Pluses and minuses of using marble for seating arm rests

Status
Not open for further replies.
P

Packard

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2020
Messages
5,325
Location
Hudson Valley, NY
Trump wants to upgrade the seating at the Kennedy Center by adding marble arm rests.

I would like to limit this discussion strictly to the merits of that material choice.

I have seen granite window sills, and those made sense to me. They would be extremely durable with no painting ever.

Marble, though is both relatively soft, and stains easily. It also requires regular maintenance.

But stone is an interesting choice for arm rests. Sounds expensive though. I would like to see a generous radius on all the edges for improved comfort.

1766882969140.png

www.thedailybeast.com

Billionaire Trump Threatens Kennedy Center With Tacky Marble Makeover

The president is far from finished tampering with the historic arts center.
www.thedailybeast.com www.thedailybeast.com
 
Marble is a cold material. It will always feel a lot colder than the ambient temperature, which makes it perfect for floors in a hot climate, but not so much for armrests. On the other hand, if it is your intention to make people uncomfortable, it is the perfect choice. ;)
 
bertv said:
Marble is a cold material. It will always feel a lot colder than the ambient temperature, which makes it perfect for floors in a hot climate, but not so much for armrests. On the other hand, if it is your intention to make people uncomfortable, it is the perfect choice. ;)
Click to expand...
Point well taken. My house, built in 1953, still has the original marble thresholds to the bathrooms. They are surprisingly unstained, but have the predictable wear that that 70+ years underfoot would show. I call that “patina” and I have kept them through remodels.

I think stone has been underutilized for window sills.

But I think wood, with a durable finish, would make better arm rests.

For fabric, I would travel back in time to mohair, a very durable and lux fabric. The real stuff is made from Angora goat wool, and is ungodly expensive (but super durable). Cheaper versions are blended with nylon or other types of wool.

A properly restored antique car will have either leather or mohair upholstery, both stand up well.
 
I would hope that the people who would utilize such a place would be more cultured, but often things like this are vandalized. Wood, fabric, etc. are very easily damaged, even by accident, or through natural wear and tear. Marble seems excessive though. It's not really all that tough either. If someone intends to damage it, they will likely succeed, though it would take a bit more effort. If they succeed, the extra cost happens twice.
Plastic doesn't seem fitting?
I'm not seeing an ideal answer, yet anyway.
 
Looking at online images, it appears that wood (or wood-look resin) is popular as is resin that is color-matched to the seat fabric.

No stone versions. And no gold leafed arm rests. 😁

Oops! I spoke too soon (though the actual “rest” portion seems to be fabric.):

1766955514070.jpg
 
Look, we are headed towards political now. The thread was started about an unusual material being proposed for arm rests. We have now gone to three like chairs and gold gilding. I have already gotten complaints and let it go but subsequent posts give me the impression that I will get further complaints. I am closing this thread before we go further into the abyss. I know my decision will probably anger some or cause some head scratching, but...

P.Halle - Moderator
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top