Calacatta marble kitchen countertops in Frankfort, Illinois.

Calacatta marble on the kitchen countertops, with a full-height backsplash and a built-up stepped edge profile.

A built-up edge adds a second layer of stone under the front of the counter so it reads thicker, and stepping it gives the edge a traditional, layered profile. Marble in a kitchen should be sealed, and acids like lemon and wine wiped up promptly. A Frankfort kitchen, in Will County.

Calacatta comes from a small number of quarries in the Apuan Alps above Carrara, Italy. It has a brighter white base than Carrara marble and bolder, wider gray veins, and because good blocks are limited, it is one of the most sought-after marbles.

Kitchen countertops · full-height backsplash

Mokena · New Lenox · Orland Park · Tinley Park · Homer Glen