Advice differs about upkeep and stain-guarding marble, whether it’s polished or honed, but a few tips are universal.
o Find out if your marble was treated with a stain-resistant sealant before installation. Have it resealed yearly or when beads of water absorb easily.
o Use a nonammonia-based cleaner for minor spills. Some experts suggest commercial marble cleaners for tougher stains or a poultice with a baking soda base.
o Some marble sealants applied after installation come with a lifetime warranty against stains but not etching. Read your installer’s contract to know exactly what the warranty covers and doesn’t cover.
Advice differs about upkeep and stain-guarding marble, whether it's polished or honed, but a few tips are universal.
o Find out if your marble was treated with a stain-resistant sealant before installation. Have it resealed yearly or when beads of water absorb easily.
o Use a nonammonia-based cleaner for minor spills. Some experts suggest commercial marble cleaners for tougher stains or a poultice with a baking soda base.
o Some marble sealants applied after installation come with a lifetime warranty against stains but not etching. Read your installer's contract to know exactly what the warranty covers and doesn't cover.
What might the gray-streaked stone atop your heirloom furniture have in common with a public statue?
Both are likely made of Carrara marble, quarried in Italy and long used in furniture as well as statues and fountains.
“Carrara marble has a timeless look,” Amy Sanders of International Materials of Design said. “It’s not conservative, but it’s not glitzy.”
Carrara is a white marble heavily streaked with small gray veins. Also popular — and roughly three times as expensive — is Calacatta gold, which is a brighter white with fewer, but usually larger, veins of brown, gold or green, depending on where it was quarried.
White marble can bring a touch of class to a kitchen, bathroom, fireplace or entryway. Because marble comes tiles, slabs, mosaics and moldings, homeowners often finish an entire room for a stunning look, Leslie Erickson of Carthage Marble in Kansas City said.
The cost of decking the room can add up quickly, particularly if the fabrication is detailed, but there are cost-conscious ways to add white marble to a home.
“Consider resurfacing small areas that are focal points of a room, like a kitchen island or a coffee or end table,” Erickson said.
It’s also common to use marble in the base or top of a favorite table.
For projects such as tables, and even small bathroom vanities and backsplashes, Erickson suggests using marble remnants, which can cost less than 40 percent of the price of other pieces. For a small vanity, say 2 feet by 4 feet, seek remnants from slab and tiles or mosaics, Erickson said.
Other less expensive options include ready-made pieces such as a sundry tower from Pottery Barn ($399) with a Carrara marble top or a Carrara-style marble table from CB2 ($299; www.cb2.com).
Whatever the use — but particularly in a kitchen or bathroom — be aware that marble is a porous material.
Some homeowners seek the look of worn, aged marble because of its natural beauty, Katie Gruenewalk of Kitchen Studio in Kansas City said.
“But if you want it pristine and perfect, it may not be the right option,” she said.
Care of marble starts with choice of finish. Polished marble has a vibrant shine, Sue Shinneman of Kitchen Studio said. But acidic food and drink such as some juices or mayonnaise easily etch polished marble, resulting in dull marks. Periodically, you will have to have it sanded down and repolished.
Homeowners can avoid repolishing by having the marble honed, or roughed up, for an antiqued look that will wear better, Shinneman said.
