bump :-)

Pretty much the same advice as StoneTech.

Plus, consider turning down the burner a bit? lol

Some tumbled stone has fissures and voids. If yours does, I'd fill those to minimize nooks and crannies in the surface of the tile.

Other than that, seal it well, and wipe it down as needed. Especially tomato splatters, which in addition to staining, can be acidic and etch unprotected stone.

Tumbled stone can require a wider grout joint and thus force you into using sanded grout. You could consider a dark grout to hide any splat damage. Depends on the stone, the pattern, etc. But natural stone with a dark charcoal grout can look very dramatic.

Thanks for the input and advice Stonetech & Mongoct. LOL on turning the burners down! I still consider myself to be on a learning curve with this pro rangetop!!

I was looking at the tumbled stone we have and it's interesting--its like they took a honed tile, laid it out flat and chipped away at the top layers. The bottom layers are still intact & smooth.

Any more thoughts on the grout getting stained by grease and tomato splatters? How easy should it be to clean? That's probably DH's biggest concern. Grease splatters are much more common in our house than tomato sauce (we don't have a grill yet, so all grilling is done in a grill pan on the rangetop). I definitely want to make sure that we won't end up with dark grease splotches on the grout that I can't get clean. I am so not feeling the sanded grout, so will do everything possible to make sure whatever tile I choose can be set with 1/16" or narrower grout lines. Any suggestions on what brand/type to buy?

Would you consider an epoxy grout?

What are the benefits of an epoxy grout vs. a regular unsanded grout?

Epoxy is impervious to staining. Non-porous. No need to seal it. Pretty much bulletproof.

For the most part in residential construction I consider it to be overkill. Where is is useful? On tiled countertops, though I'm still perfectly befuddled why anyone in the world would ever want a tiled countertop in their kitchen. If urine is an issue, either with kids, geriatric adults, or pets. Or in a shower if a person uses hair dyes in the shower, etc.

If you're truly concerned about grease and tomato splatters, then epoxy would be a valid choice for you.

Some manufacturer's don't offer a true white epoxy, for good reason. I'll advise you to avoid "white" whites, as epoxy can tend to yellow over time. You won't notice it in a colored epoxy, but you may in a "white" white epoxy.

Check out Laticrete's Spectralock. It's the only one I'd recommend using.