interesting countertop suggestions?

[mkm56]

<p>I have marble in our bath and sorely regret it. Any harsh cleaning product (Dow bathroom cleaner was one) etches it. If my H. spills anything on it, it either takes away shine or splotches—have repolished, resealed, etc to no avail. If the damn thing wasn’t so expensive to start with, I would redo it.</p>

[emeraldkity4]

<p>I like concrete- I also am very gradually decorating my house in Arts and Crafts naturalistic style, and that tends to be matte finish, although the some of the glass tiles will be shiny.</p>

<p>My sister has greenish black marble counter in her kitchen- she got it off craigslist apparently but when I have been over there, it is during family dinners and the counters are full of dishes so I don’t know how spotless it is!</p>

<p>We used to have friends that had a huge Italianate kitchen with green/black marble counters- backsplash and island ( & a huge copper & brass espresso machine that cost as much as my car), it was gorgeous, but I never saw them make anything but coffee in their kitchen ;)</p>

<p>Our previous bathroom sink/countertop was Corain which was awful, because I am such a klutz that it became stained and scratched looking almost immediately.
remember when it was the next big thing?
( does concrete stain as bad as the Corian?)</p>

[emeraldkity4]

<p>I wonder if the buffing compound detailers use on cars would work for the marble- I know that furniture refinishers use it to get a high shine on lacquered wood.</p>

<p>I also found this</p>

<p>How To Clean Marble</p>

<p>

Because marble basically is made of sea shells (calcium carbonate) cleaning compounds that contain acid will destroy it. The acid will find its way under the highly buffed polish or finish, get into the cracks the porous rock, and you’ll eventually wind up with a big pile of white sand. A common household cleaning agent that contains acid is … Vinegar! NEVER CLEAN MARBLE WITH VINEGAR!</p>

<p>A good way to perk up a marble counter or coffee table is to start by washing it with a clean soft cloth dipped in a special solution. Use 3 tablespoons of baking soda to 1 quart of warm water. Dip the cloth into the solution, wet thoroughly, then wring out and wipe all over the marble. You may use a little elbow grease on stubborn spots but do not use an abrasive cleaner (such as Comet, or a scrubber). Allow it to air dry for at least a couple of hours, then wipe with clear water to rinse. Grab a clean soft absorbent cloth and dry it off.</p>

<p>To give marble a quick shine, try crushing a child’s stick of common white chalk into a fine powder. Dampen a clean white wash rag and dip it into the chalk powder. Rub it on the marble with smooth, overlapping back and forth strokes. Allow to dry for a moment, then rinse with fresh water on a damp rag, and dry thoroughly.

</p>

[bethievt]

<p>These are great suggestions!</p>

<p>mathmom</p>

<p>Like how pricey is the fossil stuff–I couldn’t tell from the website.</p>

[mathmom]

<p>Oh boy, I wish I could remember better. The tiles weren’t too bad, they had some coffee table sized things that were in the thousands. I know I thought I could probably swing some tiles in a back splash, but I’m a Scrooge.</p>

[bethievt]

<p>Yeah, I’m felling miserly too, because we just did a big renovation and this is the last piece. But I still want it to be interesting.</p>

[bethievt]

<p>cronie</p>

<p>Might your marble have been Giallo Reale? I have that in a few parts of my house and really love it. It wouldn’t work in this bathroom because of the tile, but it’s very pretty.</p>