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Marble countertops

Marble is a beautiful and durable natural stone, which is used for sculpture and as a building material. Actually, marble is a metamorphic limestone composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals (calcite). Marble’s basic ingredient can be found everywhere from limestone to baking soda and from calcium carbonate to lime. Marble lends beauty and elegance to any home, and it is available in many varieties of colors and patterns to suit any preference. Marble countertops offer a smooth, milky sheen that can set a luxurious tone in any room.
When a metamorphic limestone is heated and has some pressure put on it, its calcite is melted. Therefore, larger crystals are formed and this is an actual marble what we can see. Whatever is mixed in with the limestone will give the final color of the marble.
If limestone is pure, it forms a white marble. The characteristic swirls and veins of many colored marble varieties are usually due to various mineral impurities such as clay, silt, sand, iron oxides, or chert which were originally present as grains or layers in the limestone. If it has hematite or clay in it, you will get a reddish color marble. Green coloration is often due to serpentine resulting from originally high magnesium limestone or dolostone with silica impurities. These various impurities have been mobilized and recrystallized by the intense pressure and heat of the metamorphism.
Another thing to consider is that white marble colors have a lower stain tolerance than darker colors.

The cons of marble countertops

Compare to other stone countertops, marble countertops are relatively more expensive to install and maintain. Since marble is soft and less dense it needs to be better cared for than harder countertop surfaces. For the high traffic areas use of a kitchen countertop, marble material can cause many problems and require high maintenance. You shouldn’t use any types of chemicals to wash the marble countertops. It is porous and can be very easily stained and destroyed even with reasonable use by any type of heat, heavy use (cuts), acid (juice), vine or water. If you cut on the marble countertop, scratches can allow liquids or even oxidation from the air to leak under the seal coating and stain the marble. So, if you have marble countertops at home, be ready to maintain extra care about it.

The pros of marble countertops

From the other hand, marble countertop can be an ideal option for use in low traffic areas. In other words, it is used primarily in other settings than the kitchen as countertops. Nowadays marble is primarily used in bathroom vanities, fireplace surrounds, hearts, and tile stone. Marble countertops’ elegance and beauty gives any home an exclusive and appealing appearance. Marble fireplace surrounds are gorgeous and marble is able to sustain the heat from it without getting damaged. Marble is applicable in many suggestible places, giving environments a comfortable and graceful look. Also, marble is warmer for touch compare to cold granite.

Marble maintain tips

Many marble cons don't really mean that it should not be used. Use coasters and wipe up any spills as soon as they happen. Use cutting mats in the preparation of food to avoid scratches and clean thoroughly and regularly without using chemicals to avoid stains and prevent marble countertops from destroying. As for any stone countertops, for marble countertops annual sealing is especially required.