Marble is one of the most popular countertop materials out there. Light, ethereal, and just mesmerizing, marble is going to take the look of your kitchen and elevate it to no end. When getting countertop replacement, you want to choose the best quality marble for your kitchen. Don’t know how to do check the quality of marble slabs? Well, this guide is for you.
Look For Shine
One of the things that you can check on the spot when it comes to buying good quality marble countertops is to look for shine. If you like matte countertops, then this option isn’t for you.
The shine is what gives away a real material to a fake one. You want to study the material in light or if you’re looking at countertops, then you want to go back and forth with your eyes and move your head to see the shine.
Also, you just don’t want to see the shine. You want it to be consistent throughout the length of the slab. This will confirm that the material you’re looking at is a real marble and not a man-made material. This is important and you will be able to identify a real marble within seconds because of this little trick. So, the next time you’re in a countertop retail store, then give this trick a go.
No Cracks Please
Another thing that can determine the quality of real marble is the appearance of cracks. If you see cracks on the side of the countertop and a lot of chipping, then it means that the marble isn’t legit.
Real marble, even though it is fragile as compared to other stones, is not going to be cracked or chipped from the get-go. Although, with rough usage, you might see cracks on the marble surface. So, you want to ensure that you’re going for a material that is free of cracks and chips because that is the real deal and you will get the most bang for your buck.
The Thickness
When you’re buying marble, it usually comes in the form of slabs. The thicker the slab is, the better. But you also want to keep in mind that it shouldn’t be too thick because that can be gimmicky too. You want to go for a thickness that is about 1/4th of an inch to at least 1 and ½ inches.
Anything below or above this range can be questionable and you want to be safe. Real marble is also thinner but then you want to check for the shine and cracks and see if it’s legit or not. But, if you’re going for slabs, then this is the ideal thickness.
If It Blemishes – Then It’s A No
At first glance, marble doesn’t have a lot of spots on it. There is just veining and that’s pretty much it. But, if you study the material under bright light, then you can see slight dark blemishes. These are embedded deep into the marble and only good light will be able to point them out.
So, if you see blemishes on the marble, then you want to steer clear of this material because it’s probably fake and it’s not going to last long. Real marble doesn’t have any splotches or blemishes on the surface.
The Porosity Test
Marble is porous, but it’s not a sponge. Good quality marble has decent porosity and it won’t allow liquids to get absorbed that quickly.
To test the porosity of marble, you need to take some lemon juice and drop it on the surface. If it beads up and doesn’t get absorbed even after a couple of minutes, then you are buying the real deal. If it disappears almost instantly, then you are probably getting scammed.
So, this is a really easy way of testing the porosity of a marble slab without having to do anything too drastic.
Tilt To Check
Bumps are okay, but too much bumpiness will cause the shine of the marble to be discontinuous and you don’t want that. So, if you want to check for bumps, then you want to tilt the slab about 45 degrees and then examine it in a bright light. If you see that the shine is smooth throughout, then you are good to go.
If you see a bump or two then that’s fine too and it’s not entirely a deal breaker, but if you see a lot of bumps on the surface of the slab, then it’s low quality and you don’t want to go for it or at least pay a hefty price for it. Moreover, choose a reputable granite company Raleigh NC whose representatives tell you straight away which marble or granite slabs are fake and which are real and high-quality.
Real Color Or Fake?
The color of marble, especially low-quality ones, will be very dull and it just won’t look right. Also, fake marble can be very bright too and that’s just not what you want to go for. If you’re looking for real marble, then you want to go for a color that is slightly dirty, but not too dull.
This will be perfect for you and the more you use it, the more it will get deep in color and that is the beauty of real marble.
Consistent Smoothness
Marble is smooth and it should be smooth throughout. This is not something that you can just ignore, because this is the quality of marble you’re concerned with. You want to see whether the slab is smooth throughout or not.
This can also be checked very easily. You want to run your hand over the surface slowly and check for any bumps and ridges. It should be smooth, but it should have a bump or two. That means that it hasn’t been polished or sanded to make it look shiny.
Say No To Bends
Bends in slabs are rare, but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. Bends can be troublesome because they’re not only hard to install, they just don’t look as good and that is not what you want to go for when you’re paying a lot of money for a countertop.
So, whenever you’re out looking at marble slabs, make sure that you’re choosing a slab that’s more straight and not so bendy. A little bit of bend is fine, but not a lot, otherwise the installation will be a nightmare and it won’t be able to sit straight and the symmetry will just be off.
The Overall Sample
When you’re buying marble or any other stone for countertops, you are mostly shown slab samples. Now, what you want to do when it comes to buying good quality marble is that you want to cross-check the sample with the real thing.
Sometimes, the sample can be nice and shiny, but the real slab can be dull. So, you want to see that the sample you’re looking at is the same as the slab you want to buy. This will reduce your chances of getting duped, and it will save you a lot of time.
Conclusion
These tips will ensure that you’re choosing the best marble slab for yourself and the quality will be out of this world. So, when are you getting new marble countertops Durham NC?
