Dreaming of the elegance that marble countertops can bring to your kitchen? Marble has been a coveted decorating material since the time of the Greek Empire. While you don’t need to be a member of the nobility to own it today, you do need to think this choice through carefully, because marble countertops, while beautiful, aren’t quite as durable as you may believe.

While marble is strong, it is also sensitive to many substances, including cleaning chemicals, juices that contain citric acid and oils. These substances can erode marble over time or make its appearance cloudy. To keep your countertop looking in tip-top shape for years, you’ll to take steps to care for it.

Polished Marble or Honed Marble?
If you actually want to use your marble countertop and not just look at it, the best advice is to choose honed marble. This material has a matte finish because the final polishing step is skipped. Polished marble has that lovely shiny look, but every drop of alchol, tomato juice or lemon juice will leave spots on the finish, and you’ll be spending all your time trying to get them to sparkle again.

While there are ways to minimize the risks to a polished marble countertop, such as using cutting boards and trivets and promptly cleaning up any spills, you may find that this interferes with your enjoyment of your kitchen. Also be aware that marble is much more vulnerable to scratches and cuts than granite countertops. These defects won’t show as readily on a honed marble countertop as they will on a polished one.

• Previous Page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page