marble countertops cost
$81 Per Square Foot Installed
The average marble countertop cost is $81 per square foot. Your costs might be as low as $45 per square foot if installing yourself, or exceeding $150 Sq foot depending on the size, thickness, color and several other factors outlined below.
Average DIY
$45 / Sq foot
Average Pro
$87 / Sq foot
Typical Range
$72 – $95 / Sq Foot
Low End
$45 / Sq Foot (DIY)
High End
$150 Sq Foot (Pro)
Last Updated: Wednesday, January 12, 2022
How Much do Marble Countertops Cost?
|
Low Estimate $45 -$60/s.f. |
Average Cost Estimate $72 – $95/s.f. |
High Estimate $100 – $150/s.f. |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Slabs | One | Two or Three | Three or More |
| Slab Thickness | 2cm | 3cm or 5cm | 3cm or 5cm |
| Color | Plentiful | Standard | Rare |
| Texture/Finish | Polished | Polished or Honed | Polished or Honed |
| Edge | Eased/Squared | Upgraded | Laminated |
| Extras (e.g. cutouts) | None | None or One | Two or more |
| Installed By | DIY / Helper | Professional | Professional |
| Remove old counters | No | Yes | Yes |
Sections: Overview | Product Costs | Installation Cost | DIY or Pro
Overview of Marble Counters
Marble bath and kitchen counters offer unsurpassed beauty but demand more TLC than other stone or concrete countertops.
The comparison table above is an overview of low, average, and high costs for marble countertops, and the factors that determine them. Cost factors are discussed in detail below. They’ll help you pinpoint your possible costs more accurately. This page breaks down marble slab, design, installation supplies and labor cost. Prices from other sites are included plus costs submitted by other homeowners who’ve had this type of countertop installed in their home.
Related Cost Estimates
Countertop Project Cost Details
Marble Slab Cost Factors
Your cost for bath or kitchen counters will depend on factors related to the marble and to complexity of installation.
- Color of the Marble: No other factor comes close to being as important as color in determining price. Color is a combination of the hue of the stone, the amount of mineral veining and mineral colors. The rarer the color, the higher the cost. Here are typical square foot costs for just the marble – Makrana (Cloudy white with limited brown and gray, $15), Pink ($30), Carrara (white with blue, gray and gold, $42), Statuario (off-white with gray and gold, $48), Travertine (black with $76), Danby (stark white to off-white with gold and brown, $84), Red Jasper (rich red with dark or light veins, $90), Cipolino Ondulato (blended white, gray/blue and purple, $100), Calacatta (white with dark gray, $125+).
- Slab Thickness: Slabs 2cm thick are standard for bath counters and vanities. Slabs 3cm thick are used in kitchen counters, and they cost 35% to 50% more. Premium 5cm slabs cost up to 100% more.
- Edges: Squared or lightly rounded “eased” edges are standard. When you add a complex shaped or tiered edge or glue on an edge, cost goes up. Glued edges are also called laminated edges.
- Cutouts: Cutting marble and finishing cut edges is time-consuming, so costly.
- Finish: Most marble has a polished finish. For a 10% to 15% premium, you can select a honed finish with a satin look. A honed finish hides scratches, fingerprints and water marks better, but isn’t as reflective.
- Slab Size: Large slabs for islands, breakfast bars and peninsulas are rare and harder to install. Cost is at the top of the range per square foot.
- Cost of Living: Prices for everything are higher on the Coasts and in major metropolitan areas than they are in rural areas and small towns in the rest of the country.
Typical Costs in Specific Areas:
- Average bathroom marble countertops: $540 to $1,500
- Average kitchen marble countertops: $1,925 to $4,375
- Kitchen marble countertops with an island: $2,750 to $6,250
Cost of Installation Supplies
If you’re considering DIY countertop installation, your costs will be the marble slabs and these supplies.
- $30-$125+ | Marble slab material only, based on color, slab size and thickness.
- $12-$25 | Countertop adhesive.
- $15-$45 per quart | Optional marble sealer. Countertop fabricators agree that honed marble must be sealed. They disagree over sealing polished marble. If your slabs aren’t sealed at the factory, ask the seller whether sealing is recommended/required.
- $8-$12 per linear foot | Optional countertop edging to give it a preferred or thicker appearance.
- $15-$60 | Optional cost of countertop supports ranging from brackets to full plywood underlay. Your installation characteristics will determine if support is needed and what type is best.
- $40-$75 | Rental of a wet saw for sink cutouts.
Permits, Inspection, Related Costs and Installation Time
Permits and Inspection Cost
- $0 |A permit is not required for countertop installation. However, if you relocate the sink or faucets, you may need to have a plumber do the work and have the plumbing changes inspected.
Related Costs and Installation Time
The table above shows installed costs. We itemize it here for those considering installing your own marble counters.
- $9-$17 per square foot | Installation labor. Cost is about $9 for single slabs when no cutting is required. Cost goes up with cuts, polishing cut edges for an undermount sink, joining seams and gluing on edging.
- $100-$275 per cutout | Cutting a drop-in sink hole costs about $100. A cutout for an undermount sink costs about $275 because the edge must be finished.
- $85-$215 | Optional removal and disposal of an existing countertop.
Countertop Install Time Schedule
Experienced crews work surprisingly fast. Your kitchen or bathroom counters will be installed by two to four people.
- 1 hour or less | Remove an old countertop
- 1-2 hours | Install a single slab counter
- 3-6 hours | Install two or more slabs
- 6-8 hours | Install kitchen counters and an island or breakfast bar
- 9-12 hours | Install a large kitchen job that include making sink cutouts and polishing cut edges
DIY or Hire a Pro?
It depends on the job vs your experience.
Easy: A small, single slab of marble installed on a bath vanity or kitchen island can be a DIY project if you have experience shimming and attaching countertops.
Complex: Difficulty and the potential to mess up the job rises significantly with large slabs, seams, cutouts and polishing edges. Many homeowners don’t have the experience, tools or techniques to minimize risks.
When to Go Pro: We would leave large and/or complex marble countertop installation to licensed installers that do it every day and are insured to cover the cost of mistakes.
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Would you install your own marble counters? Feel free to add your vote.
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