Beware marble countertops. . .

[Ray]

We recently installed marble countertops in our kitchen, and it's been a disaster.

Almost immediately water-spots began to form, taking off the sealer.

Even worse, a little tomato juice fell onto the counter, and it was as if we'd put paint remover on it. Big ugly dull spots wherever the tomato juice fell -- and it was there for just a few minutes.

We called the installer, who came out and used a different sealer. This seem to withstand water fairly well, but the tomato problem is as bad as ever.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

Any suggestions?

[gfretwell]

Do you mean granite?Marble is way too soft to make a counter trop from. I just put a granite top on the bar out by the pool so I am fix'n to learn about granite. There is no way I would have bought it but someone gave me a bunch. I am learning how to polish it right now.

[Norminn]

Might as well paint it. Marble is about the worst choice for kitchen counters I can think of. Look at the label on any product for marble care....

[Earl]

"Ray" wrote in news:ZWu3s.1496$ [e-mail]:

That's what happens when you try and be fancy.

[Doug Miller]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I'm sure he means exactly what he wrote. Tomato juice would not harm granite, but it would definitely etch marble. So would vinegar, lemon juice, or anything else acidic.

Nonsense. It's harder than Corian or Formica which have been used successfully for countertops for decades, and it's waaaaay harder than wood (which has been used for centuries).

The reason marble is unsuitable for use as a kitchen countertop is that it is very readily etched by even weak acids. Common foods which would damage a marble countertop if spilled on it include:

- wine

- pickles

- almost anything containing tomatoes

- Coca-cola

- vinegar

- anything containing citrus fruits in any form, such as orange juice or lemonade -- and don't even think about eating a grapefruit over a marble countertop...

Granite has none of these deficiences -- but that's the result of its very low reactivity to acids, not its hardness.

[Doug Miller]

"Ray" wrote in news:ZWu3s.1496$EW3.1471 @newsfe19.iad:

No big surprise. Marble is very readily etched by acids. Tomato juice is an acid.

Yeah, pretty much everyone who ever put a marble countertop in their kitchen. Sounds harsh, but that's what happens when you don't do your research: you wind up with something unsuitable. And I bet you spent a s**tload of money on it, too...

Polishing it is the only way to remove the marks from the tomato juice -- those aren't just cosmetic marks, the acid in the tomato juice has actually dissolved some of the marble.

Once you have it polished nice and pretty, remove it and sell it for whatever you can get out of it, and replace it with something more suitable for a kitchen -- which is nearly anything except marble.

[Ralph Mowery]

Marble and many other stone tops are made to look at, not to use. While it does not look as good, it is still hard to beat the old Formica for a cabinet top that is made to use.

[recyclebinned]

Was the =93sealer=94 water based or petroleum based?

[krw]

Utter rubbish.

[Domicile Dude]

Yah, my wife and I cook in our kitchen a lot and when we recently remodeled, we chose Wilsonart HD. I believe laminate to be the best material for the job.

[Norminn]

Amen. I don't want to polish my kitchen, I want to use it.

[Frank]

Not utter rubbish, in fact mostly true.

The pure stone tops, granite and marble, are calcium carbonate which is attacked by acidic foods - granite less so than softer marble. Good finishes will make them more stable.

Lot of products on the market today are plastic with high stone content that look similar but are far more impervious to acids. That too would depend on the plastic binder where I believe acrylic resins are better than polyesters.

Pure synthetics like Corian are more chemically stable and can be repaired.

[Dave M.]

Frank, .

Granite is a mix of many different chemicals but calcium carbonate is not common in graite. Where do you get your granite?

Dave M.

[Doug]

Depends. Actually each has their pros and cons. I've seen the newest Formica and it's not bad looking especially when compared to that of 40 or 50 years ago. I have Corian right now and it's ok. I would not mind having the newest Formica except when it comes time to sell my home. For some reason, people look down at it around here. Maybe it's because they see it only in the new starter homes????

[dpb]

On 9/11/2012 12:21 AM, [e-mail] wrote: ...

Now that is what is utter nonsense--granite is, well, "granite" and has virtually nothing in common chemically (nor geologically as per formation processes) w/ marble...

Granite is an igneous formation whereas marble is a recrystallized limestone which is sedimentary.

--

[Frank]

You are right.

I made the common mistake of repeating something I read on the web and should have known better.

Marble is mostly calcium carbonate which makes it very susceptible to acid attack.

Granite is still susceptible but not nearly as much.

Corian composition, I am very familiar with and it is polymethylmethacrylate with alumina filler making it the most kitchen food stable.

Frank

[Hell Toupee]

I live in karst country. Karst is limestone bedrock that has pockets and perforations caused by water containing carbon dioxide, which is acidic, gradually dissolving the limestone and forming caves.

Marble is basically limestone. The same process that nature uses to create caves works on your countertops, too - an acidic liquid working on the limestone, first etching it, then eating pockets and gaps.

For that reason, marble is not a good material to use as an all-purpose work surface.

I'm surprised the installer or supplier didn't try to gently persuade you to consider another material for kitchen countertops. They had to have known that it wouldn't be suitable for the kitchen. Or was this a DIY job?

[George]

Perhaps you didn't realize you just heard from the self imagined smartest person in the world? In that capacity they know everyone else is stupid so there is no need to discuss anything...

[George]

There are people whose identity depends on what they have and much imagined status it gives them and there are folks who are happy to have something that looks good and is quite serviceable but isn't the "hot item".

[dadiOH]

Granite consists of numerous minerals. Among them...

quartz hornblende augite feldspars (there are various) calcite mica

The most dominant is feldspar. Both it and quartz are much harder than calcium carbonate. Calcite is calcium carbonate but there isn't much of it.

Most of the "granite" being sold isn't granite...it is crystalline igneous rock (as is granite) which can have many differing combinations of the above and other minerals.