How Much do Marble Countertops Cost?

Marble is a type of stone featuring mostly calcite, and it gets formed when limestone undergoes a huge amount of pressure and heat to give you a very durable and hard stone that you can cut, polish, and shape to create stunning countertops. Marble features color veins that run across the surface, and no two pieces of marble will ever look exactly the same. This is why many people wonder about the average marble countertop cost because they think that it’ll be hugely expensive due to the high-end look. Marble also ranges from very soft to hard, and it can be rare or plentiful, depending on the type you want.

It’s also a very porous material that is easy to scratch or stain, so you want to consider the preparation and correct care in your final marble countertop cost. This will also help the marble maintain the correct natural coloring, and you’ll get a very clear and crisp look for your kitchen or bathroom with it. It can create a wonderful centerpiece for your space, and this can help offset the upfront marble countertop cost range. It’s modern, but it’ll work well with a lot of decor styles due to the huge color and pattern range.

All of these factors mean that your marble countertop costs will have a big price range to them. On average, a home has around 30-square feet of countertop space, and this will put your marble countertop cost between $2,000 and $7,000. A lot of people pay around $3,000 for installation for a beveled edge on 30-square feet of Carrara marble. To get your rough estimate for your marble countertop cost, measure the counters in your space. This will give you a rough square footage. Then, this guide can help.

We’ll outline the different marble countertop cost factors like the types of marble and edge options. We’ll also go over the average cost for installation and maintenance. The goal is to give you price estimates for as many factors as we can so you can take this knowledge and apply it to your own situation. This way, you’ll get the full scope of the project before you call in the contractors.

Choosing to have marble countertops installed in your home can increase the value, and it can add a sophisticated look to the space. You can have several different colors and styles to mix and match to your decor too. Marble counter by ann-dabney / CC BY-ND 2.0

Types of Marble and Price Points

You can get your marble in a huge range of vein patterns and styles, and it’s very possible to get very different stones in a single quarry. You’ll typically find marble grouped according to certain characteristics it has in common or by the quarry it originated from. For example, one of the most common types of marble is Bianco Carrara, and this comes from the quarry in Carrara, Italy. Turkish Carrara looks very similar, but it originates from Turkey.

Each fabricator can reliable the stone when they sell it, and this can make it difficult to narrow down exactly which types of marble you’re looking at when you do your kitchen remodel. You could find Carrara marble listed as Carrara White, Bianco Carrara, Carrara Marble, or Italian Carrara. So, when it comes time to compare your marble countertop costs, be aware that a single type of marble can come under different names. The following are the average marble countertop prices for the most popular options:

Bardiglio Marble

This type of marble is the mirror image of Carrara. You’ll get a very soft marble that comes with a deep gray coloring and light gray and diffuse white veins. This is a slightly less common option, but it makes a wonderful accent piece when you use it with Carrara Marble. For example, it fits perfectly on a kitchen island if you put Carrara around it on the counters. Per square foot, your marble countertop cost will range from $50.00 to $70.00.

Bianco Carrara Marble

This is one of the most popular and common types of marble available throughout the world. Technically, you’ll find it classified as white marble, but most slabs will actually be a very light gray with diffuse, softer gray veining. Since it’s so common, you can easily pick from a broad thickness range, including up to two and three-inches thick. This is rare for marble, but it’s also more common, and this makes your marble countertop costs fluctuate between $40.00 and $60.00 a square foot.

Bianco Statuario Marble

This is a white marble for people who want a purely white countertop. It comes with a much thicker and more prominent vein to it, and it’s a much brighter stone in general when you compare it to Carrara. You’ll get wider swirls of grey with hints of brown or gold throughout it. This makes your marble countertops cost range from $60.00 to $80.00 a square foot.

Bianco Venatino Marble

This is another very white marble that is very bright, and it comes with prominent gray veining. The veining can vary from thick to thin, but it typically features a darker grey coloring without any gold or brown mixed into it. This is amongst the whitest marble you can buy, and it looks fantastic in new bathrooms. Your marble countertop cost starts at $80.00 a square foot and goes up to $100 a square foot.

Botticino Marble

Maybe you’re after a more neutral color for your countertops. If so, Botticino is the marble you want to look at. You’ll get a very soft marble in a taupe coloring, and it has a marshmallow, white vein. This is another type of marble that is very common, and you can choose from a huge range of sizes for the slabs. On average, your marble countertop cost will range from $40.00 to $60.00 a square foot.

Breccia Oniciata Marble

For a more eye-catching look, try this pink marble. This isn’t a true marble, but they’re metamorphic stones that hold up very well against normal kitchen wear and tear. You’ll get a very colorful, rich stone that comes in a huge range of pink shades. You can get browns and orange colors too with a hint of true pink hues in the center. They’re very dramatic, and you’ll enjoy a lot of movement and color with them. It also has a higher marble countertop cost per square foot at $180 to $200.

Calacatta Marble

This is a nice whtie stone that has a very bright background in white, but you’ll also get a good amount of gray and gold veins. The veins can be very dramatic and thick or thin and small, and you’ll find this marble classified depending on the amount of visible coloring. For example, Calacatta Gold has more gold coloring to it while Calacatta Pink has a softer pink coloring in the background. Your average marble countertops cost will range from $180 to $200 a square foot.

Danby Marble

This is one of the few types of marble that comes from a quarry in the United States. Vermont Danby is a type of marble that has gold or dark gray veining in a white stone. The veins in this type of marble tend to run very straight, and this is also a more eco-friendly pick because you don’t have to ship it across the ocean to get it. Your marble countertops cost will range from $60.00 to $80.00 a square foot.

Emperador Light Marble

This is a group of brown marbles that look nice on kitchen islands and are offset by white counters. It’s a very light shade that ranges from light gold to tan or light brown. It can also have darker brown or white veining to it. It is a thinner stone that usually needs an edge built up, and your marble countertop costs will range from $70.00 to $90.00 a square foot.

Nero Marquina Marble

This marble has white veining with a black coloring. The veins can be very prominent or very thin and almost invisible to your eye. The background color on this marble will always be a very deep, true black. Your average marble countertop costs will range from $70.00 to $90.00 a square foot.

There are dozens of different types of marble available that have different colors and hues, and this can help enhance your space. You can easily draw attention to it or create a focal point in the room. Double vanity design by PickComfort / CC BY 2.0

Costs for Different Marble Countertop Finishes

Marble has a few different types of finishes available, but not every company offers every type of finish. Also, not every finish will look nice on every type of marble. Some marble types offer you a single type of finish while others give you the choice of:

Caressed Finish

If the marble you picked is leatherable, you can choose this finish. With this finish, the contractor will put a fine polish on the highest areas on the marble countertops. This will give you a slightly more glossy finish with a leathering texture. It’s not used a lot, so this can increase your marble countertops cost by $30.00 a square foot.

Honed Finish

You can typically have this type of finish on most marble options. Honing will give you a flat finish, and it’s available in different grades. A high honed grade will give you a light sheen that falls just below polished marble. It shows wear very quickly, so it’s not recommended for the kitchen. A rough hone will give you slightly more texture and hide wear better. If the contractor offers a honed finish, it’ll boost your marble countertops cost by $10.00 to $20.00 a square foot.

Leathered Finish

You can leather some marbles by using the correct tools like a diamond tipped brush that you rotate over the marble’s surface at high speeds. Doing so will break the weaker, softer stone particles away so that you’ll get a finish with high and low spots and an uneven texture. This is a stunning finish if the marble is strong enough to weather it, but it can cause weaker marbles to crumble.

This finish will enhance the stone’s coloring just like polishing, but it won’t give it a reflective surface. This process can help hide etching longer than any other finish if you can find a marble strong enough to withstand it and a contractor willing to do it. This finish will increase your marble countertops cost by $20.00 to $30.00 a square foot.

Polished Finish

Every marble comes with a polished finish as the industry standard. This is a reflective and glossy surface that you can get by polishing and grinding the stone’s surface. The polished surface will reflect any small imperfections in the marble like fissures or pits. This is the most common finish available, and it’s also one of the most widely used. It will show darker marks over time too.

Pricing for Marble Countertop Edges

You can give your marble several different edge treatments. The eased edge is the most common type, and it usually gets included in your original marble countertop cost estimate. If you want a more decorative edge to your countertops, be prepared to pay more for it. Most marble is available in three-centimeter thicknesses, and this is wide enough for virtually any edge type.

If you get a marble that is only two-centimeters thick, it can make it harder to put some types of edges on. The contractor may have to build the edge by adding a second piece of marble to the bottom of the countertop, and this can increase your marble countertops cost. The most popular edge types are:

• Bevel – This is a very contemporary design style where the contractor will bevel the edge off at a slight angle. You can choose from different angles to get different looks, and you’ll pay between $10.00 and $20.00 a linear foot.

• Built/Laminated – If you get a slab of marble that is too thin to create a larger edge, your contractor will add a built or laminated edge. This creates the illusion that your counter is much thicker than it actually is. You can add a built edge to any edge, but it’ll increase your marble countertops cost by $35.00 to $40.00 a linear foot.

• Cole Smith – This is a very elaborate edge that you do on a built countertop. You’ll get two very sharp angles, a bullnose design in the middle, and a dropped curve on the bottom edge. Your marble countertops cost will go up between $35.00 and $40.00 a linear foot.

• Double Bevel – You can only have this edge if your countertops are between four and five-centimeters thick, and this is rare. You’ll get a sharp bevel at the top edge and bottom edge, and you’ll pay between $35.00 and $40.00 a linear foot.

• Dupont – Many Dupont and Ogee edges look very much alike, but the Dupont has a straighter and shorter top before it curves. The countertops have to be at least three-centimeters thick, and it works well for laminated edges. Your marble countertops cost will go up by $20.00 to $25.00 a linear foot if it’s not a built edge.

• Dupont Square – This design style looks like a normal Dupont edge but it has a second piece that gets squared off below it. This is a very dramatic look, and you’ll pay between $35.00 and $40.00 a linear foot for it.

• Eased – This is the most common edge style on marble countertops. It looks like a square, but the top corner will get taken down a little so it’s dull instead of sharp. Most contractors will include this edge style without increasing your marble countertops cost.

• French Cove – You’ll get another very decorative edge with this style that features a wide curve and two sharp angles. It looks best in a smaller space like kitchen islands because it’s a very formal look. Per linear foot, it costs between $30.00 and $35.00.

• Full Bullnose – This edge has a rounded edge on the bottom and top edges. The edge has to be a minimum of three-centimeters thick to get this edge. If there isn’t any building required, your marble countertops cost will increase by $10.00 to $12.00 a linear foot.

• Half Bullnose – Better known as a Demi Bullnose, this edge is a slightly rounded top that squares off at the bottom, and the edge has to be at least three centimeters thick. Your marble countertops cost will increase by $10.00 to $12.00 a linear foot with no additional building.

• Miter – This edge will cut up from the bottom of the countertop at a sharp angle. It works best on thick edges, and it lends a very contemporary look to the space. You’ll pay between $20.00 and $25.00 a linear foot for it.

• Ogee – This decorative edge has a sharp top to it that extends down into a very long, gentle curve. It looks very good on laminated edges, and your price range will start at $20.00 and go up to $25.00 a linear foot.

• Quirk – If you want a more uncommon edge, this one features a single step down from your countertop. It works well in transitional spaces, and your marble countertops cost will go up by $20.00 to $25.00 a linear foot.

• Square – You’ll get a very sharp, square corner with this edge. The corner is very sharp, so it’s not super common. However, people like it in modern designs. Your marble countertops cost shouldn’t increase if you pick out this edge.

More durable marble types are recommended in high-use areas like the kitchen, but you can get away with softer marbles in areas like the guest bathrooms that don’t necessarily see a lot of daily use. Table Top by Elibereth Elflein / CC BY 2.0

Maintaining Marble Countertops

Any marble countertop you get needs a lot of maintenance. You’ll have to seal them using an impregnating sealer because this helps prevent or slow down staining. You should only wash them with a pH-neutral cleaner, and the cleaner should be made from stone. Wipe up any spills straight away. You also don’t want to use them as a cutting surface because you can scratch it, and you want to avoid stunning by not banging pots and pans on them.

Sealing

Every type of marble is different in terms of how porous it is, and this means that how often you seal it will vary. This is why many people choose marble alternatives to their countertops because there’s less maintenance. When you first get your new countertops, do a water and acid test. Get a cutout of your stone or save a piece of it and seal one side while leaving the other bare.

Put a very small amount of water and a small amount of lemon juice onto each side of your marble. Leave it alone for an hour before wiping it away and looking at the stone. Stone that is very porous will get darker where the water was at. The darker it is, the more porous the stone is. The sealed side should be lighter. If it’s not, you’ll need to apply a thicker sealant at a more frequent rate.

If the area barely gets dark, and you won’t need to seal it as much. The lemon juice should leave a dull spot, and the sealed side should be less dull. Sealants give you time to wipe up spills before they stain, but they don’t prevent stains 100%. A good rule to keep in mind is to watch the marble. When water no longer beads up, you’ll want to seal it. If you notice the marble getting darker when you clean it, you’ll have to seal it again. This should be at least once a year, but more porous stone needs it more frequently.

Labor Costs

How much the installation process adds to  your marble countertops cost depends on several factors. They include how your cabinets are configured, how many cutouts you need, how many pieces you need to cover your space, and how thick the slab is. Marble slabs are usually much smaller than granite slabs, and this means that you’ll need more pieces to cover your kitchen or bathroom.

A cutout will cost around $100 each, and you’ll need one for your sink. For installation, it can add to your marble countertop cost by $30.00 a square foot. So, if you picked out a Carrara Marble for the counter, you’ll pay $40.00 per foot of materials and $20.00 for labor, plus any cutout fees.

This brings your costs up to $60.00 a square foot, plus potential edging and cutout fees. So, if you have a 30-square foot countertop, your installation costs will add to your marble countertops cost by around $900. Your materials will cost around $1,500, and this brings your grand total to just over $3,000 for an average cost.

Where to Find Marble Countertop Installation Experts Near You

Since this can be an expensive and time-consuming project, it’s best that you leave it to the experts. Start by getting quotes from a few local contractors and see which ones offer the services that best match your needs. You can start here:

• Stone & Granite Countertop Installers

Frequently Asked Questions 

Knowing which questions to ask when you contact your local contractor will help you get a good understanding of the project and ensure you get solid price estimates for the job. This way, there are fewer chances that you’ll get surprised by a nasty bill at the end. 2018-10-FL-196895 by ACME / CC BY-NC 2.0

1. Does granite or marble countertops last longer?

Generally speaking, they can both last around the same amount of time if you pay attention to the maintenance they require. However, you should know that granite will go longer without showing wear and tear than marble will.

2. What is the most expensive marble type?

Blue hues in marble tend to be the most expensive, like Tropical Blue at around $10,000 a countertop. However, any imperial type of marble like Imperial Calacatta or Imperial Danby tends to be expensive too.

3. Is it easy to accidentally scratch your marble countertops?

Yes. Even the more durable marble types are softer stones. So, it’s very easy to scratch it if you decide to use it as a cutting surface. You can also stun it if you bang pots, pans, or heavy flatware against it routinely.

4. Do contractors charge to take away old countertops?

Some do and some will include it into your cost estimates. Always ask if they include removal before you start the project because this can add between $50.00 and $150 to the project total.

Bottom Line

Your marble countertops cost will vary depending on a range of factors, but most of these factors will come down to personal choices. This is why you can control your project costs a little easier, no matter if you have a small or large kitchen. Take a look, see which types of marble would work best, and contact local companies to get estimates before you start your new project.