I’ve been hearing a lot of barking lately about using marble on kitchen countertops., please talk to your stone fabricators about the challenges of living with marble countertops in the kitchen before deciding on surfaces such as these.
15 hours ago elleneric thanked you
elleneric
I hear everything from, “They’ve been using them in Europe for hundreds of years with no problems in bakeries, restaurants and homes,” to “They stain and scratch and are a nightmare.” What’s the truth??
15 hours ago LikeReport
elleneric
PS Great job. really gorgeous!
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PRO
Design Moe Kitchen & Bath / Heather Moe designer
It’s a great question–I have 2 clients struggling with this same dilemma right now. Here’s my understanding of this issue: Marble countertops have indeed been used for hundreds of years in Europe, but the European expectation of wear and tear seems to be different from ours. They are okay with a scratch here, a stain there. Evidence of everyday use is welcomed as authenticity, or provenance, in a way, showing that something’s been around for a while, and is actually used.
Here in America, on the other hand, we tend to like things that are new and “perfect.” We also like them to stay that way, even after heavy use by a crazy family with 4 children, 2 dogs, and 6 cats. I think that’s why Americans have over the years embraced “engineered” (read: man-made) products such as Corian, Cultured Marble, and paneling. (Okay, we all know that there’s a good and a bad side to being American.)
So you have to decide how European you really are. How important is the “look” and authenticity of real marble to you? And how upset are you going to be when that annoying uncle forgets the lemon from his drink on the center of the island, leaving you with an permanent spot? If you can honestly say that you would give a Gaelic shrug of your shoulders and let it go, or, conversely, if you are one of those home police types who would never, ever even let this uncle close to the kitchen counter, then you might be a candidate for having marble countertops in your kitchen.
Good luck with your decision, and let us know what you finally decide-
(And thank you for your gracious complement. This is a great job and I love the projects that I get to work on.)
