Marble countertops in New Jersey — Calacatta and Carrara, and what living with marble means

Marble, honestly

Marble is calcium carbonate. Acid — lemon, tomato, wine, vinegar, many cleaners — dissolves the polish where it sits and leaves a dull etch mark; sealing slows staining but does nothing for etching. It is softer than quartzite and granite, so it scratches. In a kitchen that is cooked in, a polished marble counter shows its history within a year; honed marble shows etching less because there is no polish to lose. Customers who choose marble anyway are choosing the look of a stone that has been used, and many love it. Customers who want the marble look without the maintenance choose a Calacatta quartz or a Super White quartzite — both are on the floor beside the marble.

Where marble makes sense

• Backsplashes — a full-height slab or a ledge behind the range, where nothing acidic sits: the Hale Navy kitchen's range wall.
• Islands used for sitting, not prep — a waterfall island as the room's centrepiece, with the working counters in quartz or black stone, as in the same kitchen.
• Bathrooms and bars — vanity tops, shower benches and bar counters see less acid: the marble shower bench in the Room Therapy baths.
• Baking stations — cool marble is the pastry surface.

The marbles

Carrara (grey-white, soft grey veining, the most affordable), Calacatta (whiter ground, bolder grey or gold veining, rarer and dearer), Statuario (bright white with dramatic grey veins), Calacatta Viola and Arabescato (heavy, dramatic veining), Nero Marquina (black with white veins). Full slabs from our Kenilworth and Edison suppliers and from Otto Tile's Little Ferry warehouse for tile and mosaics; every slab grouped by level on the estimate.

The alternatives, beside it

Caesarstone Calacatta Nuvo and Statuario Maximus, Silestone Ethereal, MSI and Reliance Calacatta quartzes, Super White and Taj Mahal quartzites — the quartz and quartzite pages list them, and the comparison guide explains the trade-offs. Bring the cabinet door and we will put it against all of them.