Carrara marble

Worth knowing first

A steel blade scratches it, and lemon, vinegar, wine or tomato sauce leave a dull patch that won't wipe off. An oil spill wiped quickly does come off, as it absorbs little. Sealer delays stains but doesn't stop acid marks. A ten-year-old Carrara top in a working kitchen has marks on it. Some people like that, some don't.

Polished or honed

Polished, it shines and the vein stands out, but every dull mark shows against the light. Honed, matt with a fine grain, it shows far fewer marks and wears evenly. In a kitchen we recommend honed. In a bathroom or on a living-room table, polished is fine.

Thickness and weight

2 cm on continuous units, about 54 kg per m². 3 cm for long spans, overhangs and islands, about 80 kg per m². On flat-pack units, we check the carcasses are level and reinforced under the cut-outs.

Template and cut-outs

We template once the units are fitted and levelled, never from a drawing. For an undermount sink, the cut-out is polished and the inside corners rounded by a few millimetres at least, because a sharp corner is where marble cracks first. On Carrara we like a straight edge with eased arrises. It chips less than a sharp edge and ages better.

Care

pH-neutral soap and microfibre. No white vinegar, no limescale wipes. Reseal when a drop of water stops beading, often once or twice a year on a kitchen worktop. A marked surface can be sanded and repolished in place, without taking the top out.

We don't always have Carrara in stock. Call 07 45 20 76 39 to find out what we have in slabs or offcuts. See also marble worktops and Calacatta.