Marble Countertops and Vanities
Marble is the oldest countertop material there is, and it asks something of you in return. It stains. It etches. It also looks like nothing else, and it gets better with age instead of worse. If that trade sounds right to you, it's a beautiful choice, and we'll cut it for you at our shop in Commerce Township, just outside Walled Lake.
If it doesn't sound right, tell us. There are stones that give you most of the look and none of the worry, and we'd rather point you at one of those than sell you a slab you'll fight with.
How marble behaves
Marble is limestone that got buried, heated and squeezed until it recrystallized. It is calcium carbonate, which is the single most important fact about it, because calcium carbonate reacts with acid.
Etching is not staining. A stain is something soaking in. An etch is the polish being eaten off the surface by lemon juice, wine, vinegar, tomato, or a splash of cleaner with acid in it. It shows up as a dull spot, usually within seconds. Etching is chemistry, not carelessness, and no sealer stops it. A honed finish hides etching far better than a polished one, because there's less shine to lose.
Softness. Marble runs about 3 to 5 on the Mohs scale, so it scratches more easily than granite or quartzite. Use a board.
Porosity. Marble is absorbent and wants sealing. Oil, red wine and coffee are the usual culprits. Sealer buys you time to wipe, it doesn't make the stone bulletproof.
Temperature. Marble stays cool on its own. That's why pastry people have used it for centuries, and it's a genuinely nice thing to have in a baking corner.
Where it works best: bathroom vanities, powder rooms, fireplace surrounds and hearths, a baking station, a butler's pantry, tub decks, and shower walls. In a full working kitchen it can absolutely be done, and plenty of Oakland County homeowners do it, as long as you accept that the stone will develop a patina.
Come see the stone
Marble is the material where the sample chip lies the most. Come to the shop on Haggerty Road in Commerce Township, Michigan, and look at whole slabs in daylight. We'll set a honed finish next to a polished one so you can see the difference before you commit. We cut marble tops and vanities for jobs across the towns around the lake.
Call (248) 624-8280 or request a quote.
Work we have cut and finished.
A few pieces from the yard on Haggerty Road. There are 75 more.
