I have the H3060, the very first one on the page I linked to above. Don't be shocked by the price though; I bought mine brand new for about $75 less than what Hoover advertises it for. I like it a lot. It comes with two brush block assemblies, one specifically for cleaning grout. Hoover also sells a special grout solution too. It works very well, and never "reuses" water, so you're always putting down fresh water and dirt is never spread around. I guess the only gripe I might have (and even then I understand the design decision by Hoover perfectly) is that it scrubs very lightly. With brushes spinning at a very high speed there is a balancing act of pushing too hard (which could damage wood or linoleum) or pushing just hard enough to clean tough spots. Hoover erred on the side of caution, so any ground in dirt, scuff marks, etc. still require a pre-scrub by hand to loosen them up. Otherwise, no complaints. Spills, normal dirt, etc. are all picked up very well and the floor left sparkling.

We had Marmoleum in our old house (had it professionally installed). It was sheet, a pale yellow ("Butter" I think) with a red 1" border followed by a dark yellow 3" border. I loved the look- so great in our 1940s kitchen. But it scratched and gouged very easily. In the beginning I was really stressed about it. Was constantly on my hands and knees trying to clean the scratches with a toothbrush (when the dirt was removed from the pale yellow the scratches were much less visible). We had that floor for 12 years before moving and it was pretty scratched up. It was two adults, a dog, and two cats, but the scratches seemed to mostly be near the sink and silverware drawer, from dropping things periodically. I don't mind the gentle scratches it's the deep slices and gouges that look so bad. In our new house we are in need of a new kitchen floor and I love the Marmoleum look so much but am hesitant because of our experience, which does not seem abnormal from what I read here. I was hoping a darker color ("Salsa"?!) might not chow scratches as much, but it sounds like that will not solve the problem. Does anyone know of another product that is tougher but has the gorgeous look of Marmoleum and the natural materials?

"I would keep the hardwood that you have and use Marmoleum in the kitchen. Is there a way to make a transition between the 2 with your layout? I know you said the flooring will run from front to back, but you could possibly add a curved line transition? To me, keeping the wood is the greenest thing you can do...plus hardwood is still high on the list of preferred floorings in many parts of the country. Marmoleum is also very green and it's so easy to maintain (no grout lines). Do you have any transition options?" We don't have wood in the foyer & hall...it's slate that was laid incorrectly and even the dog trips on it. I will salvage it and reuse it in the garden. The current kitchen floor is Pergo over vinyl tile. As far as inexpensive granite, I had that two houses ago. After 5 years I had over 30 chips in it (Uba Tuba). I was not fond of polishing it twice a day. In my application, I'll have an 8' window in the kitchen, those fingermarks would show against the light & drive me nuts. Igloo--My problem is that I would hate "simple tile & basic granite" & it sure wouldn't go with my Cluny which will certainly go with me if I have to move ;-) My thought was to do something unique, a la "if you can't get the best, get something different", but I agree with the consensus about the tile floor. I still need to think about the counters, they are the easiest-to-replace part of this equation.

Welcome SouthOrangeNJ! Stainless steel sinks go with anything...you don't generally try to match your sink to your appliances. I prefer SS as I grew up with cast iron sinks and hated how they stained easily and cracked if you dropped something heavy in them. I have not used silgranit so I do not have an opinion on them. Yes, SS steel will scratch, but over time it develops a patina so that it all blends in. It helps if you get brushed or satin stainless rather than polished. If you prefer sligranit, they go with quartz as well as granite....I would recommend, however, that you try to get one that blends in with your counter rather than one that contrasts...but that's up to you and your preferences. If you're trying to restore your home to the early 1900s, I recommend researching sinks used during that era. Otherwise, I'd go with what you want and what will work best for you & your budget. [If you decide to go with SS...check out Ticor Sinks at Galaxy Tool Supply for very reasonably priced sinks. Most come in 16 gauge SS (stronger than 18 or 20 gauge). They also have a store on eBay.] Faucets...I much prefer a sprayer integrated into the faucet itself! For one thing, you can "lock" it in spray mode rather than having to hold the lever down on a separate side spray...maybe there is a side spray that locks, but I have never seen one. I grew up with a side spray and while it's better than no spray, I think the pull down or pull out faucets are better. There's one less hose to start leaking. There's one less hole in your countertop (for both looks & cleaning around). I also find the spray function works better in pull down/out than the side spray. Pull down/out faucets are also more versatile than standard faucets. You can have a pot on the counter and fill it there rather than having to put it in the sink...which is nice if you have a sink full of other things or if you have a particularly large pot to fill. UC lights...How's the rest of the lighting in your kitchen? Do you cast shadows on the counter when you're working at it? Is the kitchen dark? I find the UC lighting very useful. We have puck lights that are plugged in inside the very top of our 36" cabinets. I don't know much about their installation as an electrician installed ours. You might check on the Lighting Forum. Garbage Disposals...I lived without one for almost 13 years and was unhappy the entire time...if you can afford one, I would definitely go for it. I'm not sure how easy they are to install after the fact as you have to have power run under the sink. If you do get one, do not get a Badger! They are the builder-grade that frequently break down. I recommend a batch feed for safety reasons, if you can use one (we could not since at the time I couldn't find one for septic systems). BTW...if you install a non-batch feed GD, consider an air switch to turn it on/off rather than a standard switch. They're safer, less intrusive, and (IMHO) more convenient. HTH! Here is a link that might be useful: Read Me If You're New To GW Kitchens!