When we renovated our kitchen last year, we chose to put in gray marble countertops. One the one hand, I just couldn’t imagine anything else in the kitchen. On the other hand, we were very nervous; was it the right decision? Would they be a practical choice for a daily-use kitchen? What about etching and straining?

Read on to find out what I think about my marble countertops, a while after moving in our new house.

The First Week

When we moved in our new house, we didn’t have a countertop yet. We were working really hard to move in and get the kitchen set up before family came to visit for Christmas, so I was putting away spices and other staples, and the installer wasn't arrived to seal the marble. I spilled some cinnamon or cumin on the countertop, and it left a big brownish spot that wouldn’t come off.

The day after we put a sheet pan down on the counter and left a rusty spot underneath the pan. I scrubbed and scrubbed it but it still stained.

These are the only visible spots we have, and they were all from before we sealed the countertops, but I was worried of putting anything on the countertops for a small period afterwards.

After the countertops were sealed there have been almost no problems with staining. I am careful about wiping up certain things like cumin or other spices, but I don’t worry about splashes of grapes or coffee. They wipe right up, even if they’ve dried or sat there for a big period.

The Short Answer

The short answer? I'm in love with the countertops. After a year and a half of working with marble, I find it clean, cool, and bright. It’s lovely to work on, and very easy to clean.