sara n's Profile

I want to thank ALL who have posted here, so I thought I'd add my two cents on the subject. I too have been through the looks from my contractor and stone people. We are renovating our 1893 Victorian and adding a new kitchen. I have decided to go with Crema Marfil marble on the countertops, and Rainforest Green (a gorgeous stone with properties of granite, but movement like marble).

I will be doing honed countertops and sealing. I have been testing a sample of the stone which was sealed on one side and not on the other. Etching occurred when I left red wine and lemon juice on it overnight. no staining. When I wiped anything acid off of it within a few hours, it was fine.

I agree that using marble will be a bit more maintenance, however, I've spilled coffee on it, lemon juice, tomato juice, red wine, and have wiped it down with Clorox cleaner, scratched it with an old steak knife, and hit it with a hammer!

Still looks absolutely FINE. So I will add my two cents...if you want it, go for it. And all marbles are NOT created equal, so understand the different properties, but do seek out other opinions. And make sure when you're using them for kitchen counters that you get it thick 1-1/4". The fancier the edge (I'm just doing plain square), the more vulnerable it is to chipping as it's thinner.

I too have also heard good things about Okite engineered stone, but since I live in New Jersey, there don't seem to be dealers near here, and would never install anything I can't see first.