Why I would chose marble again in a heart beat

When we were buying this house I knew I would have the opportunity to build and create my dream kitchen and that meant I would choose my dream counter material , Marble Carrera Marble.
I almost fell for the warnings and scare tactics out there that marble is awful and it stains and that it would look awful and etch.... I nearly fell for it. I am so glad I didn't go against my instincts.
I tried to go for the "safe" option and try to get the "look" but I knew after a long time looking that the look a likes just weren't the same.
 Now all that being said my husband hated white and grey marble, it reminded him of the old 70's cheap marble look laminate. But I took him into a local store that had plenty of samples of counter materials quartz and real marble. We looked and felt both the quartz and real marble and that was it, the moment of no return , it was going to be marble for us. My husband said just now "it was the right choice",amen.
One great perk of marble is that it is quite a lot less expensive than quartz, like about half...I mean my dream material and half the cost of faux of course this was the right decision.

I compare my decision to get real marble over a look alike to selecting real wood floors over laminate flooring. After all wood floors are going to get scratched and show wear and tear but I would never spend more $$  to get laminate over wood (well I did have laminate once but the sound of laminate and the look and feel left me wanting more, I know it is better now but it is a personal choice) I personally have no trouble with things having character because I want a beautiful home but not a museum.

 I went with a double thickness edge and a square edge and most importantly a HONED finish. It is so divine I love my marble selection.
Let me also say I cook real food messy things greasy things so this is not a just for show kitchen by any means. I do clean as I go but that was me before.
When I made the decision to go for marble I knew that I would need to top the island with butcher block. I had butcher block in our old house and I knew that was a must have here. A tough durable spot for the messy stuff the colored stuff and the acidic stuff.
Butcher block can be refinished any old time, mine is sealed and we don't cut on it but it is just a safe prep zone for everyone.
I may feel differently about my marble if we didn't have a nice big island for all the messy stuff.

 All these photos are of the kitchen counters 2 years after regular use.
So yes marble is soft and it will mark but over time it will all add a nice patina. I use it differently than say I would laminate but I don't baby it.

 There was once lemon juice accident here early on but it has softened so much it is very difficult to even find it any more. Someone made lemon aid here and there was a ring of lemon juice from the can , it was pretty upsetting at the time but it was my fault as I guess I hadn't explained the no no foods.

 I have heard people mention coffee being a stain concern well not here, there are always little splashes and they don't get cleaned up quickly they dry in or on and I am happy to say they wipe right off. Not one single coffee drip stain remains. Actually there are no stains after 2 years, none what so ever, OH should I have said that , I am asking for trouble now aren't I.

This is what happens when something really bad occurs like a can falls from two shelves above the counter when you open the door and a can comes flying out without any warning. It's what I call a bruise, something hits and a white spot happens and there is a little scrape or divot and it is very upsetting. But it is what it is. It's minor to me. If this is as bad as it gets than I am fine with it and I would choose it again and again. You can sand scratched out with a 600 grit sand paper and re-seal also.

I don't get anything from putting this out there ( not that I wouldn't take some $$ for promoting this product though) but this sealer is I am sure the reason why I love my marble and that it's been a great choice for me. It was recommended by a reputable marble company in Toronto and by our marble manufacturer and I believe it is the only sealer to use on white marble. It needs to be applied 4 times 2 weeks apart and then it is good for 10 years....I have only done it twice so far and it has proven to be amazing. I recommend Meta Creme all the time.

you can check it out here Mete creme

So maybe all the scare tactics are out there due to lack of good quality sealer and the fact that polished marble is and can be tough to live with in a kitchen. I would not recommend polished marble in a kitchen it will look awful in a matter of weeks I have seen it in person and heard it from so many people.

That's my experience having real marble white counters I love them. I hope if you are considering Marble and have been scared about it that this post will help alleviate some of your concerns, I know it would have been helpful when I was making my decision.

Thanks for stopping by.

Finally our completed kitchen , from builder basic to dream kitchen

 How did I forget to take photos of my fully completed kitchen. It is definitely my favourite room in the house and it turned out as good or better than I had planned.

 From my pine dark stained floors to the second hand kijiji table I found for $40 and refinished in black stain to the Restoration hardware industrial style pendants , I love my new kitchen. It has everything that I desired in a kitchen. It took three to four months to complete but it was so worth the efforts.

 The cabinets are painted Bedford Grey by Martha Stewart. The island butcher block is from Ikea. The counter is carrera marble , love. The squared pulls are Martha Stewart special order from Home Depot. The range is a 6 burner 36" Kitchen aid commercial style range , it is amazing.

 I clad the bulkhead with trim and crown moulding to make it look deliberate and custom and I love it more than if the cabinets didn't have the buklhead.

 The little touches like this wine storage to balance out the extended bulkhead , turns out it created a great opportunity for this useful feature.

 The brackets were simple and from Home Depot. Loving my pot drawers. I needed to replace the basic glides with heavy duty ones , what a difference.

 I love the open shelving , its just enough to display my pretty pieces.

 We all love the water dispenser and ice maker , what a luxury . My baking area is such a dream. I need to find more time to bake, Christmas is coming.

 Bringing the cabinet over the fridge forward and creating a proper gable there and dressing it with crown made such a huge difference creating a built in feeling for the fridge.

 Extending the island with this microwave cabinet and adding electric to the island was such great move , I love mixing things on the island its so handy.

 I went from a huge triple sink to one single extra deep rectangular contemporary sink , and I love it , it fits everything , and it can be full and I mean full of dirty dishes and you would never know they were in there nice when you like messes out of sight like I do.

 Bamboo blinds form Lowe's . The amazing Delta faucet , I would highly recommend Delta .

The beautiful and quiet range hood from Tasco.

One of the best things I designed into the kitchen was a double cabinet for a garbage pullout, the other side is dedicated to recycling.

 Art from Urban barn.

 Chalk wine glasses from Pier 1 Imports.

 The bread tin is from Winners.

 Dining light is from Home Depot, and the chairs are Elte.

Here is my advice about creating the perfect kitchen for you. Take your time, get what you love , listen to
advice but follow your true desires, it's a kitchen for you after all.

Just prior to moving on from this home I added the shiplap wall...

Just a little reminder of where this kitchen started.

WOW I forgot just how much work this took. So glad it's done.


Follow my project and boards on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/chriskauf/

Here are a few posts regarding our kitchen renovations and updates
http://chriskauffman.blogspot.ca/2012/05/our-bedford-grey-kitchen.html

http://chriskauffman.blogspot.ca/2012/04/building-fridge-enclosure.html

http://chriskauffman.blogspot.ca/2012/04/island-time.html

http://chriskauffman.blogspot.ca/2012/05/marble-is-finally-here.html

http://chriskauffman.blogspot.ca/2012/03/flooring-day.html