I have a dark kitchen floor (it's Amtico vinyl "wood" planks in Priory Oak (really gorgeous, hard to believe it's not real wood), and it does show light colored debris, there's no where for it to hide. But let me tell you, with 7 kids immaculate floors are not a priority! That being said, this is a girls bathroom and there will be a lot of dusty things flying about. Yesterday I spent about an hour on the Armstrong website's "Design a Room" program and put different floors in different bathroom settings, and you could even change the cabinet and wall colors, just to get an overall idea of the effect of various colors. I was very surprised that a lovely, subtle checkerboard light gray/medium gray floor looked absolutely blah with the colors I had picked. However, a black and white checkerboard really popped. I love the checkerboard look, wanted to put it into my kitchen but I was afraid to. I only have a sunroom left, I can checkerboard that one if I don't do the girls bathroon (so this isn't my last chance). A black floor also looked great. The Flexitec flooring is already set at an angle, but the fake grout has a beige cast to it... here is the link to the Armstrong black "stone" floor. The grout lines are thinner, so there isn't a texture to the floor. That could be a good thing? I loved the black penny tile floor, it is a stunning effect. And I bet they have to work to keep it looking so fabulous. I'm now so torn about the granite-vinyl dichotomy. I hae to keep reminding myself that real tile is more of a maintenance issue in my house due to the constant shifting of my foundation. We have wall/ceilling cracks everywhere for a few months, then they disappear, then we have a huge storm, and the cracks return. But grout damage doesn't go away and gets worse over time. I guess it's a part of living in Texas. And hello Monicakm! Thank you for all of your replies so far, they've got me thinking. I'm heading back to the flooring store this morning to pick up more samples. Have a great day! Here is a link that might be useful: Amalfi Black

Here's something that might help you begin to sort out the situation: it's a link to a website of the author of "The Slate Roof Bible". The book probably tells you more than you need to know, but if you read it you'll know 'way more than most roofers who come to look at your roof. Here's the link: http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/slate.html I have the care of slate roofs on 10 buildings, from a tiny two-hole outhouse to a very large two story, with a slate-roofed cupola, hay barn. My slate is more 150 years old and in constant need of maintenance. The hardest part is finding a qualified and willing worker; I've had some real doozies claim they knew what they were doing. I only try a few of the most basic maintenance techniques described in the book myself, but at least once I found out the correct way things should be done, I wasn't at the mercy of roofer ignorance and mindless prejudice against slate. HTH Molly~ Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Slate Roof Bible

This is an entertaining thread. I've read all the way through, and realize that dh and I are extremely fortunate in that our tastes coincide on so many levels, and he's very agreeable after I spend hours researching agonizing over selections. What I have learned though, after we built a home 10 years ago, is that it all needs to be done at the outset. Because after the initial construction is finished he is extremely resistant to more construction mess. I had FREE labor offering to help me finish my sewing studio - no go. And the backsplash that we were going to finish after we moved in and lived with a kitchen for awhile - never happened. We sold the house 7 years later, and it was still ABB. So this house, my studio has been an integral part of the plan, AND I just found my perfect backsplash. I can't join the ABB club, or I will forever be without a backsplash. It's all just knowing your own particular dynamic. I'm agonizing right now over which sink to put into the kitchen. I've asked his opinion - he said "get whatever you want" We've gone over our plans with a fine tooth comb in the last week, and I found a few places where we could change selections or leave off, and he pretty much added everything back in.

I think grey grout with white or cream tiles and any soapstone is terrific. Were I you, however, I would get the tile installed but not grouted, take a photo, load it onto something even as basic as Paint, and "paint" grout in to see what works best for your kitchen. Once you decide whether the grout should match or contrast with the tile, you can mess with the color. Cheers.