Marble: All it's cracked up to be and more

If you’re renovating your bathroom, you might be considering using marble.  For thousands of years, marble has been a highly desirable building material. A marble bathroom is the epitome of luxury and very careful consideration should be made before investing in this precious stone. 

Is it a wise investment?

Using marble will certainly contribute to the resale value of your home, but it goes hand in hand with many other factors.  Those include the size and location of your home and the other types of amenities you have.  If most of your home has quality finishings or if your particular neighbourhood has similar homes with quality amenities, then marble will be a good choice from a financial point of view.  If you love marble, with no expectations of your return on investment, then go ahead and build the bathroom of your dreams.  It is a popular choice for owners of high-end homes where home owners are trying to achieve a “spa” style of bathroom and nothing but marble will do. 

Even though granite and quartz are popular choices for bathrooms, there is still a demand for marble.  It’s softer and is available in a wide array or shades of white that just can’t be found in other types of quarried rock. 

Types of marble

The most popular type of marble is carraras.  There are more than 50 types of colours, including the popular white with grey, brown or black veins throughout.  Most of the marble you’ll find commercially is imported from Italy or Brazil.  The rock is quarried or mined in gigantic bricks, which are sliced very carefully as you would slice a loaf of bread.  The marble slabs are then highly polished and shipped to marble dealers around the world. 

Marble can be used on the walls, floors and for countertops, including the walls and floors inside showers.  However, home owners should educate themselves on how to care for marble as it is very soft and porous.  Many retailers and installers will make their customers sign a waiver prior to purchasing marble so that they understand that marble will stain and etch very easily.  Certain soaps, perfumes and even contact lens solution will affect the polish of marble. 

The price of marble has nearly doubled in the past few years, due to global demand and to the demand of rare types of marble.  Marble slabs can be as inexpensive as $100 a square foot with many hard to find types priced at thousands of dollars a square foot. 

Marble in the kitchen

In the kitchen, marble countertops are quite tradition and very European.  Often home owners who have traveled to Europe and have admired marble in hotels want the same look in their homes. Again, because it is very porous, it is best to have your marble countertop sealed at least once a year and use nothing on it but soap and water.  Particularly around the kitchen faucets were water often accumulates, it is almost necessary to seal the marble and keep it as dry as possible or the marble will start to change.  If you want the look of ancient marble, with its stains and etched appearance, you may not wish to seal it so that it develops character over time.  If you want your surface to be clean and glossy forever, then sealing is the way to go.

Marble is not a substance to be installed by yourself unless you have experience specifically with marble.  It is too expensive and best left to a professional.