MARBLE KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS

Marble kitchen countertops are beautiful! I love them. Published kitchens usually have marble countertops and backsplashes, but we don't live in magazines, we live in homes where we have children, grandchildren, messy spouses/partners/relationships. We spill red liquids and put acidic items on the counter, such as lemons, oranges, any fruit! So...is it really the best idea to have porous marble countertops in the kitchen where they can etch and stain? Or is the look of them worth being a little more careful?

I debated this very thing myself. I will show you what I ended up with, but let's look at the beautiful marble countertops that inspire us to put marble in our kitchens...

that Carrera marble slab is gorgeous!

beautiful calacutta marble

Beautiful images, right?! I could post a million more too. Marble is just gorgeous in the kitchen. But here's what happens when your marble etches, or stains...check out this whole post about the softness of marble and how to take care of it. (etching is what happens when acidic things get on marble)

This picture shows how with different sealants marble still etches and stains, but a good sealant can definitely help protect the marble. 

Truth be told, I don't mind the etching all that much. What bothers me more is the staining and I was afraid with little kids I would have a problem with it. So as much as I LOVE marble, I decided to go with the Super White Quartzite or Granite. Also a great option is the Bianco Romano granite, which is more affordable than the Super White.

Here's a pic of my Super White which so far has been worth every penny.

In my investment properties I'm working on right now we were going to go with the Carrera marble but I know how high maintenance of a surface it can be, so we opted for a Cambria Quartz called Torquay. It's one of their new colors and I really like it. It's even better in person. Here's a pic of it installed.

So what do you think? Do you have marble kitchen countertops? Do you like them? In my future investment properties should I install them or do you like the peace of mind of a more durable surface?