Why am I suggesting alternatives to the Carrara you ask? Carrara, and all marbles, limestones & travertines, are calcium based stones. Anything acidic that gets on the stone will etch the surface. See my post here and here to read more about it.
Some people can't handle the etching and that's okay. We definitely want you to LOVE your countertops that you paid a lot of money for. We don't want you to stress out every time your husband pulls a lemon out of the fridge. So today I thought I'd show a few pictures of some good granite alternatives to the Carrara marble.
The first stone I suggest is Super White, which is actually a quartzite. It is the closest look to Carrara that you will find in my opinion. The downside of Super White is that is relatively expensive compared to the Carrara and sometimes the availability is low. The upside is it has become so incredibly popular here in Utah that we are having a much easier time getting slabs right now.
Bianco Romano is a granite that is often used when the customer originally wanted Carrara marble. One of the great things about Bianco Romano is that it's a relatively inexpensive granite. It's usually a "group 2" when they group colors 1-5, group one being the least expensive.
I did a Slab Sunday about Bianco Romano, you can read it here.
Picture by MGS by Design.
Picture by MGS by Design.
Delicatus is a different look than the Carrara marble, but I think the reason it appeals to the people looking for a Carrara alternative is because it's the same color tones. It's a beautiful stone. I also featured Delicatus on a Slab Sunday, read it here.
White Diamonds is a great alternative to Carrara marble and to the Delicatus. It looks very similar to Delicatus, but it's usually quite a bit less money. I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if Delicatus and White Diamonds are from the same quarry.
Last there is always quartz! CaesarStone, Cambria, Compac and HanStone all have beautiful white colors.
So tell me, did I miss any granite alternatives to marble?
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15 remarks:
Great post! We are in the process of planning now and while I love marble, I know am not a "neat freak" so it is not practical for us.
I find your blog so informative - wish you guys were able to do our kitchen here in NJ!
Hi Liza,
Hopefully these alternative's gave you some ideas of what will be practical for your kitchen!
Let me know if you have any questions about stone while you are in this planning process.
Thanks for reading!
Granite countertops are very durable and do resist most stains, but every surface has its natural enemies. Avoiding abrasive cleaners, fresh meats, acidic liquids and oils should help avoid most granite stains.
Kitchen islands can be added to spacious as well as not-so-spacious kitchens; with smaller kitchens, an island provides added countertop space for placing cooking pots and cutlery.
hi steph,
you right apuan marble are very sensitive to lemon and acid , but please don't compare super white or other money maker stone for fabricator to calacatta , carrara or statuario there is no game.The fine grain on apuane' marbles are unique no other white stone has it, no less high skill to fabricated.
renato wwww.thenewfamar.com
hi steph,
you right apuan marble are very sensitive to lemon and acid , but please don't compare super white or other money maker stone for fabricator to calacatta , carrara or statuario there is no game.The fine grain on apuane' marbles are unique no other white stone has it, no less high skill to fabricated.
renato wwww.thenewfamar.com
Thanks for your comment Renato.
My intention was not to compare Super White or any other granite or quartzite to Carrara or any marbles.
I was suggesting alternatives...not comparables.
I LOVE the amazing white marbles and realize there is no comparison. I also realize some customers can not and do not want to deal with the etching of marble.
Thus the alternative suggestions.
Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to do so.
last week our class held a similar discussion about this subject and you point out something we have not covered yet, appreciate that.
- Kris
Great Blog! I am located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and just started working at our #1 stone yard here in town and previously worked for a fabricator for two years. This is definitely the type of info I've been looking for and just happened to stumble across your page!
Only one granite I can think of that you didn't mention is Kashmir White - a few of my previous customers looking for the white marble went with the Kashmir for their kitchens as opposed to the Bianco Romano.
Emy
www.tritonstone.com
Kashmire White is a great suggestion. Thanks Emy and thanks for reading our blog!
We are trying to decide on a countertop right now and have a sample of super white granite (quartzite?) -- it stained when wine was left on it for 10 minutes (even when sealed) on both a honed version and a polished one. It also etched, though it was hardly noticeable on the honed side. Any thoughts as to why a granite / quartzite would react like marble? We love look of marble but want something lower maintenance. Thought this might be the answer, but confused by the outcome of most recent science experiment!
katie
Katie-
Super White is a quartzite (not a granite) and quartzites are tough. Everything I say about quartzite is technical. That being said, there are a lot of things that end up happening with quartzites (and any other stone really) that shouldn't technically happen.
I'm thinking your Super White must have calcium carbonate in it. That is what reacts with the acid and causes the etching. I personally haven't ever seen this happen, but it's something that I've always been scared of, so I always have my customer's do testing on it before using it in their kitchen.
So I'm not really surprised that it is etching.
Staining can be an issue with quartzites as well.
Another option is maybe trying to find some slabs out of a different block and possibly those won't etch.
Sorry to hear of your troubles. Have you looked at quartz? CaesarStone is a great option with no maintenence.
what about luce di una qurtzite (also called white moon quartzite?) it looks similar to carrara but is it more resistant? what about price?
What about luce di luna quartzite (also called white moon) it looks very pretty, its similar to carrara marble, but is ti more resistant? and what about price? does it compare? Have you seen it in peerson? I haven't only in pictures....
Hi Sandra-
The Luce di Luna is another great option.
It's a quartzite, so it shouldn't etch like the marble will. It will scratch and stain easier than granite though.
It's quite a bit more expensive than the Carrara, but a good alternative if you don't want to use the marble.
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