blfenton, thanks for the encouraging words. three sinks ago we had a franke, and it cleaned up much easier and better than the Elkay that came after it. Our current sink came with the house and is okay but it is a 50/50 double bowl and a PITA!!! I can't even put a small frying pan flat on the bottom of it for cleaning even if I am angling it diagonally. The sink decision is such a big one ... I think it is one of those things that you don't really notice until you have a really good one or a really bad one. rococo- i love the caesarstone. I can get a very good deal on silestone, not as good on caesarstone, but I am not as jazzed about the silestone choices. My budget got a break today in a couple of ways. First, with the encouragement of those responding here today, I am much more comfortable with Ticor. As much as I really love the Stages sink, I can get two really nice Ticor's for less than the one stages and the Ticor comes with great accessories. Second, I was able to get hooked up with some very attractive pricing on my appliances which is a huge relief and takes a lot of pressure off the budget. Finalizing my appliance choices is at least one step in getting over the finish line. I have been as back and forth with appliances as I am with sinks, colors, countertops, etc. -- Back to the sink and your comment about size: In my last kitchen, I had an Elkay 21" sink and that was my only one. It was SO inadequate and I think that is why I am fussing over this so much. I want to spend the money and be REALLY happy with the result. mydreamhome, boxerpups has the Oliveri too. I had never heard about it until reading through some old posts yesterday where she mentions how happy she is with it and how reasonably priced it was. Leave it to me, the one I happened to like costs $1,000... it never fails! breezygirl - you're brilliant. I love the suggestion of switching prep and clean up. DH is on board too. This frees me up to make some changes to the sink selections and feel really good and settled about it. Do you worry about the walnut being damaged by the water? not sure, I'd have the stomach to do this. What type of finish is on your walnut? did you get it from grothouse? It is beautiful! Thanks again for your astute observation on the plan... I am SO thankful as I think this is a big break through. clueless, does the wood transfer the heat effectively? I heard that tile was the best at this but we are new to this. The house we bought has a radiant bathroom floor and this is tile and very toasty warm. Such a luxury - I love it... very much lookign forward to this in the kitchen which is currently FREEZING. davidro1, thank you for all the thoughtful suggestions. your point about flipping the base cabinets next to the fridge is a good one -- Done! I think I need to make a trip to Ikea ... I forget about it as it is about 1.5 hours away. Sorry about the illegible text - I increased the size but what happens is that Photobucket thinks my image is too big so it doesn't show up here unless I resize it down. will try again. Thanks for all your insightful comments. Briana, I couldn't agree more.. made the switch. it will be all one level - this new arrangement has the sink closer to the wall. I am reluctant to move it any closer as I don't want to knock my elbows against the wall while cleaning up. Am thinking of a six inch pull out cabinet between the wall and the sink base. Green Designs, yes, I did switch fridge/freezers. In the end, I just couldn't give up 48" of space and really didn't have a good location if i were to split them up and put one here and one somewhere else. We are going with a 30" built in Subzero. I really like the interior layout. It borders on being too small but as DH points out maybe this will mean we throw away less food. We will either have an extra fridge in the basement or if possible the fridge/freezer combo undercounter drawers (depending on how things work out with this friend who is helping me with appliances). RE: the sink, I love all those Euro accessories.... again, i need to get to Ikea!! I don't think I want to move the sink around the corner though as I really want a view into the backyard while at the sink. I like to watch the dogs play in their pen and I like to keep my eye on the kids while they're out there. Lavender, i love that sink - the countertops remind me of what i had in my old house. i'm going with undermount though as i want to optimize the cabinets in the corner and don't want to worry about leaving extra filler space so drawers can clear the sink. Re: your other post, I think I would do more prep by the window when alone and more on the peninsula when the kids are around. Currently that time is split about 50/50. I think equal size sinks will allow me options. I like the DW on the peninsula as I was concerned about having it between what will likely be a heavily used area. Plus in the morning when the kids are eating their breakfast, it will be so easy for me to clean up while being with them. cmm6797 - the prices I have seen on the Elkay's are as much as the stages (or maybe just because I love the Avado sinks... maybe those are more??). In the last house I had an $800 Rohl faucet... not this time around! Thinking about Moen - have been reading good things on these boards about them. I had to make a $200 repair to the Rohl which burned me up. I don't think it will seem like as big a deal with a less expensive faucet. I have been to a few places where they are hooked up to water so that you can try them out but unfortunately the ones I like the styling of have not been hooked up. I may have to roll the dice. I am just hoping for a pull down that doesn't act up, or droop down when it is supposed to stay put. sayde, I looked at Carrara the other day. The salesman told me of a company that if you hire this guy to seal the countertops, they will be guaranteed for life against staining. they don't obviously make any guarantees about etching. I just love marble. I had thassos in my last house in the master bathroom and just loved it. I did get a bad etch on it (had vinegar in the bathroom... long story, don't ask why). I was very bummed out afterward - it was a bad etch and the thassos had been so beautifully polished. if I were to do marble i would do honed for sure and i'd get the guy who guarantees to come and seal it. Thanks again for all your help today. This plan has come SO far since I first posted it about a month ago. I really appreciate all the help.

I tried unsuccessfully to talk my GC into undermounting my prep sink in my butcherblock island (from Grothouse Lumber). He just wouldn't do it - he said the edges wouldn't seal properly. I showed him pictures in the magazines, but he said no. I adore him, so I went with his suggestion of routing it into the countertop, which you obviously couldn't do with a farm sink. There are obviously ways to do this, and I kind of wish I'd pushed harder. I think you could do it - just seal the edges often. You couldn't have an oiled finish - it would have to be a poly. My finish is oiled, so I guess that's why it wouldn't have worked - the edges would have looked different. If you want to see mine, it's in the FKB.

I carry Engrain wood tops. He puts a coat of epoxy just around the perimeter of the sink. Not sure what they do, think they must dull it down with scotch bright or the like. In any case it is very effective and not noticeable even though the tops are an oil base finish. Have a walnut one in for a few years now.

We are getting ready to refinish our wood counter tops. They are over 10 years old and received no maintenance during that time. Except for heavy wear areas (i.e., the outer edge in front of the sink), all the damage is from water: dish drainers to the sides of the sink, the path between the sink and the dishwasher, around the faucet (which has a very small leak), and where the counter meets the sink. The latter two have mildew rot. Notice that the sink is smaller than the cutout in the counter, leaving a lip for water to accumulate (the hole was cut using a template included with the sink - they probably use larger holes today). I would agree with riverspots and andersons: had we given it regular maintenance (recaulk, recoat, and replace faucet gaskets every 2-3 years) it is possible that it wouldn't need to be refinished now. Note that, to maintain the appearance, you have to recoat BEFORE the finish cracks. If afterwards, you'll have to settle with the visible defect or refinish the entire counter. The butcher block counter was original finished with an indoor polyurethane. This time we will use a marine coating. And we'll find a dish drainer that doesn't get any water at all on the counter. Also, if your installing wood, try to avoid faucets that mount directly on the wood.