My Kitchen Finishes-How Are the Marble and Tile Holding Up?

Hi Everyone,

This post about my new kitchen finishes is the next in a series of posts in which I will review everything I’ve purchased for my newly renovated condo in Boston.

First, we discussed the kitchen appliances. If you missed it, you can see it here.

Thank you too, for those of you who shared your experiences for better or worse with your kitchen appliances.

Before we get into the marble countertops and backsplash tile, please know that this is only one of a series of posts. I plan to review everything purchased and built.

Soon, there will also be a complete list of everything purchased for the renovation in one location. If you want more details, I’ll link back to those posts in that list.

 

Okay, let’s dive into the topic of the kitchen finishes.

 

Let’s begin with the marble countertops and the ceramic tile backsplash, the two primary kitchen finishes.

Ah, the backsplash. If you’ve read this blog for nine months, you probably read about that saga. If you didn’t,  the misfortune that befell the tile the first time it was installed begins here.

Then, you’ll see what happened to the tile in the next post.

And finally, the tile was reinstalled a few weeks later. (below)

 

 

I adore this tile from Historic Decorative Materials.

 

It is easy to maintain and looks believably old even though it’s not an expensive tile. In some photos (like the one below), it reads whiter than it is. All of the various shades of white blend together beautifully.

Above is a recent photo of the kitchen showing all of the kitchen finishes we’re discussing today.

 

While I loved the ungrouted look (above) that got me into trouble the first time the tile was installed, this more formal look with the white grout suits the overall look of the home and the lamps currently sitting on the counter.

 

 

Do you like my new window treatments? (below)

 

 

haha. I predict that it will have fallen to its death by morning.

By the way, I finally realized that my images are so messed up because of the LED lights. The first image of the lamp was taken later, and I turned most of them off. Hence, the image is sharper. Sigh…

 

The tile is lovely. It’s not making any big statement, but it was never intended to.

 

 

Oh! I finally bought some lampshades. Yes, I know the shades are gray. They were out of white, and I knew the shape and size would be perfect. With any luck, the color will blend in nicely with the base. I might use these in the bedroom.

 

Why don’t you just go to a store, Laurel?

 

I could, but I think these will be fine. Besides, the lamp base has no white, so the light gray makes sense.

 

Anyway, let’s move on to the other main kitchen finish, the marble countertops.

 

 

They’ve been installed just shy of 14 months.

Remember when I intentionally poured lemon juice on them? It was necessary to remove the leathered texture that had been applied without my knowledge or consent.

So, how are they holding up? They have been looking wonderful and getting smoother, with that buttery feel I longed for.

 

Before I go on… I have to say that I LOOOOOOOOOOVE my white marble countertops. (Calacatta Caldia)

 

In fact, I can’t believe I gave it a second thought when I was thinking about soapstone. I like soapstone too, but the white marble in my little kitchen is fantastic.

I have realized something recently. The finish isn’t polished or honed. It’s more like polished once the polish has worn down. So, it’s not shiny, but it’s smooth as silk. That’s how my antique fireplace mantel is. However, I’ve never heard of this finish. Still, I think it’s easier to achieve it if one begins with it honed instead of polished.

A while back, I got this marble wax, which you can see below. It protects and seals, and this one has a lavender scent, which is nice in small amounts.

 

I don’t have a problem with etching or staining as a rule.

 

If there’s a slight etch, I have a little exceedingly fine sandpaper backed with a thin sponge; rubbed over it, it comes right out.

If there’s any issue with the counters, one has to be very careful not to chip them. So, there are no metal tools or keys allowed on the counter. I told my son Cale to pretend that the marble countertops are made out of sugar when he’s doing his thing in the kitchen.

The only other finish is the hand-painted cabinetry. It has gotten dinged up a bit in a couple of places. However, the older the kitchen gets, the more it looks like it was always here. In any case, I love the hand-painted finish.

 

Oh wait, I forgot about the floor.

 

Well, that was a mistake in some ways. I wish I had done the Bedrosians Tile like Chris Loves Julia did.

 

This is porcelain, not real marble, but it’s well done.

 

The only thing is, I love walking on the wooden floor.

 

After 12 years of living with hard tile, I’m tired of things crashing to the floor and breaking into a thousand pieces.

However, the wood floor still doesn’t have its painted checkerboard. Cale likes it the way it is.

 

The boards look a bit weathered now and have small gaps between the boards.

 

Ironically, the wood downstairs is cupping a little. This makes sense because the wood upstairs was installed in September and the wood downstairs about a year ago when it was very dry. Still, it should go back to being perfectly flat. It’s probably more noticeable because of the white paint.

 

Recently, I’ve been very busy getting ready for my party in about 12 days.

 

That means getting my place as ready as possible. In addition to the lampshades, I ordered some garden stools, a bathroom mirror, and new doorknobs for my 2″ thick doors. I’m very lucky. I found a local store that sells Emtek, and they are one of the few brands that will make the passage knobs for 2″ thick doors. They’re supposed to come in this week and I’ll go and fetch them from the north end of Boston.

Paint will be in a separate post.

 

xo,

 

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