Hi Jade BR. We are in Mountain View, CA. Somehow our marble slabs were much cheaper at this store (MSI International) than marble slabs at other stores. I think calacatta costs more in general. Also, the price I mentioned above did not include fabrication, so that's something to keep in mind. Total cost including three slabs, fabrication, honing, and sealing was $10,068. Thanks everyone! Yes, there was so much drama. :) Now we are happily just living in our kitchen and so happy to not be remodeling!

Thank you Sina. Although I dislike grout or cleaning it, I’m hesitant to go with the LG full slab because, although it is the more practical route for me, it feels like a very safe (and boring ??) route. I’m not trying to be super trendy but a part of me feels it should have a little more pizzaz by adding that herringbone pattern......ahhhh. Bouncing back and forth. It doesn’t help that I haven’t seen many pictures of people using LG as a backsplash...maybe it’s not a popular decision for a reason?!?? Sorry! I’m just thinking out loud.....

I have had Vermont Danby, the Olympian White variety, for over 4 years. If you go with any marble, you need to understand its properties before you purchase it, so you won't be surprised. It is indeed more dense than other marbles, and does not stain, meaning that it does not discolor from coffee, tea, wine, berries, etc. I have no discolorations on the marble, BUT I do have lots of etching. It is a calcium-based stone, and as such will etch from anything acidic--wine, vinegar, pickles, citrus, tomatoes, even hard water. There's no way to prevent it, as etching is a wearing away of the stone due to a chemical reaction of the stone with the acid. There's also no way to get rid of the etches unless you have the stone re-honed or re-polished. Also, you can only see the etches when the light hits the stone in a certain way. And honed marble shows the etches less than polished. It is also relatively soft, as stones go, and chips easily. The first chip I got was from dropping a glass from the upper cabinet, which not only broke the glass, but the glass left small white chips on the surface of the marble. Of course I panicked and called the installer who came and filled them in and smoothed the surface. After that I have lots more chips, especially around the sink and on the edges from banging pots, bottles, etc., while working in the kitchen. I haven't called them back to fix them, as I just learned to live with it. So if you think you can live with a counter top surface that isn't going to look as good as the day it was installed, and has reminders of all the entertaining and cooking you do in the kitchen, then you probably will do all right with marble. If not, then you might want to go with something more durable. BUT realize that all of these surfaces are in a work room, and will show wear and tear sooner or later. Good luck!

Maybe something like this. It's called White Cloud. I think it would complement the Blue Volga nicely