My New Kitchen Marble Countertops (and What I Wish I’d Known Before Choosing My Slab)

If you have been considering marble countertops for your kitchen, you are not going to want to skip today’s post. Not only am I revealing the deets of the marble slab I chose, I am sharing what you need to know before selecting your own slab of natural stone…

After nearly four years of planning, saving and side-eying the f*ck out of my laminate kitchen countertops, today truly feels like a pinch me kind of moment. I am thrilled to finally share with you my marble kitchen counters.

That said, this reveal isn’t all sunshine and rainbows (because of course… there were a few hiccups along the way). So…I’ll also be sharing what I wish I’d known before picking my marble slab.

Before I get into the juicy stuff, I want to give you a brief recap of my kitchen’s evolution since purchasing my lake cottage almost four years ago. So… last summer, I had saved up just enough dough to replace the baltic brown granite counters on my island and bar…

Basing all of my design decisions around the focal point of my kitchen- the original exposed brick fireplace- I landed on honed black granite for the island countertop as I simply loved the black paired with the red brick.

While I also browsed quartz slabs to replace the laminate on my kitchen perimeters, something in my gut just wasn’t sold. Quartz felt too new for a space with so much old-world charm and that effortless Euro vibe it naturally gives off. And no, marble wasn’t the most practical choice- but once I saw my first slab in person that summer, I couldn’t unsee it.

Nonetheless, I (and almost everyone around me) tried to talk me out of marble. And so, for over a year, I buried my desires deep down and continued to search for the most practical countertop material– quartz (and even quartzite).

That is until one day, I finally snapped and decided to take advantage of a major discount on select marble slabs. With this special, I calculated that I could get my marble countertops for about $1,000-$1,500 less than the quartz I was quoted.

While I had initially been leaning towards a white Carrera slab, when I saw this slab of Blanco Cachoiero , I immediately knew it would be perfect for my kitchen. It was a true knee-jerk reaction the moment Cosentino sent me the photo of it in their warehouse.

And while I am so happy to say that everything ultimately worked out with my marble, there were some curveballs and major moments of doubt during this process.

Here’s what I wish someone would have told me before I even began the process of selecting my marble slab…

What to know before choosing your marble slab..

1. Samples mean nothing: When it comes to not just marble, but any natural stone, samples are really useless. Each slab is entirely unique and will vary in tone and pattern (even if it has the same label/name). Ditch the samples and go straight to looking at slabs!

2. Everyone will try to talk you out of marble: Once I decided on my marble slab, I had to listen to a long schpill from the countertop fabricator about how marble is a bad idea. Hell…I even had to sign a contract saying that I accept any etching, staining and chipping that might happen (this included anything that may happen to the marble while in transit and during install ).

At the end of the day, you have to be confident in your design choice. After obsessive research, I ultimately decided I was okay with the natural patina that develops over time with a living finish- just like the worn, character-filled marble you see in old Italian cafés and bakeries that have been around for centuries.

3. Think about your seams: Per my particular fabricator, you cannot place your seam at the center of your sink if you are installing marble with an under-mount sink. As a result, they placed my seam next to the sink. It doesn’t bother me all that bad, but looking back, I wish I would have put more thought into better placement. I kind of left this part to the installers.

4. Not all polished marble can be honed: The original design plan was honed marble. And while the marble slab I chose came polished, I had already done my research and planned to pay a little extra for the fabricator to hone my slab (this is even what Emily Henderson had done in her home).

But much to my dismay, once the fabricator tried honing a sample of my Blanco Cachoeiro slab, he told me it would not hone evenly and that honing was essentially out of the question. My hopes and dreams were crushed. I think this was the hardest lesson learned during this process.

5. Marble Coverage Plans are a thing. If all of the marble nay-sayers have you on the verge of a panic attack- making you question if you have lost your mind for choosing such an accident prone material- many fabricators offer insurance for your natural stone.

In fact, I paid $500 for a 10-year marble insurance plan that covers stains, etches, and chipping. While I have yet to see just how accommodating this policy truly is, at least I have some peace of mind.

6. Clearly communicate veining layout with your fabricator. While my square footage needs alone would have fit all within one slab, once I stressed to the fabricator that I wanted no seams in the backsplash and that I wanted the veining on the backsplash to mirror the veining on the countertop, they made the executive call to use 2 slabs (luckily I only had to pay by the square foot- not the additional slab).

Tip: Before your fabricator begins the cuts, plan an on-site meeting so that you can show them the sections of marble you would like to use and where (I was a stickler about wanting the prettiest part for my backsplash, and so we mapped it off together in the shop before he began fabrication).

7. Go see your slab in person. I know better, y’all. I really freaking do. But my slabs were three hours away, and we were drowning in baseball season madness with the boys. So what did I do? I broke my own rule and trusted the photo Cosentino sent me (something that could’ve seriously backfired).

While you might get away with a photo if you are working with quartz, here’s the thing about natural stone: not only do photos not do it justice, the camera flattens all dimension and detail. As a result, you don’t get an accurate picture of what it truly looks like in person…

Seeing my slabs in person for the first time at the fabrication meeting was mostly a happy surprise as I got to witness all of their yummy, crystalline magic (my inner crystal collector was actually doing backflips).

That being said, there were some runs of the second slab that had iron deposits in them (which had not been visible from the photo)…

While this discovery was initially a bit of a shock to me, I decided to embrace it. Sure… I could have changed my mind and paid a hefty restocking fee. But I must say… the rust-colored deposits do tie-in beautifully with the brick.

I’ve actually come to love the tiny iron specks scattered throughout the stone. Their imperfections gave me permission to stop stressing over every little etch or stain, especially since those deposits naturally break up the shine of the polished surface.

So while I did not get the honed finish I initially planned for, I really cannot believe how the marble completely transformed my kitchen.

And I must stress… pictures really don’t do it justice.

Not only does this kitchen feel more layered and storied now, when the warm morning sunlight illuminates all the tiny speckles of “glitter” in the stone while I am drinking my coffee, it all just feels so magical to me – despite the fact that I already have my first etch from a rowdy night of homemade margaritas and an impromptu dance party (luckily not even noticeable enough to show up on my camera to share with you).

At the end of the day, I am willing to embrace those imperfections for a space that feels authentic to my vision and the feeling I want said space to evoke.

So as I wrap up this reveal, I just want to leave you with this: don’t let the naysayers steal your joy or your dreams.

No one can see the vision God placed in your heart, but you, boo! And yes… marble ended up teaching me a deep, existential lesson like that (or two).

Thank you so much for stopping by this week and spending some time with me! If you found this post helpful or inspirational, it would mean the world to me if you could “Pin it” or share with a friend…

Until next time, keep on designing a life that feels as good as it looks!