Thanks Lazarususa. I had e-mailed Heath Ceramics and they responded that a sealer may discolor the tiles and make them look glossy. I think I may try Latricete's Permacolor grout in Bright White (rather than having to seal each individual grout line). Does anyone foresee any problems with Permacolor grout? Thanks for any advice.

I like the STT SB sealer (Deluxe). We used it on travertine and White Thassos (and our grout). It was very easy to apply and had extremely minimal odor. I know rococogurl liked the Akemi Nano for her marble. If you call STT and speak with Stephen (company owner and developer of the products), he is a fountain of info and very helpful. There are new application instructions (since we'd last used this sealer) that were not on the can when I ordered more of the SB Deluxe last fall, and Stephen took the time to explain them to me. Basically, depending on how porous your material is, you just apply the sealer until the surface glistens, and then let it sit for 3-8 hrs until the stone appears to be mostly dry (maybe a few wet spots here and there, but nothing too much). Then buff the stone (back and forth a few times with a cloth) and that's it. If you need to apply another coat, I think you just do the same thing again (we didn't need to, as our new travertine tile throughout our downstairs is apparently not overly porous). I really, really liked how easy the stuff is to use (I didn't like the Porous Plus, if that's the stronger of the two-- a bit of a PITA to buff off the excess), and really appreciated the low-odor. So far the White Thassos in the bathrooms is holding up very well, and I imagine our new travertine floors also will.

Pam A, that's what bothers me about option 1. I want the veining or grain, or whatever it's called, to all go the same way. Luckily for all involved, the fabricator had not started work when it was discovered that the measurements were incorrect. The color change is not actually on the slab; I took the pictures of the new slab, partly in the shade with the slab at an angle (I didn't realize at the time that the designer and countertop company would be using my photos for this purpose). The other pictures that I took do not show a color change, other than from shadows (see the bottom photo).

I have lived in my new house for 15 months and I love the look of my floors - they are easy to decorate with and give the home a warm but "cool" look at the same time. However, I think the maintenance is much harder than what I previously had - natural red oak with a higher sheen. My new white oak floors have 1 coat of Bona Natural Seal and 2 coats of Bona Traffic HD satin. I adore the light color, but every little water spot shows, or a splash of spilled coffee. They are very unforgiving and I can't imagine these floors in a house with kids and a dog. And I do find myself wishing I had done 3 coats of Bona Traffic HD - just to give them more protection.