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Believe it or not, more and more people are outfitting their homes with the best kitchen countertops available. It’s not easy to choose one though as there are many kinds of marble tops to choose from. While they are the same in shape and size, countertops vary in material and overall price. If you have the budget for it, we highly suggest getting a marble countertop for your kitchen.
Marble countertops are some of the most popular options for a kitchen right next to granite and quartz. You’ll find that most types of marble countertops are seen inside luxury homes and even hotels that use them for the lobby. That’s because in the world of countertops, marble is considered the premier option.
One of the reasons why a marble countertop is more expensive than other options is that it’s made from pure natural stone. All marble countertops are cut directly from a huge slab of marble. This means many things but it mostly means that no two countertops are identical with one another. This gives a unique flair to your house unlike any other.
While expensive, it’s worth noting that marble countertops are a great investment. They add value to your home so if you are considering selling it in the future, expect a higher price with a marble countertop. It takes time and a lot of saving to get a marble countertop. How much does it cost anyway? Is it really worth getting?
Costs Of Marble Countertops
Prices of marble countertops vary but they depend mostly on the style of the one you choose. There are several patterns and types to choose from. While they have virtually the same durability and features, it all really comes down to the design of the slab you choose. Here’s how much you can spend for each slab.
- Carrara – This is a white or often bluish-gray countertop that has soft gray veins which surprisingly has hints of gold as well. As it is one of the most common forms of marble countertops, it’s also the cheapest. Carrara is around $40 per square foot only and it’s often a good choice.
- Calacatta – From the most affordable, we’re going to the most expensive. Calacatta costs a whopping $180 per square foot. This type of marble countertop is often known for its brown and gold undertones. Aside from being expensive, it is also hard to find considering that the stone itself is sourced from only one quarry in Italy.
- Culture – Cultured marble countertops are essentially countertops that are engineered. It costs around $65 per square foot. This type of countertop is made from resins and pigments aside from regular marble. As these are molded, they can be used for bathrooms and kitchen surfaces too.
- Danby – Danby is one of the few marble materials that is sourced directly from the US. It has a similar appearance to other marbles which are found in Italy but the density is much higher too. In terms of pricing, it costs around $80 per square foot. The color can come in pure white that has gray streaks and even eggshell white with gold veins.
- Statuario – When it comes to pricing, the Statuario is around the middle as it costs $50 per square foot. As it is in the middle ground, people often pick this over other types of marble. With regards to color, it usually has gold to gray veins. This type of marble is easy to find too as most marble suppliers have them in stock.
- Black Marble – It is also known as Travertine and it is sourced from Spain. The average cost of Travertine is around $75 per square foot. As it is porous material, it can be used inside the kitchen and bathroom where the countertop will be splashed with water most of the time.
- Makrana – Makrana is a marble type exclusive to India. What’s unique about Makrana is that it doesn’t need too much processing after being mined. Unlike most marble materials, there are rarely any chemicals needed to make Makrana usable in the kitchen. It’s around $12 per square foot but is often hard to find.
- Pink Marble – Often sourced from Turkey, Pink Marble can cost about $25 per square foot. The problem with this type of marble is that it’s tough to find a shade for your room that can complement it. As such, not many people pick this over others.
As you can see marble can fit all of the budgets but it is still considerably expensive nonetheless. People try to curb the expenses by picking between slabs and tiles. Slabs are the entire cut stone and are raw upon arrival at your home. Tiles are less expensive and they are also easier to install. However, they don’t look natural at all.
There are varying prices per type of backsplashes too. Slab backsplashes often cost around $30 to $50 per square foot. Slab backsplashes are basically used if the marble countertop you need doesn’t fit the size of the slabs that a seller has. It’s more expensive than tiles because it has more marble per square foot.
Tile backsplashes on the other hand are around $7 to $10 per square foot. These tiles are often installed inside bathroom and kitchen installations. They are preferred because not only are they cheaper, they are also a lot easier to install. In fact, you can even install it at home if you have the right materials.
Why should you pick marble over other types of countertop materials? For starters, marble is one of the most durable kitchen countertop materials currently. It is stain, scratch, and heat resistant making it viable for heavy kitchen work such as prepping ingredients and even baking. In fact, the only kitchen duty it isn’t capable of is the actual act of chopping ingredients.
Aside from this, another plus is that marble is really beautiful. It’s a perfect match for mansions and luxury homes. If your house isn’t all too fancy, marble countertops can still add a lot of style to your home. This makes it perfect if you want to spruce up things inside the house.
Installation Costs
Most of the expenses you’ll have to shoulder when getting marble installed is not on the material itself. More than half of the fees will be devoted to the installation fee. On average, installers will charge you per square foot or per hour. Some installers charge per hour while some installers offer a mix of both for their rates. Let’s try to break down the overall costs.
Let’s say that your kitchen is around 40 square foot. If your material is around $100 which is usually the average price of marble, you’ll be spending $4,000 and that’s on the material alone. The good news is that you don’t have to pay for the materials that the installers will use throughout the process. However, in comes the expenses.
Installations that large can usually take around 10-12 hours. If you consider that labor costs are at an average of $35 to $45 per hour, then you’ll be spending around $380 to $480 for the full work. This includes the fees for all of the installers doing the job. In some cases, installers will require up to $200 for the use of extra materials necessary for the countertop installation.
Depending on the material you pick and the contractor you choose, you can spend up to $8,000-$10,000 for the best marble countertops installations for your home. If you don’t want to be surprised by the bill after work is done, you should ask for a quote first. Some installers will even give you discounts if you have work done on both your kitchen and your bathroom.
There are many inclusives that come with the installation fee. Aside from the service of the people themselves, this also includes the delivery of the materials, the use of some of the materials for the installation, as well as processing fees for papers if there are any. It’s worth it to get an installer.
As we’ve said, it’s easy to install marble tiles on your own. Even then however, it can still get a bit complicated especially if you consider that you have to buy the materials yourself.
A marble countertop might seem excessive for your house especially considering how expensive it can get. However, it is more than worth it considering it’s an investment that can last for decades. The countertop you’re using today will still be the one used by your grandchildren in the future and that’s a great deal.
There’s a reason why more people are buying into the marble hype and that’s because it’s worth it. In the future when you are going to sell your home, a marble countertop can add heaps worth of value to it, thus making it an even greater investment. As there are ways to make it less expensive, make sure that you weigh all of your options.
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