I have seen very light pieces of Creme Bordeaux and very dark pieces. There can a large range for that stone. The Santa Ceclia my local stone wharehouse has been getting has had a lot of black in it and is darker than what they used to get. Depends I guess on where they are in the quarry and the stones can change as they move through it, at least that is what the stone seller told me. I would imagine if a stone is available from different Quarries it will also depend on where they get it. The same thing with Giallo Ornamental, both it and Santa Cecelia I liked in the older samples I had seen but were not what I was looking for in the new slabs at the warehouse. If you can get the lighter slabs of Creme Bordeaux, it will be lighter than what I saw locally for Santa Cecelia. Sue

We went through the same process about six months ago. Here are my 2 cents... Santa Cecilia tends to have much more gold and the dark spots are black. Giallo Ornamental (lite version) has a white background with the darkest color being brown. Giallo Ornamental (dark version) has a cream background with the darkest color being brown. I ended up with Giallo Ornamental dark version because I love the brown vs. black and loved the overall pattern on the slab that I picked. I LOVE my stone. My Mom chose GO light version for her much smaller kitchen. And she also was changing from white formica so the contrast in the change wasn't as great for her. Keep in mind that color, contrast and pattern all depends on the particular slab that you are looking at in the granite yard. But these are overall guidelines in my shopping experience.

Still waters, I love natural too, but I sure have seen some gorgeous man-made countertops lately. Look forward to seeing your house come together. Where are you located? I got my Talavera from a place in downtown Phoenix called Handcrafted Tile. It is owned by two women who are amazing at design! A friend of mine had her whole house designed by them. It is gooorgeous!!! Do you have any pics to post of that restaurant? Flowers, another wonderful idea! So, I did get the cutout from my cooktop. They used an angle grinder and the corners are a bit chewed up. But we have an angle grinder and can easily clean it up. Then I can polish it. The problem with the hotplate idea for me is that the stone is 3cm and it is heavy!! I think I will probably have to stick with a stationary table. Boxerpups, I could spend hours in a granite yard just taking in all the eye candy. The only part of earth science I ever like was the geology, LOL! Truthfully, none of the commentors was trying to be spiteful, as I know some on here have experienced, but it still struck that nerve. Anyway, my seams are perfect because I don't have any seams!! No corners, no seams. I planned it that way. Blondiel, my fabricator mentioned that another stone yard would have a different name for my granite. Do you have pics? Aliris, I will definitely post backsplash pics, but it may not be finished until summer. No time and very little money left right now, ;>D Red-eared, that is gorgeous! The backsplash looks great. What are your floors? I think your granite is in a higher group which is why I never even looked at that stone. Although in the end I chose 3cm because that is what was available at a very good price. Then again, the slabs were too narrow (28 inch countertops), so I had to buy three instead of two. But, the fabricator messed up the island sink and it is not centered over the cabinet. I recieved a credit for the exact amount I went over budget. It was $1,000, so I am happy!

The only sealers I tried besides Tenax Proseal were Miracle Sealant 511, Dupont Bullet Proof which were also good too. I did do a lot of testing by sealing a bunch of samples with MS 511, Tenax ProSeal, Dupont Bullet Proof. I let the sealers stay on as long as directions said to do before testing. I used Oil, RedWine, Vinegar, Cut Lemons, lemon juice, Limes, Salsa, Mustard etc..even lipstick..what ever I had I put on them. I wiped all off after about a half hour and they all tested very good. No stains and no etching. Only etching I got were on certain sections of stones that claimed to be Quartzite but were not, like super white. The white part etched the dark gray did not. At some point I left all the testing stuff on overnight. Oil and Red wine did stain with 511 and bulletproof. Not really terrible but they certainly were noticeable. I also was able to get the stains out with a poultice made with baking soda. Oil and Red Wine did not stain at all with the Tenax even after 24 hours. I think these were all good especially if counters are wiped off in a timely manor as should be but you never know with rentals.