Real marble or composite: veins, cold, weight — the three tests

The word "marble" has become an elastic selling point: real marble, marble powder, composite, marble-effect ceramic. Three tests, done in the shop or at a flea market, put things back in order.

The vein test

On real marble, the veins run all the way through: look at the edge of the top — the surface pattern continues into the thickness, and never exactly the same from one spot to another. A printed ceramic repeats its motif; a composite has a uniform grain, with no through-running veining.

The cold test

Rest your palm for ten seconds: stone stays cold, drawing the warmth from your hand slowly. Resins and laminates warm up almost at once. It is the most reliable test in the shop.

The weight test

A marble top 2 cm thick weighs about 55 kg per square metre — a side table takes two hands to lift, a coffee table won't budge at a flick. Lightness gives the composite away.

So what's the right choice?

Real marble lives: it takes on a patina, it stains (lemon, wine), it can be sanded back. Composite forgives everything but has no resale value. For a period piece — a Knoll side table, a 70s coffee table — real stone is half the value.

Spotted a top somewhere? Scan the piece on Beyit: edition, material, market value.