How well do you REALLY know white marble countertops?

White marble countertop is about as classic and luxurious as it gets

We’ve compiled everything you need to know about the material before you buy. White marble countertop. When it comes to selecting kitchen countertops, classic white marble remains the top choice for many homeowners. It’s no surprise — the surface has been attracting fans for millennia. It’s a natural material with great variety and has the ability to create a really lovely natural pattern, which you don’t get with a lot of artificial materials

However, it’s not a perfect product. While good-quality marbles, such as white marble from Vietnam, are dense and relatively nonporous — which makes them durable and stain-resistant —they also have weaknesses. After all, marble is generally composed of calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate, which react to acidic liquid like lemon juice or vinegar. It will etch marble, leaving a dull, whitish mark where it has slightly eaten away the surface, even after the marble has been sealed. But as long as you choose carefully, know what to expect, and care for white marble countertop, it can be a beautiful, functional choice for your kitchen design that lasts a lifetime

Varieties

Although many people automatically think of creamy, white stone when they hear the word marble, there are hundreds of varieties including types that are taupe, green, gold, red, and black. For marble kitchen countertops, however, we generally recommend sticking with white. Because acid etching leaves a whitish mark, it is much more noticeable on colored marble than on white marble

While classic Italian white marbles like Calacatta and Carrara are generally excellent quality and a great kitchen idea, equally high-quality white marbles are available virtually everywhere, including Vietnam. Our company – Bao Lai Marble – is one of the best white marble manufacturers that offers Vietnam white marble of excellent quality, great whiteness, available for sale worldwide

Selecting slabs

Every white marble slab is slightly different, so it’s ideal to select the exact pieces that will be used for your countertop. It’s best to visit the place of origin to select the right white marble slabs. Contact us at Bao Lai to book visits to our own quarries

There’s an art to white marble—selecting the slabs and understanding where the veining is going to be located on the countertop. You want to artfully place the markings so that it’s almost like a painting. At the same time, it’s important to consider how different pieces come together. The longer the piece you can get without any seams, the better. If you do have seams, it’s always nice to book-match the marble, so adjacent pieces have a mirrored appearance

Veining

Every quarry is different, but it’s possible to cut certain types of marble blocks two different ways to achieve unique veining patterns. Cross cut, or fleuri cut, results in stone slabs with “an open flowered pattern, which looks fairly random and is ideal for book-matching. Vein cut, or Striato, slices the block the other way to achieve a linear, striped appearance

Designers have used both cuts to create some fantastic looks. They may use vein cut on the wall and cross cut on the floor. For kitchen countertop, it’s best to use cross-cut white marble slabs to match the overall feel of the cooking space like the kitchen below

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Finish

The whole marble industry has been going through a massive wave of technology, and it’s transforming the product. There are now more ways than ever to finish white marble slabs, including different brushing and polishing techniques. An orange-peel-like texture is possible which might be called a leather, brushed, or river-wash finish

But the most popular choices remain polished, which make the surface look glossy, or honed, which appears matte. For homeowners concerned about acid etching, we recommend a honed finish. On a polished finish, etching is going to turn it dull and be more visible. With honed, you’re dulling an already dull finish, so it disguises it

Details

Besides its natural beauty, there’s a reason marble has historically been so popular for sculpture. It’s easy to work with tools. Add modern computer numerical control (CNC) milling machines to the equation and almost anything’s possible for kitchen decorating

There are countless edge profiles to choose from, but we prefer a simple eased edge, which takes the sharpness off a straight 90-degree corner. A bull’s nose, which has the profile of a half circle, is also a timeless favorite and functional winner. Hard stones like marble are delicate, so if you hit a 90-degree corner with something hard, it will chip. But with a curve, it’s highly unlikely that it’s going to chip

To give thin ¾-inch stone the look of a thicker slab, it’s possible to use a miter joint at the edge of the countertop to add a thicker face with an almost seamless appearance. You can build up a really nice thick-looking piece without having to use a thick slab

Maintenance

Finishing white marble countertop with a penetrating sealer is essential for long-term performance, but it does not prevent all the impacts on the white marble countertops’ surface. Acids will still etch the surface. Fortunately, if the countertop has a honed finish, an etched mark can usually be removed by poultice and can later be polished or honed again and again. If it’s a polished surface, it will require different abrasives and technical skill, which might best be left to a professional. If the marble does get a stain, it can often be removed with an alkaline poultice that gradually pulls the offending material out of the stone as it dries. But any of these interventions will also strip the sealer, so it needs to be reapplied after the repair

Click for more details on types of stains on white marble and how to remove them

The good thing about white marble is that you can always sand it down or polish it again. With a lot of other materials, once you damage it, you can’t do that. However, the best way to live with white marble countertop may simply be to accept that they will patina over time. If you’ve been to an old bakery or pizza shop and seen how white marble patinas, and like it, then it could be the perfect material for you

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