Hi, New to the forum & have read all the posts on The Builders Depot prior to putting in an order. To cut though the prior stuff IâÂÂve read: First, this is not a fake post - I am a real U.S. born Citizen. English is my first language. I am remodeling the baths and kitchen in my New England Farmhouse . I am not in the building trade (though I was 20 years ago), I don't sell tile, I'm not friends with or related to people who sell tile nor am I paid to endorse and kind brand or company related to tile. I want to add that I have been an artisan/craftsman/artist/designer (with two professional degrees) for over 40 years & can trust my eye. I was going to wait to publish a pic of the installation, but after reading the various threads, I had to add my experience to date⦠I took a month to investigate buying marble tile on-line, which seemed like it could be to be a treacherous affair. My (the best IMHO) installer strongly recommended using real Italian marble. I first visited several tile shops recommended by my installer but $14-$22 sf for 3x6 was too much As a result I went on-line searching for Carrara Bianco, the marble I liked best of all that I saw. During the process I narrowed the search to three suppliers. More then once I talked to directly to David at The Builders Depot. I ordered samples from everyone & then showed them to my installer. He immediately gravitated to the samples from the Builders Depot (my choice, too). The ordering process and delivery to a nearby UPS depot was quick ands seamless. There are some pics in this thread (and many others in other threads) of Carrara Bianco & that is what I received, too �" just like the samples. As one example of quality, when I compared moldings the chair & base moldings, the samples from The Builders Depot stood out as better designed and cut. Okay, this may be subjective, but several others in thre trades have backed me up on this. Overall, IâÂÂm very pleased to date and would say my expectations have been positively met. All this being said, I would expect (and hope) that anyone buying on-line would do their own investigation & hopefully come to the same conclusion. I would say that the positive remarks on the various threads, even if some come from the same, person merits a serious look by any potential buyer. IâÂÂll try and post pics when IâÂÂm done.

Check the colors of either Lowes or HD subways carefully. They're both not very bright white... I can't remember which is which but one s fairly grey and one is almost pinkish. Lowes has the American Olean "Starter" line and it's NOT the same as AO's normal subway tiles that you'd get at a tile store. With my own Carrara, neither one looked good. I bought some bright white subways from a local tile store (from Architectural Tile, not very common) that looked a lot better with it. But every slab is different. FYI, though, Lowes also has a more expensive subway -about $3.80/sf, I think?- that has a slightly more handmare look, with a slightly rippled surface rather than super flat and plain, and it IS a bright white. Anyway- I'd really recommend testing samples of the tile with YOUR carrara in YOUR lighting... so you won't be disappointed!

Two different stone yards here in the UK and my extended Italian family have told me carrara is harder than the others. It's to do with the veins which are actually impurities ( well, different chemical compositions). The veins and darker areas are weaker. Carrara has more, pale white/ grey areas while calacatta has broader veins. The dark marbles with light veins are the opposite way round. The light veins are the stronger bit Within Carrara itself there are different grades c is a slightly cheaper grade but cuts better apparently. CD is more like crystals of compacted sugar. It can be crumbly. Cd has more defined veins out of the two and whiter white background All the above is literally to be taken with a pinch of salt though because if you want marble, you know what it's going to be like. The hassle at its fragility is for the fabricator to contend with. The only thing I'd say about being able to feel the veins on the leathered slab is you are exposing the weakest areas. And that will impact YOU on use. But again, us Marble types tend not to care about minor or major patina! btw, I'm getting Carrara! I'm quarter (less than!) Italian. Family actually from Carrara on paternal on grandads's side. The rellies still living over there , except one ( she wanted butchers block) all have Carrara. I keep asking for pics but the ones they send just don't show it in a good light at all. Tho there kitchens are rustic. Working kitchens. Not there to highlight a what is cheap stone in their region of Italy. They love it but it's purely a cheap, practical surface for them. Put my nerves to bed I'm telling you!

I must agree. i have spent many many hours trying to figure a colorr with very light gray. i have bought about 10 samples of blues, greens qnd whites. first of all, most colors lean towards green. i guess it is the solution to getting a more true shade. as for blues, every blue i have put on wall, turns purple sonwhere or sometime during the day. forget it- id like gray, but i have determined that the hue needs to be darker- or or, i think in technical terms, it is the lrv. i do not like yellows. i have been blessed with tiles for my kitchen and large foyer that are seamist, grey, and white. not what i would have chosen, but not what i want to take upon redoing. so, i am just putting all the whites so far that i have tried again, on posterboard, and will decide on one. mind you i have samples from behr, sw and bm. yes yes, i am very neurotic on paint. for one reason, its very expensive to paint all rooms, so i really do not want to redo in a year b4cause i hate it; furthermore, i dont want to rush. i have tead a comment qbout intense white, bm, and i have to agree that it is the best very light grey that does not turn purple. i think it is because our home has lots of windows, and lots of sun so it could be very misleading.i am only going tontry one more paint called moderna white- either behr or sw. also my son has been set on heron white - aither bm or sw - so i may try that. so far i have sampled white dove- way too yellow; chantilly lace- pretty white but really white so my tiles are not quite that white, consequently, they look dirty. Alabaster, atrium like but have to figure its undertone. china white - i think more off-white; seapearl, i thought looked a little yellow, but im waiting that. white ice, a very very lite green. i also like winter white. my favs are winter ejite and intense white. so so, if you have any suggestions for a white color please comment and inwill do same.😀