Carrara marble is generally available in honed or polished. Honed has a matt finish and polished is a glass like effect to the stone. Honed has become increasingly popular because it is a more subtle appearance. Deciding upon which look is personal preference. The products come in a plethora of mosaics and different formats of tile and subway tile. The larger manufacturers and distributors will offer Carrara Basketweave mosaics, Carrara Hexagon Mosaics, Carrara Herringbone mosaics subway tile in 3x6”, 6x12”, 9x18” 12x24” and tiles in 6x6”, 12x12”, 18x18”.
The Carrara mosaic and tile look bathrooms have become increasingly popular over the past couple of years. Major Home centers have joined in selling similar products but not truly Carrara.
Turkey has some of the largest quarries of what they call ‘Turkish Carrara’. This is not Carrara. It is not from Italy but from Turkey, they put the term Carrara with it to indicate a white marble with or without gray veining.
Turkish white marble (I won’t call it Carrara as this is misleading) is a poor copy, it has some of the least desirable characteristics of white marble. If you look at a piece of Turkish white marble or a white marble being passed off as Carrara with a crystallized effect (you will know it when you see it) this is from Turkey. True Italian Carrara has a white smooth almost like china base with distinct clear veining fake Carrara has a crystallized effect with cloudy veining.
Turkish white marble (Carrara copy) is very cheap to purchase from a quarry $1-$2SF for Home Depot or Lowes and there is an abundant supply. This fits perfect with their business model – a cheap white marble that looks a bit like Carrara to a layman, can be mass produced, packaged and sold for $6SF. Examples of this are the Home Depot’s Greecian White.
Carrara from Italy on the other hand has limited supply; companies like Builders Depot Direct select blocks to get perfect veining. The work of selecting and limited supply makes it impossible for Home Depot or Lowes to sell the real thing. Extra work and selection are not part of their business plan.
In conclusion Turkish mass produced white marble can cost $3 to $9SF. It will be sold under a variety of names, Turkish Carrara, Greecian White and some less scrupulous suppliers may just call it Carrara. The only way to tell is to buy a sample on line or in the store. Online suppliers that do not offer low priced sample – be wary no sample means they do not want you to see it before you buy. If it arrives with cloudy veining and crystallization within the stone – then you have a ‘Product of Turkey’.
Builders Depot Direct is the only online supplier that offers genuine Italian Carrara 3x6” Subway Tiles for $7.00SF (we have cut costs, turn traditional supply chain channels upside down to bring this product to market for this low price). We offer samples so our customers can see and make an informed choice before they buy.
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