Check out quartzite.

Hi Lydia,

As being someone in this business, I know how beautiful marble looks in both kitchen and bathrooms. Couple things for you to consider when using marble in kitchen; Yes, Marble requires more maintenance. It will stain if you spill wine on it and do not clean up. It does not stain right away, it actually takes quite a time for marble to stain, around 32 to 48 hours depending on the quality of the stone. Yes, quality is very important. If you buy any natural stone that is not high quality, you will run into problems. Make sure you buy your stone from a reputable company.

As long as you seal your counter tops and maintain properly such as cleaning with proper cleaners, making sure there is no stain left on counter tops over night and using a cutting board, you will absolutely be fine. If you are concerned about etching, consider getting a honed marble. That does not show etching as much as polished marble does. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Ilkem Team

sorry, to clarify I love marble, but I don't want like a big brown stain for instance.

Thank you IIkem Team for that information. It was super helpful!!

Do you drink black coffee?

Kids? How about adult children making Margaritas on mom's travertine? Keeps my wallet green.

I drink my coffee with cream. We have one kid for now :). I am the real mess maker. I love cooking, but am not the cleanest cook.

I can tell you from experience that marble is indeed beautiful as a kitchen countertop. I have honed Olympian White Danby marble installed in my kitchen for 2 years. Lots of etching and scratches, but NO STAINS. I repeat NO STAINS. Danby marble is very dense and when properly sealed does not stain. I've spilled coffee, tea, berries, wine, you name it and NO STAINS. I love the patina it's getting and like you, would not like discolorations.

As for the mythical "upkeep," I really don't understand what this means. You clean it just as you would clean any other countertop. I use either Murphy's Oil Soap, Dawn dishwashing soap, or Sprayway cleaner. The marble was sealed on installation and I haven't done any more sealing since the day it was installed. I think the "upkeep" issues come from homeowners thinking they can do something to prevent or eliminate the etching, which of course is impossible. (I've heard of people putting plastic on top of the marble when they cook, which is ridiculous.)

Danby marble is from Vermont and is very popular in the NY metro area, and the stone yards can't keep it in stock, so it's quite expensive, but I think it's worth it.

Yay! This is what I needed to hear! Thanks Diana Bier. I am going to look into the Danby Marble, looks like there is a distributer in Portland. I can't wait to check it out!