Honed!

I have honed carrara, and the etch marks are very hard to see. I have polished marble in my master bath and the etch marks are much, much more noticeable.

Maybe you can get a sample of each and etch them both and see what you think?

Good luck!

Erika

I don't have marble YET but have read every thread that ever came up about it and will definitely do honed.

That's what I was thinking too.. until today, when I spoke to an employee who was saying that honed marble will suck up every stain that hits it. He said that sealing will help a bit but that it is basically a sponge. This sort of scared me off because carrara is basically a black/white/grey color scheme and any yellowing (or red or any other color) may show up frightening well!!

I was going to state what erika said. You can seal honed marble and it does not make it appear polished. If sealed adequately, it will repel stains reasonably and the etching won't be as apparent as with polished marble.

Thanks for the advice. I will get a sample of the honed and seal it and then abuse it!!

Erika, since you have both honed and polished it seems that you have a clear picture of the benefits of honed. How long have you had your contertops and how often do you seal them? Also, do you have them all over the kitchen (as I will) or did you just put them on less used areas.

I have carrara marble on my sink wall and the island will also be carrara (going in next week). I have stainless steel on my cooktop wall. My marble has only been in for a little over 2 months, and I've sealed it once so far. Other people on the forum have had their marble countertops for much longer, and if you do a search for "marble" in the search box at the bottom of the page you'll find many discussions on the subject.

Good luck!

Erika

I've had my marble for my main counters (either side fo the cooktop and the sink) for nearly 2-1/2 years. It's honed and I woulodn'thave it any other way in my kitchen -- both for wear and the look I wanted (old bakery/soda fountain counter). It was sealed when installed and once again -- touched up a bit when something might have had more wear than normal, and I have had tomato sauces, coffee and red wine drip and pass unnoticed for hours. I have never had a stain. I do have etching, but you wouldn't be likely to notice it unless you knew to look for it.

Oh thanks so much for the input. It is very reassuring to hear especially when EVERY granite/marble place says "we really don't recommend that you put that in the kitchen!"

Erika-your sink area looks just stunning! Do you have more photos posted here? I am relatively new to GW and haven't nearly mastered this site yet:)

rubyvine - "It is very reassuring to hear especially when EVERY granite/marble place says "we really don't recommend that you put that in the kitchen!" "

This is EXACTLY what our guy told us. He even has a disclaimer on the quote about stains, etc. Kinda scary, but I think it will be ok. Our marble will go on the island only, so if I feel the need to replace it down the road, it wouldnt be hard to do. I dont plan for that to happen, but its just a nice reassuring afterthought.