chloe79109

carera marble or granite for kitchen countertop

chloe79109
11 years ago
Is it really that difficult to take care of?

Comments (29)

  • jpt5104
    11 years ago
    I have marble countertops in my kitchen and bathroom. You can have them but you need to be extra careful. Make sure you seal them 2-3 times a yr and clean them properly with marble cleaner. The only downside is that they can stain even with water so if your careful a d a little neurotic you should have no problem
  • PRO
    MHA Home Services
    11 years ago
    As a veteran contractor I always tell my clients as beautiful and classical as marble is the use of the product in a kitchen environment is risky. Marble is a relatively soft and porous stone compared to granite and easily attracts stains such as coffee, juices and yes even water. Bathroom vanities and decorative table tops using a honed or polished material makes a eloquent addition. There is awide variety of beautiful granites. Try Marva granite for a wide selection of stone. Good luck on your selection
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  • PRO
    Dezign Studio Inc
    11 years ago
    Granite ! some companies have 15 year warranty for their stain, so no need to seal for 15 years.
  • PRO
    Interiors International, Inc.
    11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago
    If you are fastidious and neat marble is great. If you like a patina of use that exudes the warmth of love put into cooking and caring for people marble is great. If you don't like to clean and aren't really neat but want to look like your are granite is your stone.
  • Janine S
    11 years ago
    I learned of a product called Clearstone that prevents both staining and etching in marble with a 15 year guarantee. My counters will be sealed soon and afterwards I'd be happy to answer any questions. I don't work for the company or have any vested interest in it- I simply know what it's like to pine for marble without the upkeep!
  • trasgorshek
    11 years ago
    1981Janine, thanks for the info!! We have marble and have had several issues. I'm on Clearstone's site now checking them out. Thanks so much, that's exactly the solution I've been looking for!
  • Janine S
    11 years ago
    Trasgorshek, when I stumbled across it, it was like a wish come true! I'll post more details after the process is complete, but so far, Joe Wirtz, the distributor in my area, has been unbelievably nice and helpful. Again, I have no personal stake other than a desire for maintenance free marble!!!
  • trasgorshek
    11 years ago
    I will bookmark this dilemma and holler back in a little while if that's okay with you. I would love to hear how it turns out!
  • PRO
    Norm Walters Construction Inc.
    11 years ago
    Please read the warranties, they don't cover what you think they do.
  • PRO
    ASVInteriors
    11 years ago
    While I have seen Carrara marble used to great effect in the bathroom, and have never used it in a kitchen, I know some chefs who swear by it for rolling pastry - apparently it keeps colder... (but then they have blocks of marble). Best of luck - very interesting discussion.
  • PRO
  • Janine S
    10 years ago
    trasgorshek- just wanted to give you an update. We had our countertops coated in the Clearstone, and the product really does work just as described. If I squat down so I am on eye-level with the countertop, I can see a tiny (maybe a couple millimeters, if that) projection from the marble where the coating sits atop it. The company, as a rule, does not coat the sides. One thing to note is that the countertop is no longer cool to the touch, so if you're a pastry chef, it may not be the best option! I've only lived in the house for about two weeks, and I've already spilled multiple substances that would have stained or etched the countertop, if I didn't have the Clearstone. While some exceptional housekeepers may be able to make it work, even if I was exceedingly careful, I know my 2-year-old would subvert my efforts! I have no financial interest in the company or product, but I feel like I should share my experience, because there are definitely others who desperately want the look of marble, but feel the drawbacks are too risky. I'd be happy to share pics to anyone who is interested.
  • trasgorshek
    10 years ago
    Janine, thank you for the follow up! Would love to see pics whenever you have time. The coolness factor is a bummer. I do use the marble for baking but completely understand why the Clearstone would effect it. Do you mind me asking cost? Did they price you out by square footage, etc. Thanks so much!
  • joozgrdn
    10 years ago
    I would suggest neither. Granite and Marble are fast becoming passe. If you like the look and wanted something a little more timeless consider recycled glass/quartzite composites. It's beautiful. You get the remarkable fusion of transparent tempered glass, post consumer recycled glass and semi-precious man-made stone fragments all in one surface. Besides granite and marble both have huge environmental footprints due to the mining and shipping (across the ocean in most cases).
  • Coco Nuts
    10 years ago
    I've had black granite countertop in my kitchen for 25 years and it looks as good as the day it went in as does the one in my main bathroom which has been in six years. They both had a finish applied when installed which I've never had to have redone because they are still perfect. You don't need to be precious with it.
  • chines007
    10 years ago
    1981janine I would love to see pictures of your marble with Clearstone if you don't mind. We have decided to get marble regardless but this sounds like it's a great solution to issues with staining and etching. Thank you in advance!
  • Janine S
    10 years ago
    Hi chines007! Below are pics of my kitchen that I took at night with my phone. If you look closely at the last one, you can see the layer of Clearstone. No person would ever know it was coated by sight alone. I live that I don't have to worry for a second about staining or etching, and I get to enjoy the beauty of marble. Let me know if you have any questions.
  • Janine S
    10 years ago
    Hoping the pics attach this time!
  • PRO
    Yunfu HuanJian Stone Ltd.
    10 years ago
    If it's yellowing reaction, if you want to completely resolve it, it is best to do first surface grinding and polishing. If the stain is not in the central, it can be solved. And after polishing, wax treatment is very necessary and important. Because the new polished natural surface will have pores.
  • parisgirl1970
    10 years ago
    I have Carerra marble front on my fireplace and hearth, and it's beautiful. No problem. Vinegar & water cleans it. I also have a Carrera 6' table in my entry. One glass of water will/can/does leave it's ring. I know this and am very careful--but your company or their kids might not be.. Some people just don't know about how delicate it is. Many confuse marble w/ granite as far as just looking at it, but you can't go around reminding others that it's marble and to be careful w/ their drinks--can you? I trust no products that claim to protect it. Marble is just too expensive to experiment with. Wherever else, I used a busy patterned granite. My counter tops have had crimes comitted on them and they remain beautiful. Water, wine, soda, etc no rings. I am very unintentionally hard on them, but they keep on loving me.
  • chines007
    10 years ago
    Hi 1981janine, your kitchen is absolutely GORGEOUS! Thank you so much for sharing your countertop pictures...I'm so excited to have this as an option! Did you go with the polished/high gloss finish? How do your countertops feel? Thanks you!!!!
  • Janine S
    10 years ago
    Thank you for the compliment chines007. I did choose a polished finish. Most people who choose marble seem to go with a honed look, and I probably would have leaned in that direction, because that's what I've seen on Houzz. However, the Clearstone distributor told me that the main reason people hone their marble is because it doesn't show etching, and people are unable to keep polished marble looking perfect. He continued to say that since I have Clearstone, I don't have to worry about that, and I can be one of the few people that has perpetually beautiful polished marble. It was a convincing argument in favor of a polished finish! The good thing is that if I wanted a honed finish instead one day, my entire kitchen could be changed in about a half an hour. If I later wanted a polished look again, it could be switched back, though I think it takes a little longer to polish versus "hone" it. There was also a semi-honed option. The only drawback with the polished look is that it shows fingerprints and smudges. Right now I'm still in the honeymoon phase with my countertops, so I actually enjoy cleaning them multiple times a day. When that gets old, I may switch to a honed finish! The counter top is no longer cool to the touch on the top. The sides are never coated, so those are still cold. It still feels hard- not like plastic- but it's room temperature.
  • Ann
    10 years ago
    You can get close to the look of marble with natural quartzite (not quartz). Quartzite is a fantastic countertop choice - tougher than granite. It is a bit pricey though, so maybe just do an island in quartzite and the perimeter in something less expensive.
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  • parisgirl1970
    10 years ago
    Ever consider onyx? theres a pic of a bathroom here on houzz w/ gold striated onyx on the floor and walls, and it is exquisite beyond my wildest dreams. Oh for the winning of the lottery!
  • parisgirl1970
    10 years ago
    btw--your kitchen is absolutely gorgeous. :)
  • chines007
    10 years ago
    1981janine thank you so much for all of the info! I was wondering if it felt artificial or plastic like with the coating but it sounds like it doesn't and it doesn't really matter to me if they are cold or not. Did you have your countertops covered immediately after they were installed? Is Clearstone really pricey? Also, what type of marble did you get? It's SO beautiful!!!!!
  • Janine S
    10 years ago
    chines007 I did have the marble coated immediately. However, I don't think it has to happen that way. I believe that the process of preparing the marble for coating removes and previous staining or etching. So, if one had marble with a patina, it could be restored and then coated. I don't think that there's any additional cost if there are stains and etches, because it's the same process either way. Unfortunately, the product is not cheap- far, far, far from it! It cost me about forty dollars per square foot. I see it as protection of my calacatta investment and safeguard against the stress and tears that would come if I were to stain or etch it!
  • Melissa Franco
    5 years ago

    Does anyone have any updates about the honed quartz? I was looking at calcatta vicenza in matte ( honed) because when i went to MSI in Norwood, MA, I found that the matte wasn't as busy of a pattern and it was a lighter, more soothing design. After reading these reviews i'm nervous about the honed but I do like it better than polished, and I find that polished is more of an ivory and the matte is more of a white. Please help! I'm meeting tonight with the contractor.