On Tue, 11 Sep 2012 07:50:18 -0400, Frank
wrote:

On 9/11/2012 12:21 AM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 10 Sep 2012 22:07:59 -0400, "Ralph Mowery"
wrote:


"Ray" wrote in message
...
We recently installed marble countertops in our kitchen, and it's been a
disaster.

Almost immediately water-spots began to form, taking off the sealer.

Even worse, a little tomato juice fell onto the counter, and it was as if
we'd put paint remover on it. Big ugly dull spots wherever the tomato
juice fell -- and it was there for just a few minutes.

We called the installer, who came out and used a different sealer. This
seem to withstand water fairly well, but the tomato problem is as bad as
ever.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

Any suggestions?

Marble and many other stone tops are made to look at, not to use. While it
does not look as good, it is still hard to beat the old Formica for a
cabinet top that is made to use.

Utter rubbish.


Not utter rubbish, in fact mostly true.

Bull****.

The pure stone tops, granite and marble, are calcium carbonate which is
attacked by acidic foods - granite less so than softer marble.
Good finishes will make them more stable.

Marble isn't useful but there is nothing wrong with granite and it makes a
*much* better surface than Formica (gack). People who can't afford granite
use granite slabs for baking and prep. Having a *large* surface makes it all
the better.

Lot of products on the market today are plastic with high stone content
that look similar but are far more impervious to acids. That too would
depend on the plastic binder where I believe acrylic resins are better
than polyesters.

Irrelevant.

Pure synthetics like Corian are more chemically stable and can be repaired.

Irrelevant. They suck for other reasons. I'd use Corian in a bathroom but
not a kitchen.