Selecting the right marble stone for your home can be a complicated process. Many homeowners dream of having gorgeous marble countertops. When it comes to the durability of marble, there&#;s no need to worry about this natural stone. In fact, marble has been used throughout the Middle East and Europe for centuries. Many of those structures are still standing today. So when it comes to selecting a strain of marble for your building or remodeling project, don&#;t worry about how the marble will hold up.

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While you don&#;t have to worry about marble&#;s durability, you shouldn&#;t make your decision lightly. Without the proper expertise or knowledge, homeowners can make a costly decision they grow to regret. However, the right marble supplier can provide you with the best advice and material around to ensure your home improvement project is a complete success.

You&#;ve already made the decision to invest in your property by adding marble to your home. The next step is find the right marble supplier. If you&#;re like most homeowners, you want to find a supplier you can trust. A supplier who understands your building or remodeling goals can make the entire process run smoother.

Choosing the right marble supplier can be a lengthy task. However, if you do some research and arm yourself with correct information, you&#;ll find the best fit for you in no time. Keep reading to learn how to find the right marble supplier in your San Francisco Bay area.

Do You Like Their Range Of Products?

You know you want to add marble to your kitchen, but do you know which type of marble would work best. The amount of variety of marble that exists can shock most homeowners. For example, some marble suppliers like Carmel Stone Imports, directly import their marble slabs from quarries all over the world. This gives you the chance to add Italian marble countertops to your kitchen or to bring a touch of Portugal to your San Francisco home.

While examining a potential marble slab supplier&#;s range of product, it&#;s also important to note the quality. Don&#;t just look at the overall quality of the stone though. Keep an eye on how all matters of production are handled, from packaging all the way to delivery. This will give you a clearer picture of the type of service you can expect.

Does Your Marble Supplier Have A Showroom You Can Visit?

Seeing marble with your own eyes is a much different experience than viewing the stone from behind a screen. A good marble supplier will have at least one local showroom you can visit. It is highly advised that you do so. Showrooms give homeowners a chance to view the marble they are considering purchasing. They also provide the opportunity to get even more inspiration since most showrooms are stocked with the latest styles and high-quality options.

There is also the added benefit of seeing first-hand how the finished result could look. Most showrooms showcase completed projects. Make sure you browse any website galleries and showroom features as well. This will help you determine if you and the marble supplier are the right fit. After all, this natural stone is going to be in your home for a long time. It&#;s important you make a selection you truly love. The right marble supplier will have a showroom containing just the exact material you envisioned.

Does Your Marble Slab Supplier Hold Any Industry Certifications?

How does your marble supplier interact with everyone else in the industry? Make sure you find a supplier who is an Industry Leader dedicated to providing exceptional customer service. Whether you are a homeowner or a large developer, look for a marble supplier who not only understands your vision, but is excited to help bring it to life.

The ideal marble supplier has excellent relationship with their oversea partners. They follow honest and ethical business practices. Furthermore, they are proud to show off their award-winning work and accomplishments in the industry. Don&#;t be afraid to ask your supplier what makes them stand out from the crowd. Any supplier who wants to give you outstanding customer service will be happy to answer any of your questions.

What Are Customers Saying?

If you want to be confident you&#;re choosing the right marble supplier, listen to what their customers are saying. The suppliers with raving reviews are the ones who will go the extra mile to ensure you have an enjoyable, stress-free experience. Thankfully, with today&#;s technology, it&#;s easy to discover exactly what type of services the marble suppliers in your area offer. The best natural stone suppliers have up-to-date websites that highlight their customers&#; testimonials.

There are other places to find reviews online too. Natural stone suppliers in the San Francisco Bay area the importance of having a powerful social media presence. Browse their Facebook Business Page to see their current reviews. Check out their Houzz account to see what past clients have to say about their experience. Depending on the natural stone supplier, you may be able to make a consultation appointment. This would allow you to really get to know your marble supplier&#;s capabilities. It&#;s also one of the easiest ways to find out if they are the best fit for your marble goals.

Marble 101:  Advantages, Disadvantages, and How to Care For It

Let&#;s be honest here. Chances are you&#;re reading this because you love the look of marble but you&#;re absolutely terrified of damaging it. We totally get it, marble has acquired rap for being fragile and difficult to maintain.   But don&#;t dismiss it too quickly!  This beautiful stone can be best suited for some lifestyles.

Consider Your Lifestyle

When considering marble, like every other stone surface, we recommend you think about how you live your life.  Do you always keep things neat and spotless? Would you say you&#;re a gourmet and prefer to spend more time in your kitchen than your family room? Do you have a home filled with children&#;s laughter (and the occasional kitchen disaster)? Do you thrive in chaos? Do you work a lot or have a busy life with little time in your kitchen?   

These things matter when you&#;re thinking about which countertop will be best for your needs. That&#;s why our Stone Consultants will help you figure it out. We love all stone types equally! If you&#;re properly educated on how to be a responsible marble caretaker and combine that with the protective measures we take during fabrication, you will realize that marble is an enchanting surface worth a little more consideration.   We hope you have your learning hats on, folks!  Let&#;s dive in to Marble 101! 

A Timeless Classic

Marble is a metamorphic rock , which basically means what it sounds like.  It started out as one stone, and when put under certain environmental conditions changed into another.  Without going deeper, marble is limestone that crystallized and was mined from the earth.  Marble comes from all over the world, and several American quarries were used to construct the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.

When we think of marble, we recall many words to describe it. Timeless. Luxury. Classic. There is a reason for that. The many varieties of marble provide us with subtle or dramatic veining, and a less &#;busy&#; background than some granite varieties out there.  The reason engineered quartz companies try to replicate the beauty of marble is because most marble varieties work with neutral palettes and they age very well with kitchen trends as they emerge.  Yet, try as they may, engineered quartz manufacturers haven&#;t fully captured the inner glow characteristic of real marble.  Let&#;s continue detailing marble so you&#;re in the loop to make the best informed decision. 

Slab Sizing

 

Marble slabs have a wide range between 100-138&#; wide to 50-80&#; tall. We utilize many stone suppliers to source your stone here in Indianapolis, and we will look for material in a pattern and size that will work best for your project.  With any natural stone, there are natural characteristics such as fissures and pits that lend to your stone&#;s unique character; they cannot be removed or polished out.  We will make sure you are able to view your material in person so you know exactly what will be installed in your space.   

Pricing

Marble pricing in the Midwest is comparable to all price tiers of other natural stones. There are patterns that start around the same price granite will, and it will slowly climb up towards a prestige level.  Rest assured, there is a marble for every budget. When we estimate for any project, we consider the price of the material and all the optional fixtures and services your project needs for completion. 

For more information, please visit Zhouxing.

Durability

 

Here&#;s where things get scary and then we bring you back down with some solutions.  Can marble stain?  Yes.  Unsealed marble is a very thirsty stone.  However, Peak Stone Company seals every marble with an impregnated 15-year sealer to slow the absorption of liquids and provide extra stain resistance.  Our sealer comes with a 15-year performance warranty to help put your mind at ease. 

Does this mean you can leave a spill sitting for an hour on a properly sealed marble countertop?  No. The sealer buys you enough time to clean up liquids without going into a panic because someone tipped a glass over.  Make it a habit to always use a trivet or spoon rest while cooking to avoid issues. If you don&#;t get to a spill in enough time or missed a spot while cleaning, call us!  We can talk you through a method using a stone poultice that will pull most marble stains right out. 

The Cons of Marble

Can marble scratch?  Yes, marble is softer than let&#;s say, a different type of stone like granite (that&#;s like comparing an apple to an eggplant, but here we are).  Generally, it is about as hard as a copper penny. It is important to note that some varieties of marble like Fantasy Brown (this one is sometimes mislabeled as a soft quartzite) have better scratch resistance than a softer marble variety like Carrara, because they have quartz naturally present in their layered composition. 

Our Greenwood showroom desk is made from Fantasy Brown marble, and it has weathered many raw edge granite samples being slid and dragged across its surface daily with no noticeable scratches.  Are we going to recommend you do the same to your new countertops?  Absolutely not.  We just know this is a tougher variety of marble that can better resist scratching in comparison to other patterns.  Regardless, put your cutting board to good use! 

Can marble etch?  Most definitely.  The calcite content of marble makes it react to most acids and bases. Your finish can be damaged if they&#;re allowed to sit on marble tops for too long.  On a polished marble, etching can resemble a water mark on furniture. As time passes, the area that was damaged can darken as the calcite reacts to the acid. Please clean acidic or alkaline spills up as soon as possible to prevent damage to your stone&#;s finish.  If you do experience etching firsthand, we can easily make a repair call to your house with an etch remover/polishing compound to see if it can be removed.   

The Pros of Marble

We admit, the possibility of etching is alarming to most folks. However, there is one very cool way of getting around some of the etching issues, by going with a honed or suede/leather finish on your marble.  The matte finish is sought after by a lot of homeowners, and it can help camouflage citrus or tomato-related mishaps (the most common culprits for etching in a kitchen).   

Next, we want to highlight a place where marble is exceptional.  It has great heat resistance, much better than that of engineered quartz. Marble is a popular choice with folks who love baking.  We still recommend using hot pads or trivets with any stone just to be safe. 

If this still doesn&#;t have you convinced that marble can withstand your daily life, we will acquire samples you can use to test substances in your home that your tops would come in regular contact with, so you can be sure of what you&#;re getting before you commit.  

Cleaning Your Marble

 

A few drops of dish-washing liquid (without bleach) diluted in warm water and soft cloth is what we recommend for everyday cleaning. For tougher jobs, we recommend using a cleaner made specifically for natural stone.  Disinfectant wipes are also acceptable to use on sealed stone if you have bacteria concerns, just make sure you read the label carefully to avoid any mishaps. 

If you get hard water scaling around your faucet, call us and we&#;ll talk to our Project Managers on the best way to handle removing it.  We are always happy to coach you through cleaning procedures. 

Do not use solvents, 100% bleach, or ammonia on your top.  It can have an impact on your sealer and the stone. 

Please wipe away oven cleaners and rinse the area with water as soon as they encounter your top to prevent damage. 

Other Marble 101 Guidelines

 

 

Marble countertops will age, mellow, and develop a lovely patina over time.  Patination is something to consider when you are making your decision. 

Never sit or stand on a countertop because it can cause a stress crack or fracture. Stay safe and use a step ladder. 

If you chip your countertop, please save the chip if you can so it can be included in the repair.  Marble chips can be easily repaired. While the material will be stable and look better cosmetically, after any repair is performed, that portion of stone will never be as it was when the material was first installed. 

Woohoo! You have completed Marble 101!  Please know you are welcome to contact us before trying anything you&#;re unsure about with your stone top.  Advice is always free, repairs come with charges! 

How To Find The Right Marble Supplier

Marble 101- Everything You Need to Know