As far as kitchen countertops go, few options can rival marble for elegance and class. The attractive appearance of marble can make a countertop the focal point of your kitchen and impress friends and family alike. Its high resistance to heat also makes it a practical choice for kitchens where most of the cooking is done in the oven, causing higher room temperatures.
Marble is not without its flaws, however, as any homeowner with a marble countertop can tell you. Despite its brilliant appearance, it stains easily from spills and is especially susceptible to physical damage. That’s why homeowners often choose to add protective coatings to their marble countertops.
Liquids Are an Ever-Present Danger
There’s a reason marble stains so easily. Marble is more porous than quartz, which makes it easier for liquids to penetrate the surface. When that happens, the liquid seeps into the stone and leaves deeper stains that are harder to clean. Red stains are especially difficult to get rid of, so spills from red wine, tomato sauces, some red fruits, and sodas become a constant source of anxiety in any house with a marble countertop.
If you have a marble countertop and you use your kitchen every day, you probably think about stains often. The more vivid the substance, the greater its potential to leave stains that simply don’t come out unless you spend hours scrubbing, and since harsh cleaning chemicals add to the damage, even a single spill can lead to disproportionate headaches. That’s why any homeowner who chooses marble for their countertop option should consider hiring professionals to apply a protective coating.
Physical Trauma from Pots, Pans, and Utensils
An active kitchen is a threat to marble countertops and islands thanks to more than just spills. Whether you’re cooking, hosting parties, or even just passing through while carrying heavy objects, you’ll surely drop something eventually. This is another situation where a marble countertop poses a challenge. Marble is more fragile than some other common countertop options. If you drop a pot or pan, a dish, or a knife on your countertop, it could leave noticeable scratches. Anyone who buys a marble countertop prizes an aesthetically pleasing kitchen, and the last thing you want is to see your countertop marred by physical damage.
Scratches and chips in your marble countertop’s surface also exacerbate the staining issue. Marble is already porous without adding physical damage to the equation. Spilled liquids, sauces, and other substances will infiltrate scratches and chips even more easily than surfaces in good condition, leading to deeper stains that will prove even more stubborn than they usually would. Porous stones like marble only see greater cleaning challenges after suffering physical damage.
A protective coating added to your marble countertop by a professional will go a long way to prevent scratching and chipping, allowing you to enjoy your pristine kitchen island for years to come.
Acidic Substances Can Wreak Havoc
Anyone who owns a marble countertop will need to be careful with foods that are high in acid. This includes lemons, tomatoes, and oranges, and by extension, fruit juices and wines are especially harsh on marble surfaces.
Food isn’t the only danger to be aware of, however. Many household chemicals are acidic, and when you consider how often you place cleaning products on the counter while you’re using them, this is a disaster waiting to happen. Acids dissolve the calcium in marble and leave damage called etching, ruining the look of the countertop that you were once so proud to show off. TuffSkin Surface Protection serves residential and commercial clients by providing stain-poof and etch-proof protective coatings to keep their marble countertops in pristine condition. Get in touch with us at 702-778-2272 for more information.