marble (yet), although I have my eye on a marble backsplash with subway tile, so I will see if I can get the name of the product and create a post about it. Not sure if anyone else has heard of it though.

marcy, please, pretty please post a picture of your backsplash! I love the crema marfil and would LOVE to see it as a backsplash. I am considering using a slab of it too in my butler's pantry but haven't ever seen it as a slab or as tile.

mythree, here you go! These were 12x12 tiles that I had the contractor cut into 4 pieces (3x12).

jalsy6...do you happen to know the name of the new green sealer? will you post back if you can find out? Thanks!

Thank you thank you Marcy, it is beautiful --- and what a good idea to have them cut to the size you had in mind....what is your granite, also gorgeous!

Get a sample, plop it behind your cooktop, and see how it holds up. Or do the torture test on a flat surface to get it really messed up, and THEN hold it under your hood lights and see if it's tolerable.

fori's sample idea is a good one.

The granite was called "Golden Crema" . I've also seen it called "Crema Romanzo" and variations on Delicatus. Country of origin is Brazil. marcy96's Namimbian Gold looks just like it too.

Thanks - I love it. The grey areas are crystal-y with a lot of depth. I keep finding new interesting areas.

Thanks everyone.

I've never really understood what etching is! So the sample idea is particularly good.

I didn't mean to slam you guys for taking care of your backsplashes, kitchenaddict! Just don't want to try to persuade DH (or myself on bad days) to be so careful.

Thanks for all these great ideas and pictures.

Beautiful, thank you!

I'd like some info on that "green" marble sealer, too :)

I've never really understood what etching is!

It looks like this:

{{!gwi}}
>

The color of the marble doesn't change--the finish does. It looks like you have a permanent dirty splash or drink ring. Some people don't care, and sometimes the lighting makes the etching hard to see.

I should point out that my backsplash is honed, not polished. Etching is way more visible on polished, like the pics marcolo posted.

I have honed calcutta gold marble in subway tiles behind cooktop. It has been splashed with tomato sauce, oil, etc. I, like kitchenaddict, worry more about the grout than the marble. It always wipes up, whereas the grout line takes more to keep clean. So far no permanent stains. I look for marble etching, but cannot see it. Almost two years now.
A slab would be gorgeous!

I have Crema Marfil polished 1x2 staggered tiles. I love it!! I've splashed tomato sauce on it and saw it much later and it just wipes off! Easy to maintain so far!

hi water...

No worries about offending me...

As la jan said..It's all about the grout. Hate dirty grout...that's why I don't have tile flooring anymore.

I don't worry about the marble tiles at all...I don't think they will etch since they are a backsplash, which doesn't take the abuse that a counter does. And you're thinking of using a whole slab behind your stove, right? I think it would be very nice and durable enough.

I love the look of marble counters, but I couldn't stomach the etching, like in marcolo's pictures. My old kitchen had Corian counters and they etched like crazy....hated it.

KA:)

marcydc, where did you get your tile from? I have been toying with the idea of cutting absolute black granite into 4"x12" for a more modern look, but I have black cabinets, and an alternative would be something similar to the crema marfil if I go a lighter route. thanks.

Wow, this is really helpful. Glad I didn't assume I'd be able to live with etching on marble counters. I would have assumed polished would be better than honed for a backsplash too-- now I know.

You all have reassured me-- I am going to look into the single slab behind the stove. Thanks!!

We've had our 1x2" white venatino tile backsplash for 4 years now and it's still spotless, even behind the rangetop. We sealed it (and our grout) with Miracle 511 and everything has wiped right off without a mark. I don't see any evidence of etching yet, but the fact that it's a honed finish on a vertical plane helps alot...there may be some etched specs, I just can't see them.

So I was in touch with my fabricator, he actually owns the sealer company and sprays it on...would be happy to give people his info, but don't want to break any GW advertising rules! He's travels the New England territory, and his website is centralnewenglandsoapstonefab.com

I got it from a small shop in San Francisco. About $7 a s.f. Black Sea Stone.

I'm sure all the big places have it too. Home Depot had crema marfil, but the pieces i look at there were a little more uniform, less interesting.