Marble slabs make beautiful, elegant countertops for GTA homes. While granite is more durable and laminate is more cost-effective, marble has an inescapable appeal for those who appreciate fine stone. Nothing brings elegance to a home like pure marble, and a marble slab kitchen countertop is like a beautiful work of art.

 

While many homeowners don’t consider marble due to its association with luxury, the truth is that marble slab has never been so affordable. And research shows that investing in fine stone countertops adds a great deal of appeal and value during resale of the home.

 

 

Marble is a metamorphic stone that’s formed when limestone is subjected to extreme heat and pressure over time. This process of recrystallization creates stone with large, coarse crystals of calcite. These catch and reflect light, giving marble its unique luminous quality. Other minerals are inevitably caught up with the calcite, and these help to give marble its colours and patterning. Pure calcite marble is white; minerals such as serpentine, hematite and limonite add colours such as green, red and yellow, respectively. Marble is available in virtually every colour, from Italy’s white Carrara marble to Spain’s Al-Andalus Red; from England’s Ashford Black, to Swedish Green marble, with shades of pink, blue, gold, cream, tan, grey and brown as well. Some marble is heavily veined. Other marble has very little veining or subtle patterning such as flecks or streaks. No matter what your personal style, there is a marble that’s just perfect for your home.

 

Marble is quarried in various parts of the world, including Canada. First, blocks of marble are cut from the quarry. These are then shipped to a processing plant where they’re sliced into slabs and finished. From the processing plant, slabs are shipped to stone importers-distributors. There are a handful of quality stone importers in the GTA that maintain showrooms containing a large selection of marble slabs. If you’re in the market for a marble countertop, visit one of these showrooms. (Never, under any circumstances, choose a countertop without seeing the whole slab. It’s very difficult to get an accurate idea of colour and pattern of the entire slab by viewing only a small sample).

 

When you visit a showroom, be sure to ask any questions you might have about marble. Staff should be both knowledgeable and welcoming. One GTA stone importer-distributor makes it a point to offer a cup of espresso to every visitor, which means that you can skip the Starbucks run before shopping for a countertop! Most showrooms sell only to fabricators, so, although you can reserve ("tag”) a slab, your fabricator will have to order it. While you are looking for the perfect marble slab, your fabricator will have measured your cabinets carefully and created a plywood template. Once the marble arrives, he/she can use the template to create your unique countertop.

 

 

With regular resealing and proper care, your marble countertop will last for many years and its natural beauty will endure. Bring the elegance of marble to your home!