If you’re interested in designing your interiors with any of the three most common varieties of Italian marble, Carrara, Calacatta, and Statuary, consider these differences in style, cost, and maintenance.
Style
Carrara
Carrara is the most readily-available variety of marble in the United States and is quarried in the mountains above Carrara, a town in northern Tuscany, Italy, after which it’s named. Carrara has a white base, or “field,” with delicate blue-grey veins and is widely considered to be a luxury variety of marble.
Calacatta
This marble is another variety that’s quarried in Tuscany’s town of Carrara, and is pretty readily available across the U.S. Calacatta has a field that’s bright white, but offers a lot more variation in color than Carrara when it comes to its veins, which are thick and dramatic and range from gold (Calacatta Gold), to brown, beige, and dark grey. When you’re going for an opulent look, Calacatta is another popular choice.
Statuary
If you’re looking for a marble that offers high-contrast drama, but has a mostly neutral color palette, consider Statuary marble (also called Statuario marble). It comes from the Carrara region of Italy, too. This stone has a bright white field, and although its dark grey veins don’t have the color variation of Calacatta they create a bold contrast against the marble’s bright white background.
Cost
Among the three marbles Carrara tends to be the lowest-priced because it’s the stone that’s most often quarried—which makes it more readily available. You can expect to pay between $75 and $100 per square foot, uninstalled.
Calacatta is a rarer marble, and due to its scarcity it could cost as much as $250 per square foot. Statuary marble generally costs about the same as Calacatta.
The prices of these three marbles can also range depending on the supplier. Boutique vendors may offer more distinctive selections than big-box retailers, and thus charge higher prices.
Be aware, too, that the cost of a marble slab is not only influenced by its style and scarcity, but by its thickness as well. The thicker the cut the more expensive the stone, because it’s heavier to install.
Maintenance
You may wonder: Is one of these varieties more difficult to maintain than the others? The short answer is no—there are basically no differences between the three marbles when it comes to performance and maintenance. Here are some quick tips when caring for marble counters:
Marble is porous and prone to staining, so don’t allow spills, like red wine, to linger.
Always use a trivet for hot pots and pans, because marble isn’t heat-resistant.
Marble is considered a soft stone and it can chip, so beware of banging skillets or large pots and pans against it.
Use a cutting board for acidic foods like tomatoes, grapefruit, and lemons, and clean up their liquids, because marble isn’t very acid-resistant and can etch (leave dull spots).
Sealing your marble counters, and having them periodically resealed, can help prevent staining and etching.
