Love the look of marble but don’t want to worry about the maintenance or cost? Check out these nine stunning marble alternatives.
I have always loved the look of marble countertops, and I seriously debated putting them in our home. But the more research I did, I realized that it would just not work for our family. So I went on the hunt to find an alternative that would give me a similar gorgeous, classic look but more affordable and less maintenance. I discovered quite a few beautiful options to consider if you’re building or remodeling and looking for marble alternatives.
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I love building a home. It’s a lot of work, and there are so many choices to be made–some very quickly. When you’re designing a space, you’re looking for how everything fits together. Some of my favorite things in my kitchen include the pendant lighting, black faucet, barn wood island, and Dutch door.
I had a vision for the kitchen, and have always loved the classic look of white marble. But the cost was prohibitive, as well as the fact that they are known to be a high maintenance. They are one of the softest of the durable natural stones, so chips, scratches, and etching are inevitable. Due to their high porosity, staining is also very likely. Can you maintain marble countertops? Yes! But it was just more than I was willing to do with six kids and a young family–knowing that they would often be in the kitchen.
The next step was to look for marble alternatives, because I knew I really loved the look for our kitchen!
I researched extensively online, looked at many samples, and finally decided on quartz. It doesn’t scratch or stain, is low maintenance, more affordable than marble, and aesthetically beautiful. It’s also a great option when you’re on a tight budget. Armed with my list of quartz options, I headed to my local countertop dealer to see them in person.
I had narrowed it down to about 5 or 6 favorites, but as soon as I saw many of them in person, I immediately crossed them off my list. Some of them looked much different than I had thought—due to differing computer monitors, kitchen lighting/editing of photos, and more. This is why it’s so essential to see them in person, after narrowing down your list!
TIP: I highly recommend looking at your countertops in person before selection, even if the samples are small. If you can’t visit a local countertop store, you can also order quartz samples online.
Either they were too creamy (cream just didn’t work with my cabinetry), the veining wasn’t what I was looking for, or it had too much gray. It was especially helpful when I laid them next to each other, because it became immediately obvious which ones I liked. I also brought the samples home, to compare with my cabinetry and backsplash samples.
In the end, I chose Neve, by Corian, and I absolutely love it. It was the perfect choice for my farmhouse kitchen, and works so well with all of the wood and other whites in the room. The veining is just what I was looking for–definitely similar to marble in its look. Three and a half years later, it still looks beautiful–and like we just moved in!
Because I’ve been in your shoes, I wanted to gather up some of the best marble alternatives to help you on your own journey.
NOTE: My choice of Neve reinforces the fact that you need to see them in person to really decide. To me, the Neve sample doesn’t look a ton like it does in real life–pictured above. It’s not creamy or yellow at all, which is how it looks to me in the photo below. It’s definitely more white.
Are you happy with your marble alternative quartz contertops?
Yes! Seven years later, I wouldn’t change a thing. They’ve held up beautifully–no scratches or stains. Easy to maintain, and look gorgeous. They get a lot of heavy use with our family of eight, so we definitely put them to the test!
