If you love it, go for it, and care for it. Quartz that looks like marble is an oxymoron. It may eventually mimic nature but, like wood pattern laminate, it's not the same thing. Quartzite is not quartz. It's a natural and very beautiful stone that is becoming very popular. Check it out.

I have had and used Formica, butcher block, granite, marble, and stainless steel. It is stainless steel all the way for me. I really cook and bake and had a large family at home for many years. I also had a resturant range with 2 ovens, 6 burners and 24 inch griddle. my counter tops had to look good and function exceptionally well. different materials for different levels of food prep.

I went with honed marble for the island and soapstone for the perimeter cabinets. Thus far I've been very pleased.

Yes, I think that marble lends a classic look and will go with any decor!

I was thinking about this last night as I was staying in a high-end hotel room with gorgeous Calacatta marble countertops in the bathroom. Nothing was brand-new, but there were VERY few etched spots on the marble, and no stains that I could find. This made me really sad that I didn't find a big enough slab of marble to work for my island. It was shocking at how well this marble was holding up. It was polished, BTW...So my vote is yes, marble.

Pros and cons of marble:

Pros:

- It has extreme resistance to heat, meaning that you don't have to be too cautious of setting a hot pan down while cooking

- Different colors and patterns of marble are available making it easy to match the aesthetics of your kitchen

- It's beautiful

Cons:

- Marble is porous, making it susceptible to staining. Liquids can seep inside and be very difficult to get rid of

- The price of a good marble slab is going to be pricier than many other countertop options

- Marble is also fairly vulnerable to chips and cracks

I have marble counter tops in my kitchen and two bathrooms. I love them and they look so nice. However being a cook they have etched. Even when you cleanup the spills immediately, the damage is done. After the first few u have to ignore it. They have been professionally sealed too. I don't have any stains. I would install marble counters again.

Marble counter tops are beautiful but should be considered a living counter top. They will over time show the life of the household as they age and yes stain. I make sure my clients understand the pros and cons about any of their counter top selections as there is often no perfect choice.

Marble countertops are timeless and beautiful, but they are hard to keep in a kitchen. Marble can stain and etch with time. Try looking in to Quartz countertops made to look like marble. Quartz is man-made and very hard, and you may find this a better option for your kitchen!

Marble countertops are beautiful if you don't mind the maintenance. There are also many quartz products on the market which do a beautiful job of mimicking marble if upkeep is an issue.

What "maintenance" do you refer to? I have marble and all I do is wipe it down with a mild soap, Murphy's oil soap, or Sprayway cleaner. Nothing more than I would do to formica, quartz, or granite.

It's interesting to see that all of the negative comments about marble are from homeowners who don't have it. All of the marble owners are very happy with their choice of marble and say it doesn't require any extra work.

Diana, I am talking about the potential for staining and etching that occurs with marble. The maintenance of sealing and just being aware surface etching that occurs with citrus acids and other types of food prep. Having said that, I do have marble countertops in my kitchen and yes, there are surface areas that are more honed from use. I knew this going in and I am at peace with the the result. If the homeowner wants to keep the new look of polished tops and doesn't want to worry about staining there are some options in quartz. It is a personal choice.

Of course it's a personal choice, that's the reason for the discussion. But Treefrog, I still feel that there's no more maintenance with marble than any other surface... You CLEAN it! I don't reseal it or have it rehoned or any other special treatment. The "upkeep" comes when you try to keep the stone from doing what it naturally wants to do. Which of course is a fool's errand.

Too high maintenance for me. Now, after saying that, if, in my dream kitchen, I had my baking station that was out of the flow I would consider a piece built-in too my butcher block for rolling out dough.

Diana, marble as a work surface will etch. As long as the client understands this all is good. Anyone interested in marble countertops can perform their own test on a marble tile. Squeeze some lemon or vinegar on it and see what happens.

All marble kitchens we produce are in honed finish as a company policy, the honed finish doesn't show the etching like a polished finish will. On the rare occasion someone insists on a polished finish in the kitchen they sign a hold harmless waiver as we don't want to be held responsible for an end user's lack of insight. Normally when we place that waiver in front of them, they change their mind rather quickly.

Beautiful arrangement you made. What make is the sink & acoutrements?

It's a personal choice. I still feel that there's no more maintenance with marble than any other surface if you properly seal it and deliver it to the clients in a good professional fashion.

Not worth the price and maintenance. today's quartz surfaces are much more durable and 95% of our guests wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyways

Quartz was actually at least $10-20/sqft MORE than the marble we got...even at Home Depot!

Marble is a beautiful surface, i just tell my clients that it is a living surface and will reflect your life in your home. Just consider how a wonderful old french baking table is and the wonderful stories it holds in the worn surface holds. A kitchen holds the stores of our lives from when it is brand new and as it ages.

Stingrae, your marble is absolutely beautiful! Enjoy it and don't worry about the etches and wear marks. They are evidence of the good times and love that you experience in your kitchen!

Thank you Diana! We are super obsessed with it, "evidence" and all! Still can't believe it was priced like regular Carrara...we feel like we got away with something!

No marble for me, thanks. All I've ever read and heard about marble is that it stains easily.

As a geologist, no. Just no.

We struggled to decide between real white cararra marble or white quartz for months before we decided on quartz. I love my white quartz and don't feel like I missed out. We were too afraid of the staining & delicate nature of the beautiful marble.

I would not trade my Corian for all the marble and quartz in the world.

Going Quartz all the way now. Never going back!

I have honed Carrara in the kitchen and i really love it - because i love real marble. It's softness and natural veining is hard to match with quartz - but if you aren't a stickler about it then quartz is definitely less worry. staining is not an issue for me with the sealer on, but etching WILL occur, and as someone mentioned, it's pretty easy for your or someone else to just polish it and re-seal and it's gone.

They don't hold up. Staining, etching, etc.

I inherited a marble countertop and haven't sealed it once in 10 years and it looks great. Yes, I wipe up spills as I go, but I cook every day and I'm definitely not a neat freak. The edges have gotten a little chipped and there's one small etch spot but you can't see it, only feel it. It's a Carrera with a lot of veining and movement , so maybe the pattern helps hide stains . . ? I don't know, maybe its a very fancy piece of marble or something, but as far as I can tell, it's easy to care for. I keep hearing about how marble is a hassle and that hasn't been my experience at all.

It's definitely better-wearing and easier to maintain than my butcher block countertop!

Jordan, you really hit the nail on the head! Most of the time the negative comments are from homeowners who don't have marble. For those of us who do, we take the good with the bad, but don't overstate the bad. The comment that always gets me is "too much upkeep." Yes that's true if you go overboard to baby it and keep it from etching. Then you are a slave to it. If you just use it, and don't abuse it, it is no more work than any other counter top material.

Marble is natural stone ,so it is more resistant to scratching. It has been used as a building material for a long time.