Q.My husband and I have found a piece of polished crema marfil that we really like and would like to use as the countertop in our main bathroom. We have 2 young daughters who will be using this bathroom daily. I have heard mixed reports about how easy it is to maintain such countertops. Are we crazy to use this in our bathroom? Should we use granite instead (even though we do not like the look of it nearly as much!)? Thanks! Kate

A. Hi Kate-crema marfil(polished) is a very nice stone,easy to design around. However It is primarily composed of calcium carbonate and is acid sensitive. It will etch (dull spots) as soon as any product thats acidic touches it. Because it is polished you will never need to seal.

Your other option is to have it with a honed finish(matte/flat) which will wear much better. However the honed version should be sealed with an impregnating sealer or even a color enhancing sealer.

Granites may be much easier to maintain but do the lemon test on a test piece to make sure it is acid resistant.

There are many new stones on the market so no matter which you chose make darn sure you chose a bona fide fabricator that has references and knows stone.

Stu Rosen