I don't want to be argumentative, but if you have read everything, what more can be said? Don't you already have the pros and cons? Will saying it again make you believe something you apparently don't believe now? I'm sorry, but after years of replying to threads about marble, I really don't know what more can be said. Go get a tile or 2 or 3 and play with them (acids, stains, sandpaper, sealers, etc.), then decide for yourself.

Marble has been used for centuries, but it is not what everyone wants now. In the end, you have to make that decision for yourself, and if in that much doubt, I would say don't.

Thanks-- I appreciate your note. I know how it will wear and also the pros and cons. Its human to want to know if people regret or love it. Every day on GW people ask for others to indicate if they like stuff they've done or not, and what their favorite and least favorite parts of their kitchen are. I view this as the same type of inquiry. i don't want to know what happens with it, but rather, if people love it or regret it, just like anyone else who asks for advice. hindsight is wisdom and all that. Thanks again!

Although marble has been discussed to death, it is more than fair to ask those with marble if they have any regrets. My answer -- yes and no. Yes, I love it, and yes, I would do it again, but I have a few hesitations. My carpenter (working in another room in the house!) had a hammer in his tool belt and knocked into the counter taking a chip with him. It was easily repaired and now invisible to all eyes (but mine!), but the incident did give me pause for thought. I also notice that when we have a dinner party and folks very nicely help --bringing dishes and glasses from the dining room and placing them on the counter-- I do get a little worried that there might be wine on the bottom of the glasses or some form of acid on the bottom of the plates that will etch. Moments like that make me think that maybe I am not truly cut out to be a carefree marble person. However, I do think my counters are beautiful! I grew up in an old house with marble shelves in the pantry so I like the sense of history that marble gives a new or renovated kitchen. Good luck with your decision, let us know what you decide! Lilly

I am also interested in this--a lot of the old threads hash over pros and cons, but this question, asking people who have lived with marble for a while, is more specific.

Damn, someone has a stick up their butt. Sorry, I don't have marble. Good luck with your choice!!

It's hard to even get into the marble debate without pros and cons. But I'll go ahead with my 2 cents.

I love and hate my countertops. They offer such a quiet background for my kitchen. They are both soft looking and feeling. I get a sense of calm when I walk into my bright airy kitchen. I have no stains, but tons of etches and rings from my glasses. We drink a lot of wine so there are are at least 10 HUGE rings. To top it off, my husband just dropped a brad nailer on the peninsula and now I have an enormous ding. I know that I'll get used to this imperfect yet beautiful surface, but it has only been 3 months.

What I really hate about my honed carrara is the fact it requires strong chemical based sealers. I'm hesitant to put any food item directly on it just to avoid the chemicals. For this reason alone, I might not put marble (or anything requiring sealing) on a kitchen counter again. Once I tire of this or it gets beaten to hell with power tools, etches, scratches, etc I might move on to soapstone.

I don't have, but really felt that I needed to reply to twn85 about her marble getting beaten to he** and then replacing it...

If I could get a piece of marble that already had been well loved (etches, dings, scratches, etc. [although, please hold the stains if you could]), I would put that in my kitchen in a heartbeat, not get rid of it! I'd love to get the patina of marble that has been well loved. So, when you're ready to get rid of yours after it's been thoroughly beaten up, just make sure it will fit my layout and I'll take it! :)

Andreak100.. maybe it's just that its not beaten enough? The dings, scratches, and rings all stand out like a sore thumb because the rest of the marble is in good shape.. so far.

Everyone talks about the "patina" of marble, but i've never actually seen it in real life. And right now, there's no patina in my kitchen.. just beat up 3 month old marble counters.

I will save them for sure if I decide to cross over to the dark side.

I've had mine for almost a year. It is honed Carrara. I truly love it, and would absolutely use it again. I have no stains, and the mild etching I do have doesn't bother me at all. It is the prettiest countertop surface I have ever seen.

twn85, maybe we need to have a "beat up the counter" party at your place so we can speed up the process? haha I can imagine that the process of getting to where it looks well loved rather than just a few "careless accidents" will take some time and/or several cooking parties! Hang in there.

We've had our marble counters in for a year and change now and love them. Yup, we've etched them in a couple of spots (vinegar, lemon juice) and have chipped one edge by the sink and the lip over the dishwasher.

Love them and would do it all over again. If you want a pristine looking counter forever then don't buy marble. If you like 'character' and love marble, then buy it.

At the end of the day it's counters. If in 10 years you hate it pony up and replace it.

I would love to get a granite that looks like the Carrara marble. Does anyone have this granite and what is it called....also would like to know the average cost per square foot of installed granite?

We have Eureka Danby marble. Installed April 2011. It is white with grey and brown/gold markings -- but has a more rustic feeling than Calacatta. When I first saw a sample of Danby marble I knew immediately that it was what I wanted, or more precisely, it was what my kitchen wanted and needed. A year later, I still love it. It is one of my favorite things in the kitchen. Absolutely no regrets. It's perfect for our kitchen and our old house. A few tiny etches but I really don't care.

Caseyrose, I have had my marble nearly 6 years and have personally responded to a number of threads asking about people who have actually lived with marble. I remember specif reference to a year or more, so the lived with angle is not really new. When a person says they've read everything that has been said and are well versed, I figure they should have seen those comments too. At that point, how much more is there I or anyone else with marble counters can say?

That said, I just went to search and try to find those threads. I know I have posted in them, but finding them is another matter. That's unfortunate, because there is a wealth of info on this forum alone. I'll try to be more patient -- and to not post when I'm fed up with the dramas I was hoping to escape for a while. Not to worry -- I'm not making thinly veiled insults. I have just had an overwhelming year so far, mostly family dramas.

For the record. seven years ago, I was told I didn't want marble -- marble didn't belong in a kitchen, etc. There weren't tons of discussions. Mine will soon be installed 6 years -- wouldn't change it. I knew I wanted marble then and haven't second guessed myself once in all that time -- except about how long it has been.

Vnana, in my view, only marble really looks like marble, but you might get more response to that question if you post a new thread about white granites.

I had my small kitchen and bathroom gut renovated last fall and used honed Calacatta for the counters, windowsills and shower niche. It was something I fell in love with as soon as I saw and touched it. Everyone -- friends, contractor, showroom sales people -- tried to talk me out of it.

Well, I inherited a lot of stubbornness from my Irish parents and can't be talked out of something once I make up my mind. All I can say is go with your gut, do your homework, go in with your eyes open and get what you want! It is absolutely gorgeous and worth every penny -- I can't help smiling every time I walk into my kitchen. Granted, I live alone and am very careful with it. I have a huge Boos board on the counter next to the stove so that's my prep space covered, and dirty dishes sit in the sink before they go in the dishwasher, and I alone do the dinner party clean up so I don't have to stress about what's going on the counters that I don't see. But it's gorgeous and sometimes I just stand and pet it (or lay my cheek on it but you didn't hear that from me ;). I put a tiny chip in the bathroom counter with the hair dryer but at least I did it and can't put the blame on someone else.

Bottom line: life's short -- if you love it and it's in your budget and can deal with marble's issues, then get it and don't look back. It's a kitchen, not a museum.

This is very helpful. I like a lived-in looks; don't need everything polished and pristine, so I think I'd be happy with marble.

Ditto.
I also have read a lot about marble, but still is a little jitterly about purchasing 3 slabs of honed carrara marble.
But I know I will LOVE it!!!

It really helps to read these additional supporting (even with all the etches, etc) actual experiences.

Post your marble pix. Show them off!
Can never get enough of it!

thanks,
Amanda

i have marble and love it. have had it for about 1 yr or more. think the feasibility of marble varies depending on your living arrangements. i am a single working professional. i also invested in a large cutting board and if used strategically marble is very feasible. and it is so beautiful, it is one of my favorite things about my kitchen. i have a few small etches and no stains. i am careful to use cutting boards and apply sealer 2x a year. if i was a mom with a family and children, with purple juice sippy cups sitting around, probably not.

View of marble counter and backsplash in evening

butcher block cut to size, sits on top of counter to left of fridge. all of my major food prep is completed there. i can put it away when i do not want it out, but it usually stays out day to day.

I have Calacatta and am doing it again in a new build. The etching has never bothered me. We only really notice it when standing in one particular spot and the sun is shining directly on it.

Pictures of honed marble after 5 years. Good pictures that actually show the patina. That's what people want to see.

There is one picture that marcolo has posted in the past, showing horrible etching on a polished marble. But it's a. polished and b. kind of a darker reddish marble, and nobody seems to use either.

I have it upstairs in the guest bath. I think it is so beautiful but I don't know that I would get it again. It's just too heartbreaking to think it won't always look just the way it did on the first day, it's been in for about 3 months. It's extremely gorgeous and I have already seen an etch just from water lying on it around where the faucets are. Just yesterday I put two more coats of sealer on it. I worried about that too if it would damage it or if I sealed in dirt or something. I don't think the fabricator put much sealer on it if any since it was a remnant and it just soaked it up like crazy. I didn't like doing it and don't look forward to the next time. It's a chemical and I had to use my hand to spread it around evenly after spraying it on. Maybe the next time I won't be so scared! The granite in our kitchen is easy to seal. It has so much pattern that it's forgiving and although it is a very light color too it's not as porous and has the pattern to hide any imperfections. I love my granite! I love to "look" at my marble!

I have tried to capture my etches with my camera...but I can't get them to show up in a photo! I tried with the sunlight and with all of the lights on, but they just don't show up. I guess because it is honed? My master bath is polished, but I only have one tiny etch on it...I will try to take a pic of it tomorrow.

Pardon the side conversation, but babushka_cat, everytime I see your kitchen, I am reminded of just how much I love your colors and materials. Glad to hear it is well loved. Hope your big guy kitties are doing well.

Enjoying this thread. Jenc, hope you are getting close to being at peace with whatever choice you make. I'm smiling inside because I stressed over going with Alder cabinets. I'd hear the warning about how easily dentable it is (soft), and I needed to be sure I was willing to live with it. Every nic I see (like everyone's etches) I'm put to the test to practice being at peace with it, and I am - so far. :-)

babushka_cat--thanks for sharing the pictures. Your kitchen is beautiful!

This thread shows several etching pics:

PS- I'm getting marble in the fall! (vermont danby)

Here is a link that might be useful: dragonfly's thread on marble