To make sure marble countertops are the best choice for your home and lifestyle, learn the hard facts before you buy. Having the right expectations from the beginning means greater satisfaction in the years to come. Here we tell you what to know before choosing marble countertops and what you can do if you already have them in your home.
1. Hiring an experienced professional makes a huge difference.
Hire an installer that informs you of what the normal wear and cost of your marble countertops will be over time. Also, be sure they are seasoned professionals with a good reputation to avoid having marble slabs installed incorrectly (this adds to your maintenance costs in the future). Furthermore, an experienced professional should educate you on how to care for your marble properly after it is installed.
2. Proper care for marble countertops requires more time and patience than other natural stone.
These countertops are a luxurious investment for your home. If the traffic in your kitchen is extremely high and people in your household are not careful, etching will easily occur from spilled liquids and dropped utensils or appliances. Sealing your marble countertops will make them more resistant to stains, but doesn't prevent etching. Wipe up spills immediately and never leave anything such as wine, olive oil, lemon juice, or even water on your countertops overnight. Using a professional neutral cleaner like MK Counter Klean is the easiest, safest and most effective daily cleaning choice for your investment.
3. Maintaining the look and longevity of marble countertops requires yearly attention and service by a professional.
To maintain the look and longevity of your marble you will need to have it refinished by a professional every year. As an example, refinishing a designer kitchen, whether an island, L-shaped or U-shaped, could cost between $500.00-$1,500.00 a year--that could be more than $10,000.00 every 10 years.
4. These countertops cost less upfront (compared to granite), but more in the long run.
Without the need for annual refinishing, marble would remain more cost effective than granite. Marble and granite are both durable, but granite will stay shiny like the day you bought it for up to 30 years. Just clean and seal it every two to three years with a product like MK Penetrating Sealer [http://marblekareproducts.com/collections/mk-products/products/mk-penetrating-sealer]. Also, granite countertops better withstand regular spills and dropped kitchen utensils or appliances. Though the look of marble can't be compared, granite still has a vast array of color choices to compliment your kitchen's design.
5. Replacing marble with granite can save you almost $10,000.00 in 10 years.
It's not too late to save money on your marble countertops. If you can't keep up with the high traffic in your kitchen and you do not want to spend any more on annual refinishing costs, invest in granite.
Although a granite slab, fabrication and installation may cost five to ten times as much as marble -- depending on whether it is a common or more exotic granite, simple or complex fabrication, and difficulty of installation -- granite is much more durable and requires minimal maintenance during its lifetime when compared with marble. The extent of your maintenance will be daily cleaning with a professional cleaner like MK Granite & Marble Top then cleaning and sealing it yourself every two to three years--this is much less than the average $1,000.00 in yearly refinishing services for marble countertops!
Still Interested in Marble Countertops?
If you're still interested in installing marble countertops in your home, you are now more educated on the cost and required maintenance of this elegant natural stone. Now you can focus on the fun part--and that's choosing the kind of marble you want!
1. Hiring an experienced professional makes a huge difference.
Hire an installer that informs you of what the normal wear and cost of your marble countertops will be over time. Also, be sure they are seasoned professionals with a good reputation to avoid having marble slabs installed incorrectly (this adds to your maintenance costs in the future). Furthermore, an experienced professional should educate you on how to care for your marble properly after it is installed.
2. Proper care for marble countertops requires more time and patience than other natural stone.
These countertops are a luxurious investment for your home. If the traffic in your kitchen is extremely high and people in your household are not careful, etching will easily occur from spilled liquids and dropped utensils or appliances. Sealing your marble countertops will make them more resistant to stains, but doesn't prevent etching. Wipe up spills immediately and never leave anything such as wine, olive oil, lemon juice, or even water on your countertops overnight. Using a professional neutral cleaner like MK Counter Klean is the easiest, safest and most effective daily cleaning choice for your investment.
3. Maintaining the look and longevity of marble countertops requires yearly attention and service by a professional.
To maintain the look and longevity of your marble you will need to have it refinished by a professional every year. As an example, refinishing a designer kitchen, whether an island, L-shaped or U-shaped, could cost between $500.00-$1,500.00 a year--that could be more than $10,000.00 every 10 years.
4. These countertops cost less upfront (compared to granite), but more in the long run.
Without the need for annual refinishing, marble would remain more cost effective than granite. Marble and granite are both durable, but granite will stay shiny like the day you bought it for up to 30 years. Just clean and seal it every two to three years with a product like MK Penetrating Sealer [http://marblekareproducts.com/collections/mk-products/products/mk-penetrating-sealer]. Also, granite countertops better withstand regular spills and dropped kitchen utensils or appliances. Though the look of marble can't be compared, granite still has a vast array of color choices to compliment your kitchen's design.
5. Replacing marble with granite can save you almost $10,000.00 in 10 years.
It's not too late to save money on your marble countertops. If you can't keep up with the high traffic in your kitchen and you do not want to spend any more on annual refinishing costs, invest in granite.
Although a granite slab, fabrication and installation may cost five to ten times as much as marble -- depending on whether it is a common or more exotic granite, simple or complex fabrication, and difficulty of installation -- granite is much more durable and requires minimal maintenance during its lifetime when compared with marble. The extent of your maintenance will be daily cleaning with a professional cleaner like MK Granite & Marble Top then cleaning and sealing it yourself every two to three years--this is much less than the average $1,000.00 in yearly refinishing services for marble countertops!
Still Interested in Marble Countertops?
If you're still interested in installing marble countertops in your home, you are now more educated on the cost and required maintenance of this elegant natural stone. Now you can focus on the fun part--and that's choosing the kind of marble you want!