Hi madeline...no problem at all. I can tell that you are very excited about your kitchen and I think that is great! I would most certainly push the range right up to the wall, your marble will be fine. I made sure that my cabinetry lined up right to the millimeter with the front of the stoves BOX, not the oven door. The oven door and control panel above it should sit proud. Also make sure that gas lines etc are places as to not interfere with getting the range all the way against the wall. To tell you the truth I think it would look a bit strange to have the range sit out from the wall with the 4 inch strip of marble behind it. Are you still going with marble tops? I love to hear people gutsy enough to do marble in their kitchens. So many people are scared to do it because of maintenance etc, but it is just so gorgeous. What about cabs? Painted or stained? Framed or framless? Is the look you are going for traditional? Or more contemporary?

It's been almost a year, started peeling off after just a few months. I've had so many things going on I've not been able to keep up with all of it. I will try to find a cabinet place that does laminate. I was planning to put the new caulk in the same place as the current caulk, just forming a seal between the two. Is there a preferred brand that will perform better than whatever I have? My sink is white cast iron, the counters are white marble. Thanks for all the tips! I plan to do this sometime in the coming weeks and will repost with a report when I'm done.

I had to google a "Grohe soap dispenser" to see what it was. It looks like a pump with a soap bottle below the counter top. I don't believe it's set with adhesive. There should be a threaded collar that sandwiches the countertop between the pump and the bottle. further that pump should lift out of the bottle to refill it. What broke besides the pump? When the pump is out why can't you have it replaced/repaired? Pictures are worth a 1000 words.

I clean houses. I tremble in fear every time I see marble in a bathroom. I also clean for a couple of interior designers. We all agree that marble is not a good choice for bathroom countertops. Everything etches it. You must use something non-acidic (ph neutral) to clean it. Joseph is right - it's going to happen a lot. I've seen overspray from hair products, tooth paste, shaving cream - many things etch the surface.