Anybody have marble countertops?

[Jody]

We are in the process of building a new home and we've been looking for weeks for granite to put in our master bath, however, I am finding that the majority of granite is really busy and nothing is catching my eye.

However, I saw some gorgeous darker marble that I would love to put in our master, but don't have any experience with marble. I know that marble is not a great choice for a kitchen because of the sensitivity to heat, acid and staining from food, etc., but I think it is used in bathrooms more often.

I've talked with several people who sell and work with granite/marble/quartzite, etc., most tell me it is fine in a bathroom (you just need to use a little more caution) but our fabricator didn't like it as well. Maybe it is because most people get the white toned Carrara-type marble which would stain and show wear more easily than the dark vein-toned marble that we are looking at. Or maybe it is more work for them to install and that is the reason.

Does anyone have positive/negative experiences with marble that they can share? I'm really loving this color, but I also don't want to be paranoid every day that I'm going to ruin it (plus it is $$$ so I definitely don't plan to replace it for a long time!)

Thanks for any info you can provide!

 

[Mckmain]

Hi Jody. I have a marble counter-top in my small bathroom. We picked marble because of the small size and could not find another type that would fit. Mine is a light beige/white marble and I have not had any issues with stains so far. What I like is the counter always looks clean! I use a Simple Green non-abrasive stone cleaner for it and it works very well. I have only had this counter-top for a few months so I can't comment on long term use. Hope this helps....

 

[WD]

I have granite in the home I am in now. We had a home that had marble and I never had a problem with it. It was in two of our bathrooms along with one having a gold sink and fixtures. Ours was lighter with grey and tan looking lines through it if I remember right and cabinets were white. I was careful about cleaners being appropriate and I used pledge on it since pledge said it could be used on marble. I think if you get a spill of something like makeup on it you just need to clean it up right away.

 

[seww]

We have marble counters in the master bath put in by the previous owners. I think somone must have dripped nail polish remover or something like it on them before we owned the home. There are a few areas that are dull, like the finish is gone but I really don't notice unless I turn my head a certain way. I do think you need to be more careful than with granite. We have granite in the kitchen and I don't do anything special with it.
Sue

 

[mom418]

My bathroom counter looks similar to the white marble with gray streaks online.
It was put in by previous owners. How to tell if it's marble or not?
It has never needed any special care, or had any stains.

 

[fit44]

I have granite in the kitchen and marble in my bathroom. I wanted marble floors, but my floor guy talked me out of it. He said marble stains and scratches, it's not a good investment in areas that take abuse. Granite is the more durable choice.
My bathroom marble has a stain from a purple candle. I've tried everything to get it out and it won't come out.

I think you need to consider that marble in a bath does not have to take the same abuse kitchen counters endure..
If I were you, I would listen to your fabricator. If you don't like granite, consider Silestone....it looks like marble, but performs like granite.