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Would I Buy Marble Again? Marble Vanity Top Review

A little over a year ago, we installed marble vanity tops in our bathrooms. It took us awhile to make our decision {here is why we chose this vanity top}; but — after living with it for a year — are we glad we chose marble?

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** Amazon affiliate links included in this post.

Let’s start with this…. we use it everyday. When I say “we,” I mean Mike, myself AND our preschooler. So, this isn’t a “marble is great in our guest bath that no one ever uses…” post.

Both the upstairs and main level bathrooms have Honed Cararra Marble, which is a raw {or non-polished} marble. This means that it doesn’t have a glossy appearance; but instead the natural stone finish and feel.

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However, Honed Marble is more porous since it doesn’t have a polished surface. This means that it can stain easier than polished marble. We are careful about what we leave on the surface — for example:

  • we don’t leave metal items {like razors, bobby pins, etc.} on the surface to get wet and rusty
  • I don’t paint my nails on the vanity top
  • we wouldn’t set an open coffee mug {or other dark drinks} out on the counter

This hasn’t been an inconvenience to us at all; but if you love your morning coffee while you get ready in the morning — it might matter.

Note: I’ve read that even if you do spill dark liquids on marble, as long as it is quickly wiped away, it probably won’t stain. 

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Interestingly, light colored liquids — even water — can stain Honed Marble, too. However, this is a much slower developing stain, for example:

  • standing water around the edges of the sinks
  • dripped clear hand soap sitting on the surface for days
  • standing water that repeatedly pools under cups or other items placed on the counter

To prevent these stains, we do two things. First, I place soft feet on the bottoms of any items that remain on our counters {like our toiletry basket shown above} so that they are lifted up off the vanity top.

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Second, we keep a microfiber cloth inside the cabinet to wipe off water around the sink, or dripped soap, after each use.

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We have gotten several water stains over the last year. However, I read that if — when cleaning — you scrub those spots well {and work to keep them dry} that they will fade over time. I’ve found this to be true, only one of the water stains is still visible.

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Can you see the water stain? It is the dark spot in the corner {it could be from some dripped hand soap, as well}. In my opinion, these stains aren’t even that noticeable. If you were to visit my home, you probably wouldn’t notice it. Marble has a natural variation in color and tone which disguises imperfection — simply due to it’s natural beauty.

So, how do we keep it clean?

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Never, ever, use harsh cleaners. When I clean my ceramic sinks, I make sure not to spray or wipe the marble with that cleaner. Only use cleaners that are designed for marble.

After some research, I chose Method Daily Granite. Contrary to the name, I don’t use it daily. Instead it’s more like once every week or two. We wipe the marble down after each use, so it stays pretty clean. When I use Method, I apply it with a microfiber cloth.

So, what’s my verdict on marble?

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Yes, yes and more yes. It’s beautiful and classic. I LOVE the raw, natural feel of the honed surface. We don’t find the care to be a burden — and even if does stain; it still ages beautifully due to the natural veining and color.

I’d be more hesitant to use honed marble in a kitchen, though. There are so many more dark liquids at play. In a kitchen, polished marble might be a better option for our family.

Do you have any marble vanity or counter tops?  I’d love to hear your thoughts. Would you buy it again? What do you use to clean it?

Jennifer

Friday 27th of November 2015

I love this article. We installed a very large Honed Danby Marble island in our kitchen last year. When we were first looking around the warehouse, the designer didnt even want to show me the marble. She said with 3 young kids, the upkeep would be so time consuming. I looked at the granite and quartz and everything else they had. I was still in love with the marble, and picked out a very beautiful slab.

A year later, we dont have any stains per say, but many many etches. Mostly from when we have company, they place their beer bottles and wine glasses or hot casserole dishes. I cringe everytime. and at the end of the night the island usually has at least one new etch mark lol. But, i don't regret my decision for one second.

craftivitydesigns@gmail.com

Friday 27th of November 2015

Company is when we are most likely to get our etches, as well :) Thanks for your feedback!!

craftivitydesigns@gmail.com

Friday 27th of November 2015

Company is when we are most likely to get our etches, as well :)

Craftivity Designs

Wednesday 9th of September 2015

Great feedback! I've wondered if it will actually be more difficult when my kids are more independent -- because like you said -- I wont be following them around all the time.

margot

Wednesday 9th of September 2015

I don't think the other members of my family would keep up the maintenance from their bathroom visits. And I would know the stains are there - which would drive me crazy. So, for my family, I would have to say no to marble.I have to add, as the mother to 2 young adults (20s), that it's easy to clean up after a preschooler, much harder to follow a tweener or teenager around to ensure they aren't leaving a mess - no matter how hard you try to train them.

Craftivity Designs

Monday 17th of August 2015

Yeah I was pretty nervous about whether we were making a wise choice but I love looking at it each and every day. So pleased with it in our bath!

Carol

Monday 17th of August 2015

I really wanted marble for our bathroom, but because I was getting soapstone counters for our kitchen, the place I was buying from offered a substantial discount on their remnants for additional counters. I ended up with granite, but I wish I had just paid more and gotten what I really wanted.