tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post4133401262467443410..comments2024-03-28T22:57:10.106-07:00Comments on The Social Home: Designing a Home, and White Marble Countertop WoesJennifer Opsahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470632120877499280noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-68803065877169975362014-03-19T20:34:37.654-07:002014-03-19T20:34:37.654-07:00So I'm guessing if you were to do your kitchen...So I'm guessing if you were to do your kitchen counters, you would definitely go for marble? Oh I'm still so torn! Let's hope I make up my mind in the next few months! Thanks for your input - every little bit is appreciated!Jennifer Opsahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03470632120877499280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-40798760349387594422014-03-19T13:45:48.314-07:002014-03-19T13:45:48.314-07:00I have also dreamt of marble since childhood. We ...I have also dreamt of marble since childhood. We gut renovated our home before moving in (two weeks before baby was born)! The kitchen was the only part of the home we didn't have to update, so no marble there. Instead all the bathrooms have marble slab countertops and shower tiles. I love it. Yes, it has etched and there are some water marks, however I like the look. As I know it will only become better with age, like leather, the wear and tear gives patina that our otherwise modern home needs. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16334027828474733054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-1142506364582947242014-03-09T10:37:20.799-07:002014-03-09T10:37:20.799-07:00I'm so glad I'm not alone. I still waffle ...I'm so glad I'm not alone. I still waffle back and forth on a daily basis.Argh!!Jennifer Opsahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03470632120877499280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-66469804880568820482014-03-08T08:41:00.292-08:002014-03-08T08:41:00.292-08:00To say I OBSESSED about marble during our kitchen ...To say I OBSESSED about marble during our kitchen reno would be a vast understatement. It literally kept me up at night. As you know, in the end we went with granite. It's been great, but I remain wistful. I absolutely understand what you are going through. I will say I ended up babying my granite anyway. Also I think of all those well used, well loved European kitchens with marble and I think it IS stone after all! Argh! Like I said, I sympathize 100%.Charityhttp://charitygalasso.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-75436313620502039032014-03-01T08:03:22.559-08:002014-03-01T08:03:22.559-08:00Thank you so much for this! Reviews like yours are...Thank you so much for this! Reviews like yours are truly the only reason I am still on the fence after reading so many warnings online (and after my husband shot the idea down as well). Funny enough, after reading your comment I was at a hockey game with a co-worker who had built and used marble before, and said she would never do it again (not sure if it was sealed because she said every glass left water rings, etc). <br /><br />I wonder if the type of marble matters? Perhaps your calacatta borghini is a more premium marble than the common carrera I am considering? I'm not sure - but let's just say I am still confused (perhaps more confused) and I feel like either way I go I will have some regret (that I wasn't more practical if we get marble, or that I didn't follow my heart if we get quartz) - which is horrible to think of when making such a large investment!<br /><br />I will forever be envious of your six slabs of marble that have stood the test of time!Jennifer Opsahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03470632120877499280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-86056291825107056392014-02-26T20:02:07.819-08:002014-02-26T20:02:07.819-08:00(Raises hand) I have marble. I really do! I have h...(Raises hand) I have marble. I really do! I have had it for 6 years now and I have A LOT of it. Six full slabs worth. It covers my island, counters, black splash and butler's pantry. I worried endlessly about getting marble too. But I thought, I absolutely love the look. There was no engineered stone that perfectly replicated the depth of real marble for me. European kitchens have been using it for hundreds of years. And all the kitchens we toured in those massive Vanderbilt mansions in Newport, Rhode Island had marble as well. So I bit the bullet and covered my kitchen in calacutta borghini. I have not regretted it one moment. I confess that I am a sloppy, messy, clumsy cook. I also I absolutely hate to clean. Plus I have two kids, all their friends and a dog as well. I wondered how it would stand up to all the use. But I have to say...It's still looks absolutely amazing. I have zero stains. None, I swear. There is some etching from acid, like lemons. But to be honest, it's difficult to see. You really have to put your face a few inches from the mark and at an angle to identify it. There are no marks from water at all. I don't run around stressing about wiping up water around the sink. I have no chips and boy have I banged the edge of my sink with some seriously heavy cast iron and All Clad pans.<br /><br />I think there are two tricks to keeping marble in good condition. 1) It needs to be honed (not shiny). Shiny marble will show every mar. 2) Seal that baby. No kidding. It's not hard. Wipe on/wipe off. I can do my whole kitchen in 35 min. I used to do it twice a year. But honestly enough sealant has soaked into the stone where I don't have to do it anymore. I use Akemi Nano Sealer.<br /><br />I'm sure any way you go will be wonderful. If you have any questions, please feel welcome to ask. :)<br />JeanneWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14701741871139567882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-89725489461523617002014-02-23T11:01:35.228-08:002014-02-23T11:01:35.228-08:00I will definitely look into it! Is it in your new ...I will definitely look into it! Is it in your new kitchen or old kitchen? I want pictures! :) I'll have to go scour your blog now!<br />Jennifer Opsahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03470632120877499280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-17957150500366925272014-02-23T10:07:44.501-08:002014-02-23T10:07:44.501-08:00I actually came across your post on the samples wh...I actually came across your post on the samples while looking for marble alternatives! It's so very helpful and I'm so happy that you found the perfect countertops for you!<br /><br />I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for the big reveal! :)Jennifer Opsahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03470632120877499280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-15683750734688211282014-02-23T10:04:58.401-08:002014-02-23T10:04:58.401-08:00I am so glad I'm not the only one who has had ...I am so glad I'm not the only one who has had to deal with the intense marble dilemma (#firstworldproblems). Definitely have considered the backsplash with white counters route, but I feel like I change my mind every darn day! I just know I don't think I can take the maintenance involved with marble despite my love for it :( <br /><br />And we are incredibly excited for this opportunity - has to be an upside to living in the coldest major city on earth!Jennifer Opsahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03470632120877499280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-70473513068241350852014-02-23T06:05:44.581-08:002014-02-23T06:05:44.581-08:00This is exactly why I decided not to get marble fo...This is exactly why I decided not to get marble for our kitchen update. There's a quartzite called Damsco White that I chose instead - I found a slab that is mostly white with some light grey veining. Some have LOTS of grey. But the one I found is a pretty dead ringer for Carrerra. And it's a hard-workin' lady, which is what I need in the kitchen!Jennifer@The Chronicles of Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04707073682080677083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-55748572554856184132014-02-22T19:44:00.017-08:002014-02-22T19:44:00.017-08:00I've dreamed of marble counters for as long as...I've dreamed of marble counters for as long as my little brain can remember. Nearly every kitchen on my Pinterest board has them. We've been in our house for 12 years, and thanks to a MAJOR pipe leak, we ended up gutting the entire thing, down to the studs and floor joists, this past summer. Insurance gave us the middle finger, so we were on our own. With a single income, we had to DIY the entire thing and marble just was not gonna happen. Solid surface was not gonna happen. Ya know what was gonna happen? Laminate. I had a sample from 11 years ago. One of those little two-inch things from Home Depot. I ordered tons of bigger samples online and ended up going with that tiny sample I had brought home years before. I'm in love with the counters. Like, head over heels, marble for life, in love with them. We're still working on the kitchen, so there hasn't been a big "reveal", but I've posted weekly updates along the way. I plan on posting the newest update next week (after months of being stagnant), but here's a link to all the renovation posts, starting with the most recent that will show the counters (the post with the counters going in is on the second page): http://rindymae.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Kitchen<br /><br />I also did a post on all the samples I ordered. That one is here: http://rindymae.blogspot.com/2013/05/counter-samples.html<br /><br />Seriously, if you wanna go for super cheap until you can save for what you really want, I hands down recommend the laminate. I know people scrunch up their faces at the word, but it's awesome. Especially for an avid cook with three kids.Mindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07247379600555185331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-46191385696201560062014-02-22T19:41:31.999-08:002014-02-22T19:41:31.999-08:00I have actually thought about this a lot (weird?) ...I have actually thought about this a lot (weird?) because I LOVE marble too... but not enough to commit to it on countertops. I can't imagine how pissed I'd be after something happened to my precious stone. So, my plan is to go with a super plain countertop (we have some kind of man made Italian stone now which I actually really like but I'd go for a purer white or gray) and save the marble for my backsplash. That way I still get my marble but at least it's safer? I just know that I couldn't baby countertops that way, and if something happened, I would be cruuuuuuushed. Just my two cents ;) If you get marble countertops, I will be eternally jealous. Even more jealous than I am of building your own home. Andreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02961811466601182385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-86497740894774332162014-02-22T12:55:28.928-08:002014-02-22T12:55:28.928-08:00Thanks Elaine! So happy to hear you have no regret...Thanks Elaine! So happy to hear you have no regrets - and would love to see pictures! :)Jennifer Opsahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03470632120877499280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4057460605407101148.post-62298322530841522662014-02-22T12:05:16.295-08:002014-02-22T12:05:16.295-08:00Jenn, I was in the same situation and finally deci...Jenn, I was in the same situation and finally decided on Quartz! No regrets. It looks great and so easy and amazing to look after! Will try to send picsElainenoreply@blogger.com