The benefit of 304 SS is that it doesn't rust as easily as lower grade SS.In a kitchen enviroment it shouldn't really. The thick 16 gauge will prevent warping over time resulting from the heat output of the BS/CC. The seamsless construction prevents grease from depositing in the seams which makes it very difficult to clean. Eventually rust results. Remote blower allows a more powerful blower plus less noice,especially if it is more than 6 feet plus away with a silencer. Silencers are about $150-$200 and the ducting is not very expensive. BTW: The price for Top End Appliances in any category seem out of line:) BTW II: I don't know if the ebay question is a serious one but you go under Home & Garden then click Inside the Home,then Major Appliances,then Ranges and Cooking Appliances,and finally Range hoods. Or search "42 Hoods" and set a price range to exclude things like sweatshirts. Here is a link that might be useful: Ebay Range Hoods

Yo Ken, if your still around your up on this one. Far as Composites go I am with the Larry/whoever We are for the most part. Composites are really no longer using recycled material because there is just not enough of it so most of the raw stuff is virgin,the energy used to make composite is an enviro no no, when its time to remove the project composite is not real big on bio degrade its tricky to burn shreading it would be silly. Bottom line composites are not so enviro freindly. Info like that might suggest its not all that good to clean it either, with anything. I dont agree>> composites will out last Ipe, left to go silver/gray Ipe is as close to no maintance as a person can get. With the softer composites like Choice/MoistureShield even trex= tjunk I have found a coat or two of TWP 116 seals up the decking,locks in the color and keeps mold,mildew,stains from causing major problems. Of course not needing to do this is the reason the Wallet goes for composite in the first place. I my own self dont like composites at all for the reasons stated in several posts here and on other sites. Welcome aboard Larry!!! Sorry I dident understand your intent at the begining . John

Salmon: Thanks for your great work in compiling this. This link shows how to create a link within a document. A few things I'll add: 1. Another "where to buy" place is ABS Wood. I worked with Jeff at East Teak. 2. The decks.com guide is good. American Wood Products also publishes a good code reference. 3. I bought several deck books, and the most useful (starts with the basics, lots of photos) is Black & Decker's. It's updated for recent code changes. 4. I sketched out my plans and used decks.com's $99 plan drawing service. They did the load calcs, produced a framing plan, footer plan, and materials list in 24 hours. A great time saver! 5. Tools: I love the Bostich metal connector nailer, and have the Paslode framer and finish nailers (love them too, even if the framer took a nip out of my finger). I buy all my expensive power tools on ebay, and prices are generally 30-50% off retail for tools in good condition. If you're only using them for one project, you can put them back on ebay and probably recover most of your expense.

Hi CT, You're getting the gist of this because you are beginning to see that it's really confusing! I'll illuminate a little bit more. None of the rocks on your list are granite, so can can take that variable off your plate. But many stone yards call quartzite granite but that is incorrect. Basically you need to be able to tell quartzite from marble. Those two rocks both look a lot alike so you can rarely tell by looking. The scratch test is the way to go and is simple. Doing some sample etching tests with lemon juice or vinegar helps too and hopefully those two tests will back each other up. In other words, if your mystery rock scratches glass and does not get etched by lemon juice, then it's quartzite. If is does not scratch glass and gets etched, then it's marble. In some cases the test results are ambiguous in which case you should post here and I can help you. "Quartz" is the word used for manmade countertops like Cambria. Yeah, it's not totally right but it's close enough. It really is made of ground up quartz. Quartite is the rock name for a rock made of all or mostly quartz. True granites also contain quartz, but it's not the majority. Quartz sandstones like Wild Sea are also made mostly of quartz. Quartz is chemically the same as glass - it's a wonderful mineral. It's very strong, totally inert and is usually very pretty and sparkly. That's why the manmade quartz counters are so popular. But in my mind a true quartzite is the nirvana of countertops. They are expensive, hard to find and a little risky because of all the confusion in the trade. But if you can get one then you are a lucky person! Hope that helps. Read through all the rock threads and you can learn from others who have been in your exact position. Good luck! Karin