I don't mind the marble in the kitchen or laundry but I would think twice about the little kids' bathrooms unless you are super meticulous. Not only can a water cup leave a ring but if placed in the same spot over and over again, it will start to really make a mark. You can of course circumvent this by making sure that you don't leave anything on the counters but only in drawers/cabinets. We had a soap dish that we thought was never wet and lo and behold when I moved it one day it left an imprint. Because of that, I left the soap dish where it was and then forever I could never move it because it got worse and worse. My kids like to have the hand soap on their counters and so I had to purchase trays for that too--which I had to make sure were never wet underneath. It's a bit high maintenance to have marble in a bathroom. Our last house I used white granite instead and then never worried about it! Here is the white granite--totally bulletproof. Never stained etched or had ANY problems.

I was in a 10-year-old kitchen last weekend with Carrara countertops. Around the cooktop the counters were not stained, but there were (to me) very noticeable etches throughout the kitchen, visible in both natural and artificial light. I knew what the etches were, but I thought they made the counter look dirty. If you saw those kinds of marks on Formica you would think the kitchen or bathroom needed a good cleaning. There were a lot of etches around the range from tomato sauce and other acidic splatters and drips, and they were especially visible in the light of the cooktop hood. Marble owners on this forum love their gorgeous counters, but I think they downplay the etching issue, saying that etches are only visible if you really look for them. I also think etching is tough to capture in a photo. I would try to see an older marble kitchen before you commit, to make sure it is right for you.

Mine is Stone Tech -- made by DuPont. Not sure if it's the same one you are talking about but I've had it down just short of 4 years. I have no complaints with it. I would just get the sealer and don't worry about the warranty. Not only is it like buying a tire and thinking they'll replace your car, you don't want the counters replaced, the cabinets and slash possibly damaged, your sink and plumbing upset (which I'm sure they won't cover), and that's assuming you overcome the it wasn't applied correctly and it wasn't maintained correctly exceptions. They said repair or replace, and chances are the only thing they will do is tell you that you that the sealer either wasn't applied correctly or that it is a wear area where you should have reapplied sealer and then apply a poultice and tell you to reseal the area. I doubt they do pay out on any replacements. But it sounds good. Marble is a very durable stone and can be worked with. Most sealers will do a fine job of protecting from stains. They do need to be reapplied, especially in your heavy traffic areas. I've only spot resealed in some wear spots, but I've had tomato sauce, chocolate and other stuff splattered in places I didn't see and clean until the morning after. No stains. In the wear area by my sink, I had a light tea stain, but it came right out with any special efforts -- a little cleaner and a light buffing. If it were worse, I'd have been here looking for a poultice to put on it. To me, that's less of an issue than waiting around to have someone come do it for me, dealing with the dogs while they do it and having to listen to "don't you know this about your marble, honey." Get the marble and enjoy it -- or don't. Don't get it thinking miracle products will change the nature of the stone and make it okay for you. Be okay with the stone itself if you are going to get it.

I am having marble installed in my kitchen soon and my fabricator will seal it with Miracle 511 Porous Plus. They said that this sealer will simultaneously remove old sealer as it puts down new and penatrates into the stone - so that there is no "tacky" sealer buildup. (Not sure if that's what the OP read about regarding cleaning while sealing.) Anyway, according to them, you only need to seal once every five years or so. Does anyone in the know have comments about this? I want to make sure the counters are sealed properly to minimalize staining. Thanks!