Now that is a CLEAN Counter!! Nice photo. :-) We always have a number of things on the counters. Our kitchen is small and I make it convenient for myself. The coffee pot has now been put in the cabinet because we don't use it until the weekend now. TV on one counter, Knife block. The main counter has a large window above it and that is where we do most of the work, so the food processor, a juicer, a large plant and any fruit or tomatoes or avocados that are ripening, the mail all end up there. It doesn't bother me as much as it used to. When I get sick of looking at it I go on a tear and clear most of it out. The fruit goes in a pretty bowl, but for some odd reason, DH always puts it away again when it's empty. But he is in the kitchen more than I am, so I leave him to it. As for bread, it's been many many years, probably I'd say 20 years, since we had bread out of the freezer. All the bread, rolls, even cinnamon buns and muffins if we have them, go in the freezer. I put them in as soon as I get them home so they are fresh as possible when I freeze them. When I thaw them, they are just as good as fresh to all of us and we don't find we waste any bread that goes stale that way. Secondly, we are seriously cutting down on bread and carbs here, so bread is not as large a part of our eating now too, so a loaf will take a long time to use up.

Wedi is A great system . I have installed many wedi showers. Heres a few things I can share. If your tiler Installed all of Wedi Properly and used The *****PROPER WEDI brand sealant ON EVERY SEAM., the system is very solid. A wedi shower build mixed with porcelain or dense glazed ceramics and good grout will Dry out very fast after use, this means they dont retain much water if installed correctly. Things like the pan being set level, mortar selection and application, 98% coverage and proper key in. followed by pure silicone changes of plane and its pretty much a home run for me. If you called me to your home to investigate this problem, id first get a complete and detailed list of what CLEANING CHEMICALS you tried several of..... id politley advise you , you may have worsened or created this issue. :):):).... and how you applied them and removed them and mixed them. There is a reason we use Tile specific cleaners in showers and other than the Vinegar, Dawn, baking soda type remedies I dont veer to far outside of using ANY cleaners that aren't specific for the tile/stone and grout you have and I wouldnt be online taking random advise. I 'd call the MFG of wedi, or the Thinset/grout MFG, or the, Sealers/cleaners MFG Tech support. This is how the tile pros deal with these issues, direct from the horses mouth when problems arise. What I would be be looking at ( after what chemicals have been introduced) Id be asking for pictures of setting materials used to set all the tile, Id inquire about curing and dry times and focus on the possibilty you may have either latex leaching from a latex based caulk in the assembly, Or A Bucket ready mixed setting material in the vien of mastic or a new age grout not meant for submerged applications. Could be as simple as Using latex sanded grout caulk in the pan that will mold. Rest assured body and soap scum, in a properly built shower with the properly applied materials would have a real hard time producing this effect in a Wedi or topical waterproofed shower. . How is your bathroom ventilated? the fan runs after each shower? the windows get opened? etc etc..... Eliminate what chemicals you used that may be causing this and inquire about Grout, mortar, mortar coverage, Sealants at change of plane and the proper Wedi sealant was used. If your installer wont help you here id first call Wedi and request a site visit from there rep. My free advice to you based on My years of hands on Industry proven tiling experience and Wedi expertise.. -best

Sketch of new kitchen. Will be getting Executive Cabinetry in a flat slab door in white. Will post the backsplash I picked out. Still deciding about countertops. Doing Caesarstone and was going to do one of the lighter concretes but have read about lots of issues with the honed/matte finishes. Am going to try to get to local showroom this week so I can see slabs vs small samples. Still need to pick sink, faucet and hardware. Ordering new combo oven, cooktop and hood. Excited!!!

I like large tile for backsplash and am doing the same for the same reason, I couldnt get a third slab they didn't have one. I got 24x24 and I'm paying to have a professional install as it's tricky. So far looks lovely! Sizing to space properly is critical I found out from my tiler and he was right. If you have found your perfect tile, you can make it work well. If it's just ok, then I would send it back and look at long narrow floor tiles, or 24x24 or bigger to get your look. That is just what I finished going through. Now I'm stumped on tile for my fireplace..