How Much Do Marble Countertops Really Cost?

_{One linear foot of countertop run equals 2 square feet of countertop since countertops are about 2 feet deep. Kitchen islands are 3 to 4 feet deep (wide). Peninsulas can be narrow (2 feet) or if used for eating, 4 or 5 feet deep.}

Type of Marble

Marble is a natural product quarried and processed into slabs without additives, so its origin influences its appearance. 

Cyndy Cantley, kitchen and bathroom designer with Cantley & Company, says there is no right or wrong way to select a stone.

“Simply get what you love, and it will age beautifully and tell a story over time,” she says.

Carrara

Carrara is a broad category of marble from Italy’s Apuan (Alps) mountains, starting at around $40 per square foot. The marble’s background is light gray with hints of blue, and the veins are gray but slightly darker.

Arabescato Vagli

Much of Carrara marble can have a mild appearance. For a more stunning look, Shannon Askinasi, founder and lead interior design expert at Ash & Pine Interiors, likes to use a Carrara variation called Arabescato Vagli. This marble has a stark white background and dark grey streaks.

Arabescato Vagli slabs cost around $150 per square foot, uninstalled.

Calacatta

Calacatta marble countertops are more expensive than Carrara counters. They can cost up to $180 per square foot.

Cantley favors Calacatta marble for its warm tones of thick dark gray, brown, gold, and sometimes violet veining.

Statuario

Statuario marble counters start at around $50 per square foot. Statuario, or statuary, marble comes from the Carrara region of the Italian Alps and features a white background with wide gray veins.

Danby

Danby marble costs around $80 per square foot. Quarried in Danby, Vermont, this low-porosity marble works well in kitchens and has a clean white background and light veining. 

Makrana

From Rajasthan, India, Makrana marble starts at around $12 per square foot. Makrana marble is stark white and has few variations.

Black

Black marble counters start at around $75 per square foot. Sourced from quarries in Spain, Morocco, and France, black marble countertops have nearly-black backgrounds contrasted with lighter veins of silver, gray, brown, or gold.

Grade of Marble

Marble is graded from A to D. Higher grades, such as A and B, are more costly.

Most marble countertops tend to be C or CD grades. Flaws are expected, and they are repaired in the factory.

• Grade A: No flaws or few in this pristine stone that displays little veining
• Grade B: A few flaws and minor pitting that may require some filling
• Grade C: Flaws and voids that are filled in the factory but otherwise a useable stone grade
• Grade D: Highly flawed and requires a significant amount of repair work during fabrication

Labor Cost

Marble countertop fabrication and installation are relatively costly since they are specialized trades. Labor costs for marble countertop fabricators and installers are about $25 per hour. 

However, labor costs vary by demand, availability, and location. In some parts of the U.S., you may pay over $30 to $40 per hour for stone work.

Additional Costs

The cost of marble countertop installation is also affected by your choice of edges, finish, and whether or not you need to remove an old countertop.

Edges

Edges cost from $10 to $40 per linear foot. Popular edge treatments include straight edges, rustic (or tumbled), beveled, and chiseled.

Edges complete the countertop’s look. They are so important that Cantley suggests visiting the fabricator to see how they finish the edges.

Finish

Marble countertops can be finished to a matte or glossy sheen. A matte sheen countertop is slightly dull, and reflected light is soft and diffused. A glossy or honed countertop has a lively mirror-like surface. 

Cantley prefers honed marble in her kitchens because it closes pores to minimize acid etching from high-pH foods.

Dispose of Old Countertop

Expect to spend an average of $450 to remove and dispose of the old countertop. Local landfill disposal fees will likely be added to the cost, too.

DIY vs. Professional Installation

Marble slab countertops should only be professionally installed, says Cantley. Marble counters are heavy, can break, and require expensive equipment to fabricate.

An alternative is to install marble tiles instead of marble slabs. Marble tiles are thin and generally come in sizes up to 12-inch by 12-inch. They can be installed like ceramic tile flooring.

While easy to install, marble tiles don’t carry the same value as marble slabs. Their multiple seams make wiping down the countertop more difficult.

How to Save Money on Marble Countertops

Stone is an expensive material, so it helps to find ways to save money.

Incorporate Less Expensive Materials

Use marble for high-visibility countertop spaces like islands and cooking areas. Supplement with less expensive premium laminate, solid surface, or tile counters in less visible areas.

Purchase From the Fabricator

Cantley says that one trick for lowering costs is to buy small batches from the fabricator.

“For small projects, fabricators have half slabs and scraps you can purchase directly from them and possibly save money,” Cantley says.

Fake a Thick Countertop

Most marble counters are 3/4- to 1-1/8-inch-thick. You can double or triple that thickness by asking for a mitered, book-matched edge. The fabricator joins a short piece of marble to the end, giving the illusion of a thicker slab.

Use Marble Tiles

At $15 to $30 per square foot uninstalled, marble tiles are less expensive than marble slabs. The downside is that they are thin (3/8-inch) and, like other tile countertops, create multiple seams.

Marble Countertop Costs vs. Other Materials

Marble and other slab stone or stone-like materials are more expensive than laminate or tile. Yet if you’d like stone countertops, marble is one of the least expensive stones.

Premium countertop materials like quartz and sintered stone average around $100 to $110 per square foot. Soapstone costs around $90 per square foot. Marble countertops are less expensive of all, at an average of $70 per square foot.

Laminate countertops that duplicate the look of marble cost around $26 per square foot. While laminate countertops do not contain stone, they can convincingly simulate marble with high-definition image layers of real marble.