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Help finding honed marble for my kitchen countertops!

4 years ago

I've researched for months and I know what I want - a honed marble for my kitchen countertops. But I can't find any ANYWHERE near me! And by that I mean I've looked everywhere I can find within about a 5 hour drive. No one has it! They have all sorts of polished slabs, but the only honed I can find is carrara that's almost all gray. What's up with that? We are building and have had the cabinets in for a month and need countertops asap. My husband is planning to take the day off on Friday so we can drive wherever we need to in order to find what we want, but no one has any! Suggestions? How can we find slabs to even look at???

Featured Answer

karen sue

4 years ago

Have you contacted Peterson Granite , I think they are in Springdale, Ar.? I used to live in northern Arkansas and got a beautiful slab of granite from them and they did excellent work. I think it would be worth a phone call. Good luck !!

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Comments (15)

PRO
Anglophilia
4 years ago
It would be helpful to know where you live.
jrbwalley
Original Author
4 years ago
I am in southwest Missouri, near Springfield.
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Polished is shiny and honed is a matte finish. Acidic substances (limes, vinegar & many others) will etch marble. On a polished marble, it takes the "polish" right off. Honed marble also etches but is is less noticeable than polished. Many stoneyards have slabs that are already honed, so you don't necessarily have to pay extra to have them honed. There are many threads on GW about marble. Just google "gardenweb kitchen forum, marble." I believe I've read almost all of them. I still decided to get honed marble & I love it.
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rubyvine, before I sealed my honed marble, it was indeed like a sponge ... water soaked right in! I sealed it myself with 511 Impregnator available from Home Depot ... easy process: spray on, rub in and wipe excess off. Now water and other liquids stay on the surface. I've spilled all kinds of stuff on it: coffee, tomato sauce, soy sauce ... some of the drips sat overnight ... and no stains. I can't urge you strongly enough to get a good sized sample of the honed marble, seal it and then abuse it. Drip some lemon juice on it so that you'll know what etching looks like and whether or not you can tolerate it. Good luck! Erika
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Hi again rinskin, Go to the second link I sent you and then click on some of the links that branch out from that. These are all designer/bloggers and they all recommend honed AND some are getting them rehoned from time to time. One designer said she bought hers honed but wants them honed again for an even more matte finish. They all talk about living with marble and the fact that it will etch and that is a part of its beauty....if you love marble. If you prefer the pristine look and glossiness, go with quartzite or polished granite. It sounds like you want the look of honed marble. Don't be afraid, come over to the dark side....lol ;)
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I am convinced now that it's a mindset thing. If you are the type where crumbs on the counter, water rings on a table, etc will bug you to distraction, then you may be susceptible to a problem with marble. But your attitude can change. Admittedly I was more high strung as a parent of small children. I learned to let go a bit as a parent of older kids and teenagers. I realize that certain things are not "on my radar" and other things are what catches my attention--things just change. People come to this realization at different times in their life. I came upon it earlier after being diagnosed with cancer. Many things just don't bug me anymore. They just can't have high priority. Yet, I have a friend who everything bugs her--that's fine. She can't have anything out of place--just her style. She wouldn't have marble, but since I don't care if there is etching, I will. Kids can co-habitate with marble--thousands of Italian families can attest to this. Yet, there will be some who it just won't work for--totally OK :) Once upon a time, I couldn't have anyone throw a jacket on the floor...it would make me start screaming at one of my children. Now I just walk right by those same jackets crumpled into a ball in the entry....it mystifies even me. It's like I somehow got immunity to those things like a peanut-allergy patient who has been clinically de-sensitized to peanuts! Marble is a real choice in my future for the first time in 20 years!
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karen sue
4 years ago
Meant to add they also had marble at that time.
jrbwalley
Original Author
4 years ago
I will look into that, thanks!
dan1888
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
The care for honed marble as a kitchen counter will be daunting. Honed quartzite would be a breeze.
nini804
4 years ago
^ I’ve had honed marble in my kitchen for 8 years. I’ve found it quite easy to deal with.
Zalco/bring back Sophie!
4 years ago
Honed marble for three years here. No regrets. No trouble. Would never have anything else.
lorilou72
4 years ago
I've been thinking about you @jrbwalley and wondering if you had found slabs yet! Can your fabricator not hone slabs? My fabricator was able to hone mine when I could only find polished for my master bath. Also, does your fabricator have certain distributors that they deal with that may have online inventory? AG&M and Levantina might be distributors that they use.
cpartist
4 years ago
I have honed marble tiles in my bathroom. They originally were polished. My tile setter used a solution of muriatic acid to hone them.
dan1888
4 years ago
Plenty of informative discussion including This from Karin, a geologist.
jrbwalley
Original Author
4 years ago
I've read it all, dan1888 - the vast majority of people I've heard from who have it love it. I'd be open to a honed quartzite if I could find one I like but those seem few and far between as well. I want a natural stone, not quartz/resin. Lorilou, I don't understand why I can't get a polished slab and have it honed, but they don't seem to do that. I have looked at AG&M but am not familiar with Levantina, I'll look that up.
PRO
Anglophilia
4 years ago
I’d do a bit of calling to Kansas City and St Louis. They should be able to send samples or photographs, or just go to one, my parents lived in Springfield, near Phelps Grove Park. For 11 years, we lived in St Louis (after they moved from there) and I’ve made that drive more times than I care to count.
beachem
4 years ago
You need to look for a special fabricator who hone slabs for the trade. That’s what I did with my quartzite and granite. The cost was $750 to leather my slab. I bought the slab from distributor and had it transferred to the honing fabricator then onto the regular fabricator.
Allison0704
4 years ago
Any fabricator can take a polished slab and hone it in their shop before cutting.

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