Marble on tables: natural or engineered?

“Marble” can be natural stone, engineered quartz or cultured marble made from resin. They can look alike, but each reacts differently to lemon, heat and sunlight.

Natural or engineered?

Natural marble

Marble starts as limestone whose grains were fused together by heat underground. Its mineral is calcite, and its hardness is 3 on the Mohs scale, so knives and ceramics can scratch it.^[1]

Calcite reacts with acid: lemon, vinegar, wine and soft drinks dissolve a tiny amount of the surface and leave a dull mark, called an etch.^[1][6] An etch doesn’t weaken the stone; it can be polished out or left as part of its look over time.^[1] It shows more on polished marble than on honed.^[3]

Stains are a separate matter, and sources differ: some say staining in marble is uncommon,^[1] others count it among marble’s drawbacks.^[6]

Sealer

Sealer soaks into the stone and makes it stain-resistant, not stain-proof,^[2] and it does nothing against etching.^[1] How often to reseal varies widely by product, from 6 months to more than 10 years, so ask which product was used.^[2][3] To see whether stone needs sealing: leave a few drops of water on the surface; if a dark spot appears, the water soaked in and the stone needs sealing.^[3]

Engineered quartz and cultured marble

Engineered quartz is quartz sand with polyester resin and pigments that imitate the look of stone.^[4] Acid doesn’t mark it and it has few pores, but too much heat scorches the resin,^[6] and the resin yellows in sunlight.^[5]

Cultured marble is a third thing: resin with calcium carbonate powder under a glossy gel coat, made mainly for bathrooms.^[7] We found no reliable source on how it handles acid and heat, so ask the maker.

Travertine, Calacatta, Nero Marquina

Travertine forms from calcium-rich spring water, and its small holes can be left open or filled with a matching filler. Because it is porous, sealer is recommended, and vinegar and citrus mark it as they do marble.^[8]

Calacatta has a white ground with bold, clear veins, from gold to beige and dark grey. Carrara has a grey ground with soft veins.^[9]

Nero Marquina has a black ground with white veins and comes from the Basque Country in Spain, around the town of Markina. It is sold as marble but is geologically a limestone.^[10] Either way its mineral is calcite, so the care is the same.^[1][10]

Everyday care

Use coasters under every glass, especially juice and drinks, and a trivet under anything hot.^[2][6] If something spills, blot it at once with a paper towel rather than wiping, which spreads it, then rinse with water and mild soap and dry with a soft cloth. Clean with a neutral cleaner or mild liquid soap, and avoid lemon, vinegar and scouring powders.^[2]

Each NOAH piece’s page describes the stone it uses. If you’re not sure whether it’s natural or engineered, ask us before you order.

Questions we hear often

Sources

The information in this article comes from these references. Some sources promote natural stone or sell both materials, and that is noted beside each source.

Every NOAH piece carries a 5-year warranty + lifetime maintenance.