02/22/2022
Let’s talk about marble! With the recent explosion of the quartz industry because of their ability to replicate marble it seems that a lot of misinformation has come with it. So let’s go over a few common concerns so that you can confidently make your design decisions!
The first thing thing I would like to touch on is heat resistance. If you plan on actually using your kitchen this is a big one! While quartz can somewhat replicate the look of marble it cannot replicate the heat resistance. Marble is a natural stone so you can use your air fryer and place your hot pots down on the stone at your leisure. With any quartz you will need a cutting board or trivet of some sort under anything that will be releasing heat. This includes crockpots and air fryers even if they have legs! The slow distribution of heat can crack and discolor quartz because it’s mostly comprised of resin and other binders rather than stone.
The main concern I hear about marble every day is that it is “too soft” for a kitchen application. While it is true that there are many very soft marbles, like the famous Carrara marble most people are familiar with, there are many super hard and durable marbles! We call them “hard marbles” and “soft marbles” but the fancy schmancy term for these are Dolomite marbles and Calcite marbles. Calcite marbles are composed of calcium carbonate which makes them far softer and far more likely to etch. Dolomite marbles have significantly less calcium carbonate in their structure making them it very strong and way less likely to etch! For this reason, we only stock hard marbles and try our best to educate any customer that inquires about custom ordering a soft marble.
What is an etch?! An etch is a physical reaction to acidity on the stone. It is different than a stain in that there will be no color change but rather a texture change. So, if you leave something acidic like a lemon slice or a red wine spill on your marble for an extended period of time it could potentially take the polish off in that spot leaving it looking more matte in that spot. The compound acidity eats away at is actually calcium carbonate so soft marbles etch extremely easily because of their make up being mostly calcium carbonate. Hard marbles have so little of it that it is far less likely! In our own personal experience, over the past 10 years about 70% of the natural stone we’ve done has been various hard marbles and it is extremely rare that we get a call about needing a service call for an etch.
Let me know if you learned anything new or if you have any questions in the comments! Knowledge is power and we want you to feel as empowered as possible to make the best design decisions for your project!
