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It's gorgeous. Congrats.

I doubt that work projects will stain your table (unless you leave Sharpies lying around). Most of the stained-marble horror stories are kitchen cabinets and bathroom sinks, which are exposed to all kinds of acids and gunk that a dining table isn't likely to be exposed to. Just use coasters and sensible caution.

Sorry -- kitchen COUNTERS, not cabinets.

Glass over Marble - is simply just redundant.

There are sealers out there that can help protect your stonework - just talk to the folks at the store or your local hardware store and see what they recommend.

My parents have a beautiful cherry dining room table that has seen the light of day probably 5 times in 15 years. Covering the material you covet so much with pads, tablecloths or even glass or plastic seems nonsensical when what you really wanted all this time was marble. Take care of it and treat it well and it will last.

I have marble counters in my kitchen and worried also. Just get the cleaner and sealer from the hardware store and apply it twice a year. No biggie! It really will protect from stains.

Also, just relax. The marble will get some wear as time goes on, but it only looks better. Call it a 'patina' and enjoy.

when we shopped for counter tops and considered marble, we were advised to seal the stone with a product called "bullet proof." a saleswoman at one particular stone dealer even gave us a small piece of marble to take home, seal, and test. perhaps you could do the same to alleviate your fears.

This doesn't have anything to do with your question, but I just found three chips on the edges of my marble table. I just had to tell someone.

Just be careful with it but don't go overboard. A big part of what makes marble beautiful is that it reflects the fact that it's being used. It shows wear and tells the story of the people who use it. It's not plastic and to expect it to behave like it is is foolish.

The entire country of Italy seems to be covered in Marble. Glorious, untreated marble that's been there for hundreds of years. Every scrap of it tells the story of the people who lived with it, leaned on it, laughed around it, worked on it, etc. Italy's cultural history is in its public spaces and how cool is it to have a small piece of that in your own home. Relax and enjoy it!

Glass over your marble table would be like the plexiglass table covers in cheap restaurants (or covering the front of your nice car with an ugly black bra monstrosity). Just seal it and live with it

I agree with the above comments. If you're having a particularly messy meal that would stain your marble, throw down a tablecloth for the night.

definitely get the bulletproof sealer, by a company called stone tech. that is the best best best at protecting stone. clean it with non acidic cleaners, or a cleaner made for natural stone.

Eating will definitely have an effect on the table. Salad dressing, butter, wine, dropped cutlery -- all will take its toll. I mopped up a white wine spill within 30 seconds of its occurrence on the CB2 marble smart coffee table, and it still etched. The first few incidents are horrible, but eventually, it does begin to acquire a nice patina, I suppose. Place mats help, but unless you are very tidy, expect to leave evidence of your activities...

glass rings from wet glasses are your biggest problem!

Use costers or do not let wet glasses sit overnight. I have a black coffee table (marble) that I bought at a estate sale and it took me hours and hours to get those rings out with cleaner.

I have a large, round marble coffee table and end table that my grandparents bought around 1950 and kept in their house for fifty years. I've had it for five years now, moved three times, and we use it as a coffee table, dining room table, and craft table. We clean it with stone cleaner about once a week and it looks like it was purchased only a few years ago. Its the most durable furniture we own!

I'm gonna stray from the pack here. If you're planning to eventually use the table in a larger home where it will serve as only a dining room table, rather than a multi-functional work surface, I'd cover it with glass in the meantime. Then, when you find it a more permanent home and dedicated use, uncover it in a more formal space and it will be like new again- a centerpiece in a well designed space. I did that with a white lacquer wall unit that I fell in love with while living in an apartment. I left the protective plastic film on the unit for two years (it was hard to notice- never started to peel) and only removed it when it went into my family room in my new house. It looks brand spanking new and I love it as much as I did when I first bought it. Now, when it gets worn looking, I'll feel like it's in it's proper home and SHOULD get worn looking.

Thanks for your post Eme.
I, too have ordered a custom Portico w/ the Venatino top and have been milling over the same questions. Have you decided on your approach?
This all has been very helpful...my table is arriving Saturday.
Enjoy yours!

I have a glass top dining table and think it is too much work to clean it everyday. I have a vinyl cover that I put for day to day use. That way, whenever there is a special occasion or guests etc, I remove it and the dining room looks special. I know not many would agree that you should keep it under wraps always.
My suggestion for marble would be to keep a transparent plastic table cloth, and use it when you expect mess (curry dinner?). It will keep your marble looking new longer. Even spilt coffee or tea can leave a stain on marble (experience). For messy special occasions, like thanksgiving, keep the plastic on, and top it with a modern fabric of your choice. That way, wine and gravy won't seep through.

We bought the Saarinen side table and it got stained the first time someone put a beer on it. Lucky for us, we had some marble poultice- it sucks up any color. If you watch youtube you can see some demos on stain removal. You can use flour and water. So the stain disappeared but we still have a white ring. Our shower is solid white marble but it is only stained yellow in top half, I think it'd be the other way around. I haven't tried the poultice on this, but I'm sure it'd work fine.
I recently watched a Divine Design and Candace used carrera marble for countertops- but she said she had it acid etched or something to take off the sheen and give it a soft-aged look. I think she still sealed it though.