Granite came from deep in the earth and cooled, creating crystals of the minerals in it (igneous) during the cooling process. That's why it is so very hard and dense and spotted. It's God's gift from the core of the earth.

Marble started out as limestone which settled in layers at the bottom of ancient seas or in wind-blown drift piles and later got compressed by heat and pressure, changing limestone to a more crystaline form (sedimentary, then metamorphic). That's why it can flake and chip. It's God's gift from ancient seas and can have fossils in it as well as colors from the layering and irregularities between layers. (Slate is also sedimentary, but it hasn't been exposed the same kind of pressure that marble has, so it chips and flakes more easily.) Because marble is mostly a calcium substance, it can be eroded by acids.

The variations in the stones is a matter of local geography--how the substance was created, cooled, and trapped within larger matrices. This all varies from place to place quite radically.

I fell in love with Rainforest Green marble, was very set on getting it, but my KD told me it would not only chip, etch, and all the other things you mention, but that even rolling out dough on the surface would eventually leave an indentation and that it's best used in a kitchen in which you want an aged or Old-World look. I still wanted it, but DH just couldn't stand the thought, so I settled for granite instead. So, I think you'll need to give some thought to whether you want that lived-in look for your kitchen, according to the advice I got.

I was drawn to marble specifically because it isn't busy like all the granites I saw. It was calm and beautiful. I happened upon quartzite and found a slab that I thought was marble because of how calm and serene it was with the veining. Then, I found out how durable it is. That was perfect for me. If that is what draws you to marble, you might check out quartzite.

Thanks for the perspective everyone. I know/knew marble, as beautiful as it was, was NOT the appropriate choice for my active home and kitchen.

la jan- I'll check it out, I found some "white" ones online last night- it does look perfect! AND, it's durable? Like granite? Or more so than granite? What is the cost comparison?

I will add another vote for quartzite - I really wanted a quiet look for my modest-sized kitchen and found quartzite to have all of the gorgeous depth of granite, but less dramatic, which worked well for me - keep looking until you find "the one"

RM--I love you!

rmkitchen- this is WONDERFUL to hear! Thank you for writing in. Our families sound very similar, we cook in our kitchen in a major way, lots of scratch cooking therefore counters are used for prep, often, if not a few times a day.

So, tell me, what marble did you get? Any pictures- I'd LOVE to see them? We're going with white cabinets too.

Have you taken any measures to seal or anything? And that is something I want to know- will this etching and such come up in 3 years or 20? That will absolutely sway me.

Do you know of any pictures online of "old" marble? I'd like to see that even in 10-15 years that that "old" look is something I might even cherish.

Thanks SO much for giving me a little more to think about before I go against marble.

I just put 2 inch carrara on monday. I have 3 young boys and 1 teen boy. I cook ALOT.. with red sauce.. I am a nervous wreck that I made a mistake.. but it looks and feels awesome! TO be seen how it holds up.. we are nto using the kitchen yet.. still under construction. I was the same way.. I couldnt get myself to like anything but marble!

I am you. I LOVE marble but my DH really had issues with it (etching, scratching, staining) and neither of us was willing to baby it. We are going with something called Supreme White - some call it granite others call it quartzite. I checked out all available in my area (Boston) and found a more dramatic slab, which we picked. But there is much that is softer and very evocative of marble. I never really thought that that it had the linear nature of marble, except the Luce de Luna was close. I was surprised to find that not all of the distributors or fabricators categorized it as a quartzite, but as granite. Some the names I found for the stone, whatever it is, were:

Super White, Supreme White, White Fantasy, Princess White and Luce de Luna (the more linear, the others are more webby.)

So I am desperately trying to put in marble everywhere else (back splash, bathroom.) I was hoping at some point my husband would just acquiesce on the counter but no luck when we found the super white (that looks like head cheese according to another poster :) which I was overwhelmed with at first but really love now. Note as gray as the photos, and even has some warm subtle peach color undertones.

I will try to create a photo album of the quartzites I found & post. They really vary from amounts of gray and white and in contrast/how busy they are so I would ask stone yards to email photos AND ask questions about color (because photos can be off.)

Here is a link to a thread on my backsplash, the photo album has pictures of my Super White slab. Appreciate any input on backsplash :)

All that said about Quartzites - if you don't find something you love I would encourage you not to compromise. Get the beautiful marble - if you read up on old posts most of those who did they don't seem to regret it.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Supreme White Slab & Backsplash options

Here is a link to the album of the Quartzite I found in my area a month ago. Although there are multiple photos of some, I am only showing 5 slabs (or lots in the case of the one we chose.) Most of what I found around here was the more what I call webby white and gray with
differing contrast and levels of gray and white versus the more linear movement. Again, get photos from the fabricators & distributors AND talk to them about color - you can only really see what it looks like in person, but you may be able to narrow down from the photos. Especially before you drive all around only to find more marble you love :)

I found this part of the process the most difficult.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photos of Quartzite Slabs