Miracle 511 Impregnator I was told Miracle 511 sealers are some of the best (if not the best). I used it on my slate / quartzite tile in my laundry room / mudroom, pantry, and powder room. So far, no staining, though it's been less than a year. I believe the container has instructions for sealing. Essentially, I believe you want a clean surface (without soap residue) before sealing.

I'm embarrassed to admit that when we installed our slate in 2004, I sealed it with the generic tile sealer that Home Depot sold in the yellow gallon jugs. It doesn't shine and seemed to be ineffective until I put on the second coat. Then I could see it was sealing as the second coat didn't soak in as readily as the first. I don't see it in their current lineup. Also embarassing is how rarely we scrub the floor. Between the dog, a really messy bird and me using one room for bike maintenance, it has held up remarkably well. I will need to scrub and reseal it soon and will probably use one of these products: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Building-Products-Aqua-Mix-Sealer-s-Choice-Gold-1-Gal-AMSC1/202907684#.UnFJCnA_uzM http://www.homedepot.com/p/Miracle-Sealants-32-oz-511-Impregnator-Penetrating-Sealer-511-QT-H/100076375#customer_reviews

Thanks for your reply. We did check out geothermal, but the cost is through the roof, even with tax credit. I think a good chunk of the quotes we got are for the ductwork - although it is a colonial the layout is a little awkward, so it will require quote a bit of custom ductwork. And we still need the ductwork even if we go geothermal.

Thank you for the feedback. Still looking for more suggestions. The countertop is rosemary caesarstone and it is a gray-green color, I guess almost similiar to limestone. The only thing is the stone appears to have white blotches throughout and I'm not sure how that would look as a larger slab. nishka- Thank you for raising a good point. I should wait until countertops are installed before choosing backsplash. I'll choose what looks best. Even though I'm looking at the terracotta patterned tile by ann sacks. It has a pretty charcoal and paparika hand painted design. Still not sure what countertop to go with. Anyone think of something I'm not thnking of that would be absolutely gorgeous with these cabinets. I was even possibly thinking of soapstone or slate, but not sure how these would work in my kitchen.