Buncombe Custom Countertops is the trusted Buncombe County specialist for marble countertops in Asheville, NC, specializing in honed marble kitchen countertops, polished marble vanity tops, and marble baking stations. We offer Carrara-type white marble and book-matched island slabs.
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Or call (828) 470-1105. Calls only, we do not receive text messages.
Our team provides stone sealing at install, delivering a countertop that is ready for daily cooking and a surface that ages on purpose for both residential and commercial projects. Before a blade touches the stone, we lay out the seams on the exact slab you chose and hold the cut until you have approved that layout in our shop.
From the eased edge along a farmhouse sink to the tear-out of the old top and the final seal, our team handles every detail. We are serving Asheville, Weaverville and Black Mountain, along with the rest of the county, with in-home measures and written quotes.
Why Buncombe Custom Countertops
The crew that measures your kitchen is the crew that sets the tops.
Marble countertops etch, and in an Asheville kitchen that is the first thing to accept before you buy one. Marble is made mostly of calcite, a calcium carbonate mineral, and acids react with it. Lemon juice, vinegar, wine, tomato sauce and a lot of household sprays leave a dull, slightly rough spot where the polish used to be. That is an etch, and it is a change in the surface of the stone itself, not something sitting on top of it.
Calcite sits at 3 on the Mohs hardness scale, so marble also scratches more easily than granite or quartzite, and because it is porous it can take on a stain from colored liquids like red wine or oil. None of this makes it a bad countertop. It makes it a living one. Over a few years the marks blend into a soft, even wear, the way a stone step in an old building wears where people walk. That is patina, and it is the reason people who choose marble keep choosing it.
The owner who will be unhappy is the one who expects the day-one sheen to last forever. We would rather lose that sale at the measure than install a top that disappoints you. If you want a white kitchen that never marks, we will point you to a different material on our other service pages.
A honed finish hides etching better than a polished one, which is why most working kitchens in marble go honed. Polishing grinds the stone to a mirror, so an etch reads as a dull patch against the shine. Honing stops at a smooth matte surface, so the same etch is a slightly different matte and far harder to see.
Deeper color, sharper veining, and a surface that shows every acid mark. Stone care guidance from the Natural Stone Institute puts refinishing for polished marble at roughly every two to three years in a kitchen. Polished marble still makes sense on a bathroom vanity or a bar where lemons and tomatoes rarely land.
Softer look, quieter veining, and marks that settle into the surface. The same guidance puts honed marble refinishing at roughly every three to five years. For a baking station, an island where the family eats, or a perimeter next to the range, honed is our usual recommendation.
Some owners put honed marble on the kitchen and keep polished marble for a powder room vanity. We can fabricate both from the same order so the stone matches while the finish suits each room.
Marble suits period houses because a honed white top sits quietly beside original trim, plaster walls and deep sills. Buncombe County has a large stock of older homes, and in one of them a new marble top reads as part of the house rather than a remodel that arrived last year. Older houses also bring the practical problems. Floors settle and walls lean, so a long run of stone has to be templated on the cabinets as they sit today. Stone slabs are heavy, so old floor framing and a narrow stair both matter before a slab comes in. We check the carry path and the cabinet base at the measure, not on install day.
A marble section on an island or a separate baking counter is one of the best uses of the stone. Flour and dough do not harm it, a rolling pin runs smoothly on it, and a smaller piece limits the area you have to baby. Many owners pair a marble baking top with a quartz or granite perimeter where the cooking mess happens.
Bathrooms see less acid than kitchens, which makes a polished marble vanity top a low-risk way to have the stone in the house. Toothpaste and some cleaners will still etch, so we note the right cleaner on your paperwork.
Sealing slows stains in marble, but it does nothing to prevent etching. That is the most misunderstood fact about the stone. An impregnating sealer fills the pores so an oil or a glass of wine has more time to be wiped up before it soaks in. An acid reacts with the calcite regardless of the sealer, so an etch forms just the same.
Marble can be honed again when the wear gets uneven. That is a resurfacing job on site, and it resets the finish without replacing the stone.
Marble countertops sit at the top of the material ladder, and a large kitchen with an island in marble is typically estimated at roughly $8,000 to $20,000 installed, with slab grade and square footage moving the price most. Carrara-type stone costs less than Calacatta or Statuario, and a book-matched island costs more than one cut from a single slab.
Resealing later is a separate, smaller job, usually estimated at roughly $150 to $400 per visit. All of these figures are estimates, they are subject to change with slab prices and site conditions, and your written quote after the free in-home measure sets the final price.
You choose your marble in person at a stone supplier's yard, and we go with you or work from your slab tags. Marble varies more from slab to slab than almost any other stone, so the slab you see is the slab we cut. Once the cabinets are set and level, we template, lay out the seams on your slab, and send you the layout to approve. Fabrication happens in the shop, and the same crew brings the finished top to your house.
Designers, remodelers and cabinet shops can send drawings for a trade quote on marble tops, fabricated and installed or fabricated only. Homeowners can call for a free in-home measure anywhere in the county.
Drag the handle. The cabinets stayed; only the top changed.
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfterThe process
We come to the house, look at the cabinets, the walls and the way in from the driveway, and talk through materials and edges.
You get the slab, the edge, the cutouts, the seam plan and the dates in writing. Nothing is cut until you sign off.
Once the cabinets are set and level, we template them, then cut and finish the tops in the shop to that template.
We set and join the tops, then walk the finished kitchen with you before we call it done.
Questions
Yes, marble etches whenever an acid like lemon juice or vinegar sits on it, because it reacts with the calcite in the stone. It is only a problem if you want the surface to stay perfect. A honed finish makes etches far less visible, and over time they blend into the patina most marble owners are after.
Slab grade, the number of slabs, the finish and the edge drive most of it, then seams, cutouts, tear-out and access to the house. A book-matched island adds cost. We give you a written quote after the free measure, and that quote sets the final price.
Usually, if the boxes are sound and level. Marble is heavy, so we check the cabinet base at the measure and level or shim it before templating. If a base has water damage or has sagged badly, we will tell you before you order stone.
It is one of the best uses of it. Dough and flour do not harm the stone, and a separate marble baking section limits the area you need to protect from acids. Many owners pair it with a harder stone on the cooking perimeter.
Most of the time, yes. Etching and light scratches can be honed out on site, and many stains can be drawn out. Replacement only makes sense when the stone is cracked through or the cabinets underneath have failed.
We look at the cabinets, the floor, the sink and the route into the house, then talk through finish, edge and seam placement. You get a written quote afterward. Once you have chosen your slab and the cabinets are ready, we come back to template.
We cut and finish the sink opening and set an undermount sink into the stone. The water supply and drain are disconnected and reconnected by a licensed plumber, which keeps that work with the trade licensed for it in North Carolina.
Yes. We measure and install across Buncombe County, including Asheville, Weaverville, Black Mountain, Woodfin, Fairview, Arden, Candler and Swannanoa. A steep or long drive is fine; we just need to see it at the measure.
Free measures across Buncombe County. Builders, cabinet shops and property owners can send drawings for a bid.
Licensed, bonded & insured. Calls only, we do not receive text messages.
