Wow--I can see why you are so excited. The granite is just gorgeous and you are on your way to one stunning kitchen!

Can't wait to see your finished pictures. I am doing my kitchen in white also. Love your cabinets and the granite.
who make your cabinets? Did you open your ceiling to make it a cathedral? I am thinking of doing that..

firsthouse, that is a breathtaking piece of stone! I always look at pictures first and then go back and read, so I was thinking as I was looking how much warmer it makes your cab;nets appear. Then I read your note about it. My cab;nets are very white as well but they have not shown up that way in a single picture, due to the way the light (day and night) is.

What is the overhang on the back side of the island? Will you have any kind of seating?

The pearl nature shows up somewhat in the 2nd pic, and the depth in the 4th in the clear veins. I'm happy for you!

I love the thick counter edge.
wonderful choice.
~boxer

Ewww, I just want to take a bite out of that island! I love the thick edge, great choice! Looks like its is going to be a great looking kitchen once done!

Looks like your Fabricator did an outstanding job - this stuff is ALWAYS
a real challenge to turn into "residential jewelry" and it looks like your
Fabricator brought you a real "gem"....

Nice vein match on the turn downs - now just make SURE that the holes
get drilled for your faucets and accessories in the right spots!!!

Here's a form that can help:

{{!gwi}}

tht

kevin

Beautiful stone firsthouse! Enjoy!

Wow, that is beautiful stone!

yummy! Your counters are stunning. I love the thickness of the edge, it is wonderful - enjoy!

Oh that is gorgeous! Holy moley! I love the thick edge, and love how the graining waterfalls down along the edges. I can't wait to see the rest of it!

Gorgeous! Your granite and your whole kitchen. We all look forward to seeing more pictures. Congratulations on doing an amazing job with all your design choices (and I love the kids and the chickens!)

Really beautiful. I love the edge...It goes so well with the lines of your inset cabinets. Things are really moving along now! Can't wait to see more :-)

Just stunning! Thanks for sharing.

Gorgeous. Love the thick edge. I will get my Misty Carrera in 2 weeks. I'm going to double check my edge. How big is your sink?

Thanks everyone for the nice comments and for taking the time to view the island granite. I have been admiring others' kitchens for so long now and it is so gratifying to finally have my own to show! The edging was inspiration from the many of you who posted pics of their thick edges.

My cabinets are made by a company in California called Precision Cabinets and they did a really amazing job despite my many picky details...and they were so much cheaper than hiring someone to custom make them. Ended up very happy with their pricing and their quality.

Azstone: Thanks for the form and for your advice about the faucet/soap/etc holes. Love that form!

Montana: The sink you see in the island is not my main sink, it's the prep sink and it's 19w x 17d and 10h. So almost square. It's a cheapy from a company called Dawn. My main sink is to the right under the window in the picture below. It's a 36" apron front sink by a non-name brand.

jsweenc: The overhang is an area of issue! The slab was not large enough to accommodate the larger overhang that I wanted with keeping to one slab and no seam. So before we even ordered the cabinets, we reduced the size of the island by about 8" on the sides and 4" on the overhang. It is definitely not the size I would have liked, but it's about 10-1/2 inches. Good thing we are small people with small hip to knee lengths! href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rCrgYKAk6em6q2nomd7DpQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCPKK-9HqvL6jYg&feat=embedwebsite">;

Wow, I cannot wait to see this finished, really loving it so far. I seriously like your stone. If I had seen anything like that I would have jumped on it in an instant.

Oh, how lovely! I can't wait to see the finished kitchen! The thick edge on the island is just gorgeous, and I love the beams overhead.

Firsthouse, it's unanimous. We all love the thick edge and I also love it because it's an eased 90 deg angle and looks modern. I love modern.

Your inset cabs are fabulous. Very classy. Beautiful home. enjoy

Animala: When my kitchen is done, watch for the apron front flushmount sink...all because of you I just HAD to have it! :)

Who would have thought a 1950s old decrepit rancher with gold shag carpet had potential?...me !

Thanks again everyone for the pats on the back--seriously, it's nice to have "peers" say nice things, because we often don't get a lot of kudos for our hard work on our homes!

looks so beautiful i can't wait to see the finish! gorgeous space ...when are you expected to move in or, rather, how long do we have to wait to see???

Ever since I first saw these slabs in your "yard photo" pictures I have wanted to see them installed. They're perfect! You wanted marbley-looking granite, and you got it. Just gorgeous!!!!
Your cabinets are lovely. What a treat to see this kitchen come together!!

Nice - nice - nice!!! (said with enthusiasm)

What are your plans for the floor?

That is beautiful. I want to run my hand over it too!

Gorgeous! Thank you very much for sharing your beautiful stone! Love the kitchen and I really love the White Princess. Did you notice that your drywall mud is saying "HI"? I think your kitchen must be excited to meet everyone here.

Looking fabulous. The countertop is beautiful and the edges are really nice. Congratulations on great product selection.

WOW! Beautiful stone. I love the veiny-ness of it. Does it etch or stain? I've heard varying things about the different quartzes and the only ones I liked that were on the "OK" list were too dingy/blah. Wish I'd found this one to try! SO not blah!!

I love the stone and the edge, would have selected it myself if I found it.

Fabulous kitchen that is going to be such a pleasure to be in every day!

WOW --- I am practically speechless this is so pretty! Cannot wait to see more!

The perimeters are in! Outstanding! Just as beautiful as the island...

stunning! Love how thick and chunky the counters are.

firsthouse- that's just outstanding. I searched and searched for that granite and could not find it here in New England last spring. It's just perfect... has the lightness and serenity of marble but also it's own unique coolness. Simply wonderful!! Yay!

I have a trial piece of "Super White" quartzite and was dissapointed that it etched when I spilled a bit of cranberry juice on it (for a test. Our contractor stated that there is a sealing technique they are impregnating the quartzite with now to help with etching and staining. Do you know if your quartzite has these same etching staining issues? One fabricator told me to stay away from quartzite! :-( I LOVE these white quartzites!! Please share your knowledge. Thanks so much! Cindy

Firsthouse, I have been so looking forward to seeing your pics - you probably don't remember, but we almost installed the exact same stone, but ended up switching last minute to a different quartzite. Your pics are almost making me regret that!!
It looks stunning! It's so thick also - looks deliciously chunky and sumptuous. I just LOVE it.

We chose a greener quartzite (Mother of Pearl) and it does not etch or stain at all. So far it's been impervious to anything I've had on it.

Firsthouse - congratulations, I like the look of this better than a lot of marbles and it's so unique. Absolutely fabulous!!!!!!!!!

firsthouse: congratulations on getting your granite. your kitchen is coming along faster than I thought or mine is just slower!!! We had our white princess installed yesterday. I love it! I will post pictures as soon as I can. Too much going on in the kitchen right now. Wondering what color you plan to paint your walls. I am up to that now. My cabinets are BM white dove.

It's so beautiful that I get twinges of regret for not going with a white granite....it was such a struggle to choose - and then you go and post those yummy pictures. I love how thick the edge is and the eased edge is just perfect for your kitchen.

The BM Simply White looks great! What a light and airy space! I can't wait to see the finished pictures.

firsthouse: congratulations on getting your granite. your kitchen is coming along faster than I thought or mine is just slower!!! We had our white princess installed yesterday. I love it! I will post pictures as soon as I can. Too much going on in the kitchen right now. Wondering what color you plan to paint your walls. I am up to that now. My cabinets are BM white dove.

cjc123 - we have a white quartzite quite similar to firsthouse. We have only been using it for about a month, but so far (including early testing) we've had no problems with etching or staining. The fabricator did seal it of course, but the first sample I tested on did not etch, at least not noticeably.

My fabricator hadn't used this type of quartzite before and he noted how much better this type of quartzite was to work with than others he had seen. Here on gardenweb I've read reports of bullet-proof white quartzites and others that do stain or etch relatively easily.

Each stone, even slab, can be different, I guess you just have to try each different one. In any case, I wouldn't just give up on quartzite as your fabricator suggested - there are some great, very hard quartzites out there and they do make a gorgeous alternative to marble or white granites - as you can see from firsthouse's spectacular island!

sochi: can you tell me the name of your quartzite? also, do you have any pictures posted of it? thanks.

deb2010 - it is quartzite bianca or luce di luna. I've heard of other names too. I've posted a couple of pictures posted of it out there, but I haven't 'officially' posted any yet. I'll start a new thread now with a couple of pictures for you.

Your kitchen is beautiful. I would love to see your finished product with all the decor.

Firsthouse, I love your kitchen! Wondering if you have had any problems with etching or staining on your "White Princess" quartz/granite, having lived with it for a while now. Would you use white quartz/granite if you had to do it all over again? Please advise asap, as I am trying to make a decision about using "White Princess" for my countertops. Also, did you have it sealed? Many thanks!

Firsthouse did you post any 'finished' photos/link or start a new thread? I would love to see the end result and also hear about how the countertops have been since installing

fpmom:
Here is the link below for the reveal. The counters were amazing. Never had stains, etching, chipping or any problems. My fabricator did seal it but we never did any sealing after the initial fabrication. We lived in this house for two years after the remodel and have since moved, redone another house, and are on to our third house in three years.

If you are in the California Bay Area and are interested in seeing White Princess up close, DaVinci Marble still has tons of it. They carry a few different slab sizes and also have some that is more white and more stripey.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rancher Remodel

I am a fabricator.

Kudos to your fabricator. That is a first rate job on the mitered edge work. I don't often see pics on this forum that meet my own quality expectations but that island is excellent!

Thanks oldryder, coming from you that is high praise indeed! I read your posts quite religiously because I find your comments truthful, helpful and informative.

We are incredibly happy with our fabricator too. We are now building our fourth house with them and they have proven to be a great resource with quality product. That island gave my fabricator some pause--we reduced the size of the cabinet to give him enough stone to do the job right and it paid off. The stone was also not easy to work with, but he did an amazing job on the kitchen and four bathrooms and the outside patio and front cementwork.

The fabricator is Venice Tile and Stone in San Jose, CA and they have been an amazing partner in helping me create the vision of my past three houses!

My little bonus: they make me trivets from all my leftover pieces and I make cakestands from them, which I give to my contractors and my relatives (so they can say they have a piece of my home too) :)

Wow firsthouse an amazing space! And I have to hand it to you renovating 3 places! Can I ask: did you do the same kind of kitchen in the 2nd and 3rd places? Your cabinets are exactly the look I am wanting for our new kitchen - can you provide more details re the style, material and cost (I'd really appreciate your input on cost while I start to work out what our budget should be - you sound like you were impressed with the cost of these cabinets...message me offline please)

fpMom:
Hope you got my offline email.....