6 Benefits of Having a Marble Countertop in Your Kitchen

You’ve been dreaming of a new kitchen for years and are all about the popular trend of using natural stone countertops rather than a laminate countertop. When you start mining through all of the different options available for your countertops in your kitchen remodel, you’ll likely be drawn to either granite or quartz.

However, another less popular but strong contender should be marble. While marble is slightly higher maintenance than other materials on the market due to the natural porous nature of the stone, it makes a beautiful addition to any kitchen. If you’re on the fence as to whether it’s worth the extra maintenance, here are six benefits to having a marble countertop in your kitchen.

Advantages of Marble Kitchen Countertop

1. Timeless Look

Marble gives a kitchen an elegant, timeless look that simply cannot be achieved with any other material, no matter how hard manufacturers try. Marble has long been the stone of choice when seeking a luxurious look.

While marble comes in many colors, two specific types stand out—the Calacatta marble that is a brilliant white with dark veining and Carrara marble that is more grey in color but more affordable than other types of marble in the market. Given the classic look of marble, you don’t have to be worried about it going out of style or looking dated.

2. Fancy Edging

While marble itself is an elegant material, the softness of the stone lends itself to more detailed and sophisticated cuts and edging than other countertops like granite and quartz. Some of the most famous sculptors throughout history chose marble as their choice of medium when creating their statues (think Michelangelo’s David).

The same characteristics of marble that made it the medium of choice make it easier to get fancy edging such as cove bullnose, stair thread, or made into a waterfall edge, enhancing the already elegant look of marble.

3. Each Slab is Unique

According to Mr stone, he coloring of marble is dependent on the specific combination of minerals and the quantity of each in combination with the calcium carbonate, which varies based on the location of the quarry where the marble is found.

Even if marble is gotten from the same quarry, the beauty of using a natural stone like marble is that every individual slab will be unique based on the veining in each particular slab. This means that no other home will have exactly the same countertop as you, even though marble is a widely available countertop material. This means you practically have a piece of artwork when you choose marble for your kitchen countertop.

4. Heat Resistant

Unlike laminate countertops, when you choose a natural stone countertop, like marble, for your kitchen, you don’t have to be worried about melted circles spoiling your kitchen. When most people think of marble, they think of it staying cool (something that makes it especially good for baking). However, it is also a heat resistant material.

This means that even if you take a hot pan off the stove and place it on a marble countertop it is not going to melt, burn, or catch on fire. However, while the material is heat resistant, there is still the possibility of cracking the stone or damaging the actual finish that has been put on your marble countertop. Therefore, even though this is a plus point for marble countertops, using a trivet to protect the marble is still a good idea.

5. Durable

It seems as though most natural stone countertops each has its own strong points and marble is no exception. One of the areas where marble excels as a kitchen countertop is that it is a very durable material. Even though marble is a softer material than granite or quartz, it is still an extremely strong material.

The durability of marble means that it is less likely to get cracked or scratched in comparison to other natural stone and manmade countertops on the market today. This is still true even with fancy edging styles and finishes (although care should be taken to protect the finish on your marble countertop).

6. Long-Lasting

If you choose to go with a marble countertop, you don’t have to worry about replacing it given the long-lasting nature of the material. Marble has withstood the test of time, being used as a building material in the early civilizations of Greece and Rome. The secret to what makes marble so long-lasting is that while it is a soft stone, it becomes very hard and dense with age.

This means that when your marble is getting installed, you will be able to easily get the cut and look you want, and the same countertop will only get harder and stronger with time. You should be aware that over time marble does tend to develop a patina—a greenish/brown film that comes with use, that some people loathe and others adore.

There will also be some staining and etching that is just par for the course that comes with using a marble countertop, all of which contribute that the classic look of marble.

Think About How You Use Your Kitchen

Marble has many benefits can make your kitchen look timeless, but you need to think about how you use your kitchen before you decide to use marble countertops. The biggest thing to think about is how much you will be bothered by stains. If you’re a messy cook but stains and etching don’t bother you then marble may be the way to go. However, if stains would drive you batty, it may be better to choose a less porous material.

You also want to consider the amount of time you want to put into maintaining your countertop. If sealing your countertops one to two times a year doesn’t seem like a big deal and you like the look of marble, these countertops are great for you; but if you don’t want the hassle of re-sealing your countertops twice a year, you may want to consider another option with lower maintenance like quartz.

Ultimately, the decision to install marble countertops and how it will fit into your lifestyle should be carefully considered. If you think it’s the right choice for you, get ready for a lifetime of beautiful countertops.