Is it honed or polished? Either way, your fabricator should be able to come in and redo whichever it is. Or you could just leave limes all over the rest of your counter :)

Are you saying that the etch mark of half a lime is the egregious culprit that is driving you crazy? This is the etch mark in your kitchen? And this is THE etch in three years' time? If that's so, then why is that 'unexpected'? Have you given thought to the 'driving me crazy' part?

If I'm not mistaken, a professional can get the etching out of marble.

I'm dying to see what your etch looks like. My cabinets are ordered and I'm trying to decide on counters. I'm so worried about etching. Can you post a photo? I can guarantee with 100% certainty that something will be left on my counter overnight at some point.

A cleaner or poultice will not take the etching out, pro or otherwise. The only way to improve it is to buff the area down -- taking the top layer of stone down below the level of the etch. If the stone is polished, you wither have to repolish (most likely professional to get the same kind of shine), but you can buff out the honed and try to lessen the impact.

If this makes you crazy or deciding on counters make you crazy with worry, don't go with marble. If marble is part of your dream of a pristine kitchen, don't do it. There are too many good alternatives. If you can embrace marble, the wear and tear without tears, if you love your oldest denim the best and you love lined for it's unique look, feel and the way it does wrinkle, then marble might be your thing. Seven years here, and no itch.

The half of a lime was quite juicy and there's like a six-inch circle of lime etch where it was, and the location happens to be on the counter right where I enter the kitchen and is more visible due to the way the light falls there.
I believe it is a honed marble, so how would I go about buffing it out?

lcskaisgir; I tried to get a picture, but it is not really visible in the shot, I think it must be the angle/glare.

Just wanted to say that I get etches- of course- in my Danby marble. Most don't bother me at all. However if I get a bad one or one that is a perfect circle, etc. I scrub it a bit on the edges with a green scrubby and it's much better. When I was using a sample 18" square when deciding on marble I even scrubbed down the whole thing with the scrubby and it all looked uniform and great. Then you'd just have to reseal most likely.

A wet green scrubby, a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser or fine to very fine grit sand paper (220 grit or higher -- depends on the degree of hone/polish to your stone and the severity of the etch. Since you haven't done it before, I'd start gentler and with something you have on hand if possible. Go in small round motions and without a lot of pressure. You can always adjust from there. Just a light buff will be enough to lessen if not remove most etches. Do reseal the area after you are done to maintain stain protection.

This post was edited by lascatx on Mon, Oct 7, 13 at 23:46

Hard as it is to believe, our Carrera has been down now for 7 months. Though we wanted honed, we ended up with polished. We have a very active kitchen with 4 generations and lots of entertaining going on. We have etches, one scrape, and a very small blemish (not quite a chip). I can be a real _ _ _ on some things, but as to the marble, it feels so alive, and I couldn't imagine it any other way. Be careful what you do to correct the blemish, you may make it worse with these home remedies. In our area we can have it honed or polished in place in an afternoon for between $400-500. We'll do that in a few years or if we ever sell.

I have a friend who has a "wet repair" done on her counters about every 3 years. It essentially corrects all of the etches by re-honing it (I think). My recollection is she pays $500 for this, much like Whit said. I think she found the "marble doctors" through her fabricator. So obviously in some areas there are people who make a living taking etching out of marble. She once told me that she thinks of it like getting her rugs cleaned every other year--maintenance cost to keep them looking new, and while sort of costly, it's part of upkeep for a house.

Yes-A stone refinisher will be able to refinish your marble surfaces back to the original condition the day they were installed. In most cases probably better. He or she will also give you the full story on sealing your stone or not and some maintenance tips.
If you have had stone installed polished that should have been honed a stone refinisher can change finishes and textures of stone as well.

Thanks, all! Anyone have a name/experience with a Central NJ Stone refinisher?