Yes you should be able to get it...we got a one piece marble (same slab used in the surround) and it sits flush with the flooring. If it can't be done for whatever reason, then you should be able to get a carpenter to make a wooden bevel to match your flooring as a transition piece so you won't trip or whack your toes. We have slate flooring under our wood stove and the mason put a bevel on the edge of the slate to prevent just that.

Mayflowers, thank you so very much for taking the time to give me you insight! I've read the paint discussion thread, however, I will need to reread it several times before I can "get it". A lot of it flew so high over my head that I felt dizzy, lol. You are dead on in some of your comments. I would absolutely LOVE to get new granite, but if I even look like I'm about to suggest it, I'd be dead on the spot from the daggers shooting from my husband's eyes!! You have to understand that when he finally agreed to getting granite in the first place, it was like winning the lottery for me!! We are by no means wealthy people, and we way over shot our budget! My husband is, not what you would call a tight-wad, but is very very conservative with money. He does, though, love a "good deal" and will buy 3-4 of something that is on sale whether we need it or not. Drives me nuts. It's killing him to paint the cabinets because we paid so much for them and he tells every paint/tile sales people so..."We paid a lot of money to get natural maple, now she wants to PAINT them"..."coulda save a lot of money", I really do understand where he's coming from, the remodel was supposed to be our last hurrah. I'm sorry for the rant, just needed a little venting because this whole thing is becoming so stressful. I guess I'll get some MORE paint samples. I've only been looking at paint from Lowe's, Home Depot and Kelly Moore. Haven't seen much discussion of their paint colors, seems like everyone is on the BM banwagon. I just figured that their's was too expensive. I've heard people say that they have a place like Home Depot mix up BM paint for them (?) how do they do that? Just take a paint chip/strip of BM and ask for that color? Can you do that with any brand? Once again, thank you for your help.

It depends on how and what you cook. My stainless steel backsplash has burnt-looking areas behind the burner where I I use a large, cast iron frying pan most frequently. If I had marble there, the same thing would happen. I saw a Mick De Giulio kitchen with a backsplash that had a sliding, clear glass overlay that could be used to protect the art work on the backsplash. My personal feeling is that kitchens are there to be used and signs of use are not a bad thing. Also, if there is an island spacer on your range, the backsplash will be protected from hot pans.

To all those with suggestions on point, thank you.. Since this wasn’t something as normal as I had hoped, I talked to my marble shop and they are going to get me a new slab of Calacatta, properly cut to size. To those other commenters, I’m sure it makes you feel superior to tell someone who is looking to put something in a NYC apartment they are dumb and have no taste. What kind of person trolls Houzz? Are you working your way up to Home Depot? I’m sure your mom’s basement is impeccably designed.