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Are carrera / carrara marble and venatino marble the same?

13 years ago

Any stone experts out there? I saw samples last week of a marble called bianco venatino. It is from Italy. I thought it looked a lot like carrera marble, but the salesperson swears it is different. Then, today, a different marble store said, no, they are the same.

What's the story? Couldn't compare the two venatinos side by side, but one was double the price of the other.

Featured Answer

beachbum

13 years ago

I had Venatino...it's a type of carrara from what I understand. It has more veining rather than dots and specks. For me, it was a good price compromise between far more expensive statuary and regular carrara. Mine had a lot of white with grey veins...unlike most of the calcutta that I've seen which is more brown.
Here is a picture of mine

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Comments (9)

barthelemy
13 years ago
Venatino is a special grade of Carrara marble, but it is Carrara.
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I know how you feel, maymester. There's some scary stuff out there. I am about to put carrera venatino on my master bathroom floors (honed) and shower walls (polished). It seems like such a popular material. The tile/stone places I'm looking at are telling me it is flying off the shelves and I'm seeing it on nearly every HGTV design show of late. What about all the fabulous old spaces in Europe that have had it for hundreds of years? Everyone can't be having such a horrible experience, can they?
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lascatx
13 years ago
Mine is venatino. I was told they come from the same quarry but are classified by appearance. The background of the venatino is whiter where the background of carrera is more grey. My slab has a mix of spots and finer dark veins with some more subtle broader ones. They reminded me of ink squiggles and blots on old parchment. I thought of da Vinci and I was sold. And in the end, that's really what matters -- finding a look that is special to you. No one else may see my marble the way it hit me.
dandylandy
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the explanations!

beachbum, that is gorgeous marble! I hope what we get ends up coming out as nice.

We are looking for floor tiles. I know a lot of people on this board have picked their slabs, but has anyone gotten to hand pick floor tiles? There was a huge variation in color among the different marbles we saw, and I'd like to have better control over choosing the exact color and amount of veining.
dandylandy
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi again,

I just spent some time googling about the quarries and found out that "venato" means the marble has big "veins" and "venatino" means it has little veins.

I don't speak Italian, but this seems plausible enough!

Anyone have photos of either venatino or venato installed on the floor?

I am now wondering which one will look better in our kitchen!
pricklypearcactus
13 years ago
Wow beachbum, that is stunning! Thank you so much for sharing a picture. I love the look of white stone (especially marble) countertops with slab backsplashes.
marble_com
13 years ago
Similar, but not the same!
Bethtrn
10 years ago
We have installed blue pearl granite countertops and picked out bianco venatino marble for the backsplash. On the display at the store, this bianco venatino looked much "whiter." Even before applying, the subway tiles in the box looked whiter. Since being applied to the wall, they look murky grey in color. My cabinets are white and I have white appliances. Will this bianco venatino look ok? It just looks murky. Maybe it will grow on me, but right now I am somewhat disappointed.
PRO
Granite City Services
10 years ago
We fabricate both. White Carerra is generally considered a lot prettier, it is whiter and has more pronounced veining.

Not surprisingly, Venatino is several $ per sq. ft. cheaper raw material cost.

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