have you looked at other carrara slabs? what about calacatta? have you tried some of the quartz look alikes? keep in mind lighting will also play a big role. slabs vary in color. big time. so just because one doesn't match, doesn't mean another one won't either. higher end carraras will have more white.

could you post pics of what you have actually look at and a pic of your cab door, if you have one?

I just started looking at slabs today and am not that knowledgable about the marble choices, but my heart sank when I saw how it didn't really look like they would go well together. I mean Frosty White, right, who knew? Don't want to do the manufactured stone or granite. Am doing soapstone over in the bar area and as a last resort will do that everywhere. I will post some pics next.

https://interiorsforfamilies.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/white-carrara-marble-and-pencil-edge-2.jpg?w=1400 I'm afraid it might look like this picture....if this picture comes out

The first one was labeled "Calacatta Porto" and it was more creamy/taupe vs grey, but that slab was $2,950 on sale!

I think it's good you are catching this now and not after it's installed. I agree that you need to stay away from the cool grays.

How about concrete countertop a black midnight coluer will go well with your cabintry and for less then marbel

White kitchens are boring and ugly anyway. The contrast will put some life in it.

Thanks for that thought about the concrete. I think the concrete can look really great, but I have a 1927 house and I'm looking for a more traditional look. Here my preference for the marble.

Oh Tony, I disagree about white kitchens. I think they are timeless and classic and that's the look I'm going for in my 1927 Georgian colonial home. I'm using a black soap stone countertop over in my bar entertainment area. And I have a black enamel 56 inch wide range in the kitchen so there is contrast. I don't think it'll be too boring but don't want to screw things up at the last moment

keep looking. the Calacatta tends to have warmer, golden tones than the carrara and the cooler gray tones.

Have you ever seen Sea Pearl Quartzite? I think it would be a perfect match for your cabs. it leans a little on the green side, but warmer white. Another poster was doing it w/soapstone. I would do this one over marble. It's not as finicky either.

Another option is Super White Dolomite (marbles first cousin).

Beth-Thank you! I just can't get excited about the man made quartzite. It looks so fake to me. I'd hate to walk into my kitchen and see "vein #3 A" over by my sink and then repeated again, the exact same "vein #3 A" over on my island. I really hate that. I appreciate the pictures you posted though. I guess I could also default to the black soapstone throughout, not what I wanted to do though because I love the vintage beautiful look of the marble. What was I thinking to pick out my cabinet color without having marble samples around when I was selecting??????

Quartzite is not the man made quartz but a stone like granite, only true quartzite is harder than granite. You have to use caution as some marble is mislabeled as quartzite. Here is a little reading for you to understand the different stones:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4426353/the-definitive-guide-to-quartzite

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2692150/countertop-geology-part-six-lets-talk-about-rocks-some-more

Sea Pearl is a natural stone. not man made. don't confuse it w/quartz. quartzite is beautiful and this particular one varies from slab to slab. White Princess is another quartzite w/similar coloring to carrara.

That's why I mentioned Super White (it is Dolomite, not a quartzite) since it also resembles the marble you like.

Soapstone for the perimeter and maybe a marble or quartzite for the island would also be something to consider. That way you can do more of a backsplash that is unique.

The answer is more marble slabs to view, and in NATURAL lighting. I mean daylight. Stone shops are lit with flourescent, and usually quite bad lighting. Find a stone yard where the slabs are outdoors, or can be driven out. My other bet is your cabinet color is reading far more creamy than it will in your kitchen. Bet me on that. "Frosty" white is probably named as such for a reason.....and if the door sample at the cabinet shop was older, ....they can change over the years. Ask for a large size "strike" of Frosty , brand new. Remember too, that a full kitchen of frosty is seen differently/lighter than a single isolated door, especially in yellow/green lighting and that you do not view cabinets laying against your slab. And you need to go outside: ) Don't give up yet but note that the marble you want as it comes from earth, is FAR more likely to have a grayed background than white. Just varies by quarry, so don't be afraid to tell them what you're looking for. AND HOW MUCH. You need your actual kitchen layout with you.

And unless it is perfectly plain, no veining, I would not mix soapstone with marble. One or the other, please.

" I'd hate to walk into my kitchen and see "vein #3 A" over by my sink and then repeated again, the exact same "vein #3 A" over on my island."

Not to worry arlinevg, the Chinese are the only ones I've ever seen with an ability to book match engineered stone. All the large brand name Bretons are individual random unmatchable sheets:

arlinevg:

Thought you may like to see what your marble kitchen countertop is going to look like within 2 years:

I'm going to be investing thousands of dollars in becoming a Stoneguard dealer soon for the reason above. Marble love costs money; I'll hook you up.

If it is a 1927 home then a white kitchen is architecturally accurate as that is when white cabinets where first used.

Jan-Your comments regarding continuing the search and checking the lighting is reassuring to me. I have a pretty good sized door sample (as pictured above) and it was just made/painted for me because we specified a different custom design on the door panel and wanted to see what it would look like. The black soapstone is over in a separate area of the kitchen, called a "butler's pantry" when we bought the house, but I wouldn't call it that because the "pantry" is not in a separate room. None of the countertops or cabinetry in the bar/entertainment area (what I call it) connect or touch the "main kitchen" at all. I think I can do something completely different over there, eg. using the soapstone counters versus having to match what I am doing in the "main kitchen" with the marble counters. Plus having marble where we will be pouring wine, etc., just didn't make much sense.

Really all this nice looking marbel is not chep it's about 150$ to 250$ Per square feet . The pro of having marble is nice but the cons of marble is that if its not sealed properly it can crack , and have black spots all the time. Now with concrete countertops there 100 coluers with a epoxy Finnish can out last marble every time plus ask your realtors about concrete or marble and the 2017 trend of the year is concrete countertops with a little investments in concrete countertops will up your home value . Plus concrete is seemless and a life time garantie.

You don't want concrete tops placed on site for seamlessness. They should be templated, formed in a shop, and seamed on site if need be.

I'm not crazy about concrete from the stuff I've seen and the calls I get to fix it.

Like I said we seal my concrete contertops with epoxy so I'm not crazy over marble just like all you People . It's the new trend in the east coast in Montreal Canada . By the way Joseph we put a epoxy finnish on marble toi to seal them that's way I sell marble at 250$ sq feet with a 25 years not to spot or crack.

Depending on where you live there might be several stone suppliers. I have a very white marble countertop. So...keep looking. There is a new sealant for marble called MORE. It has a 20 year warranty against stains. Also, if you go with honed marble you won't have as much etching. Danby marble from Vermont is stronger and tends to be more white. Have fun!

arlinevg, what did you end up doing? Have any pics? I'm in the same predicament.

lovely, Arline. Love your classic look in there, though upgraded. Great cabinets. :-) I have my eyes on some Calacatta too. It's so beautiful.....but may get granite. No, I'm not in the Bay area, but thank you!

Jennette, I did a calacatta marble w/a factory sealer on it from Antolini. 'azerocare' is the name. While it has it's pros and cons, it definitely keeps acids and stains at bay! I have no etching or any type of staining.