Marble Worktops for Kitchen, Bathroom & Flooring

Yes, marble is a good countertop material for bathrooms. However, you need to clean it properly to maintain its natural appearance and lustre. If you could spend the required time on its proper cleaning and maintenance, it’s not a big deal to install it in a bathroom. 

But if you remain careless and neglect it, you are going to observe issues with marble in your bathroom. Being a very absorbent natural stone, marble does stain but not as bad as you read about it. Polished marble is quite stain-proof.

Another issue with marble is etching while cleaning the bathroom countertops or flooring. So, it is recommended to use only mild cleaning agents and a soft cloth for wiping off water or liquid objects from the surface. Never use any abrasive cleaning agents or scrubs to rub its surface.

Unlike kitchen countertops, bathroom worktops are not exposed to acids or abused that often. Therefore, it’s pretty easy to take care of these natural stone worktops.

Yes, you can seal marble worktops to prevent staining. But there are certain things to consider before getting your marble countertop sealed. To your surprise, marble doesn’t stain as often as it's mentioned over the internet. The high-quality marble slabs are likely to be stain resistant to some extent.

You need to perform a sealer test for determining if your marble countertop needs sealing. The next step is to test by putting a few drops of mineral oil on the countertop and wait for ten minutes to wipe off the mineral oil. If you notice dark stains on wiping off the oil, it means that you need to seal/reseal the countertops.

When it comes to choosing a sealing agent, you have to be careful of the harsh chemicals and make sure that it also doesn’t contain any toxic substances that might be harmful to the environment. Just being a little careful with the sealing process, you could enhance the appearance of marble worktops and make them last for several years.

You simply cannot neglect the maintenance needs of marble – whether it’s installed in your new home or inherited from a previous homeowner. You need sealant when you install marble into your kitchen or bathroom countertops. You can use Granite Gold Sealer for both marble and granite worktops in your house.

Without the use of proper sealant, you may face difficulty in removing stains from the surface. You also need to keep checking the marble countertop for resealing from time-to-time. You can either perform a water test or mineral oil test to find out whether it’s time to reseal or not.

If your countertop needs resealing, you need to spray the Granite Gold Sealer right on the countertop surface and wipe it off to ensure any penetration into the pores. Spray the sealant in three-foot sections and work on it before it dries out. Use a lint-free cloth for buffing and cleaning the extra sealant, as you don’t want a thin film forming on your worktop. After everything is done right, your marble worktop is new and ready to withstand stains again.

You may test the quality of marble in the three following ways: Check the back of marble by flipping it over. If the end of a marble tile is covered in net or mesh, it may be fragile compared to others. The mesh is a fiberglass resin for reinforcing some of the weakest marble types against breaking or cracking. It also proves that this marble tile is not suitable for high traffic areas, as it may etch, scratch or crack easily.

Examine the marble's surface under light by holding it at a 45-degree angle. If you observe small, dull patches on the surface, the marble may have fissures or holes in its surface. Marble with deep cracks must be avoided, as it could damage easily.

Splash some water on unpolished marble. By doing so, even the unpolished marble would look like a polished one, if it's of good quality.

Marble is a gorgeous and robust flooring material. Unlike some flooring types, marble does not need replacement and adds unique features to your living space. That's why you must pick the right marble slab for flooring that could easily compliment your home decor for years to come.

First, you need to determine your exact requirements and then contact your nearest marble worktop supplier to seek samples to match your home interior. You may even bring home some examples to check how they would look once installed in your current decor.

Another item to consider while purchasing is that invest in the premium quality marble that stands the test of time. The only trust reputed, licensed and experienced worktop suppliers to ensure peace of mind, as they do the installation as per the highest possible standard. Also, make sure that the finishing is perfect on a marble worktop surface; after all, you're investing in luxurious surface material.

Here are the top five marble worktop colours:

White: White is one of the most contemporary and stylish colours to show off the perfect veining pattern on the marble worktop. It is a trendy shade to add brightness to any modern kitchen. Some of the most popular white marble worktops are Carrara marble, Calacatta marble, Statuario marble and Arabescato marble.

Cream: It is a beautiful hue that matches almost any colour and often comes in three different shades that can give a luxurious feel to your kitchen. Some of the most popular cream marble materials are Crema Marfil marble, Botticino marble, Perlino marble, Perlato Olympo marble and Crema Valencia marble.

Black: Black is also a popular choice for monochromatic dark-themed kitchen or contrasting black and white interior. Some of the most popular black marbles are Nero Marquina marble, Panda White marble, Portoro marble, Noir St Laurent marble and Sahara Noir marble.

Brown: The earthy brown and coffee toned hues are popular choices among many homeowners. Brown marble often comes in six various shades and designs. You may choose it either in lighter or darker shade depending on your preference. Some of the most popular brown marbles are Emperador marble, Emperador Light marble, Forest Brown marble and Coffee Marquina marble.

Grey: Also, grey is a popular choice for home decor. It comes in different patterns and shades –inclining in between the faintest shade or grey and to the darkest grey, almost charcoal. Some of the most popular grey marbles are Pietra Grey Marble, Grey Marquina marble, Fiori Di Bosco marble, Emperdor Grey marble and Bardiglio Imperiale marble.

Marble has been a popular material for many years to build historical sculptures and buildings. It is also a popular kitchen worktop material, and we can see why. Despite being a softer material compared to quartz and granite, marble can naturally resist heat and offer incredible versatility, lasting a lifetime.

Although marble is not the right choice for high-traffic areas, it is a durable worktop material that can last up for many years or a lifetime depending on how you take care of this natural stone.

Marble is more porous compared to granite, and hence, it can easily stain and etch. It may even lead to breakage if left exposed to unfavorable conditions for a longer time. These softer worktop stones are also more prone to scratching and etching. Therefore, you need to be careful and not cut anything on its surface without a cutting board or when setting down heavy items on it. One to the main advantages of natural marble is that if it becomes dull, it can be re-polished to restore its original look.

If placed on low-traffic areas, marble is likely to last a lifetime.

On the marble worktop surface, even some of the best sealers are not scratch and stain-proof. To repair scratches on its surface, you need to resurface the stone or use a colour enhancer or sealer. The resurfacing is a costly option to repair scratches in natural stone. Therefore, you may consider improving the surface by using sealer and colour enhancer first. You may ask your fabricator for the best sealer and colour enhancer brand to restore the appearance of natural stone.

Cracks on marble are repairable using epoxy, intended to fix natural imperfections found on a stone. A professional marble technician will mix the epoxy carefully, to match the colour of the existing surface and aim to make it look like another vein in the marble. Since epoxy is a runny substance, you will need a professional fabricator to carefully pour epoxy over the damaged surface and let it sit for some time. Later, the residue of epoxy is scraped off using a razor blade or the area is resurfaced depending on the surface finish.

Here's how different factors impact marble worktops:

Sunlight: UV rays of the sun can ‘tan’ the colour of natural stones with organic components. Usually, black marble is likely to alter by fading of its colour. However, lighter shades of marbles may turn yellowish or darker in direct sunlight.

Water: Marble is porous, therefore acidic substances or stain-causing liquids can easily penetrate marble worktop, causing staining. Wine, lemon juice, orange, fruits and some other acidic substances are likely to etch the marble's surface. Some chemicals present in a cleaning agent can also damage marble. For this reason, it's best to use cleaners that are designed specially to clean marble.

Heat: Marble is quite resistant to heat. However, it is recommended NOT to put hot pans, pots or other utensils directly on its surface; otherwise, it may cause cracking due to sudden temperature change. This occurrence is known as ‘thermal shock’.

Time: Marble is likely to darken or fade over time. You need to take care of marble worktops properly to make it last for many years.

Marble worktops are a significant investment, but they may to fade over time. If you want them to keep looking elegant and beautiful for many years, you can check with your fabricator to see if your worktop can be treated with resins. However, it is always a good idea to take some precautions for minimizing the exposure time of countertop to direct sunlight.

If you have outdoor kitchens, you may consider covering the worktop when it's not in use. These are also some specifically designed products that act as sunscreen block for outdoor countertops to protect them from harsh UV rays.

Already damaged worktop?

If your worktop is already damaged or faded by sunlight, the good news is that it can be repaired easily. A natural stone that does not contain resins can be easily honed, as well as re-polished by a proper restoration company for bringing marble back to life. If the worktop contains resins, certain chemical dyes can be applied on the worktop to maintain the stone's natural colour.

Over time, even the highly polished marble becomes worn and scratched. When marble's polish wears of, the rough surface can easily attract more dirt, moreover, improper use of cleaners leads to the accumulation of dirt into pores of the natural stone and this causes the marble to turn yellow or discolored over time.

Cure: If you notice any discoloration on marble due to improper cleaning and maintenance, you need to clean its surface using alkaline marble cleaner. It is best to use a natural marble cleaner. However, the cleaner must not be acidic; otherwise, it could dull the polish.

For cleaning, apply marble cleaner on to the surface and scrub using a soft sponge or cloth. After cleaning, rinse off the surface thoroughly with warm water. It might be necessary to repeat this procedure many times for removing all the embedded dirt.

In case you still notice dust on the surface, it's best to get it re-polished professionally, followed by the application of premium quality sealer.