We have stainless behind our range. It's been pretty much maintenance free for 4 1/2 years---a wipe with a microfiber cloth once in a while. I'm sure our venthood (VAH) has a lot to do with it (I use it whenever frying anything) and the fact that we don't tend to fry fatty things or heavy oils + we use the front burners for our veggie stir frys. Our range and has a small rise in the back of it (6"?) for the oven vent and this may also help. I've been pleasantly surprised how easy it's been to keep it looking good. We bought a sheet of metal at a fabricator's. 5 years ago it was really cheap, something like $40. I don't remember exactly but I think it was called brushed stainless--but it's likely the metal place will know what you need. The finish may have something to do with it's easy upkeep. It was a fairly thin piece of metal---dh thinks it may be as thin as 28 ga, certainly no thicker than 24 ga.

I had purchased a marble mosaic from a seller in Lebanon off ebay for my "focal point". I went over the colors very carefully with him. I confirmed that the colors on my computer were actually colors x, y, and z, and he said "yes". The mosaic, as pictured, was just perfect for my space. The mural came very quickly for something coming from the Middle East, but when I opened it, I was really disappointed. One color was clearly not the color I had anticipated, and that is totally my fault. The whole color thing is really subjective and probably got lost in translation. The whoe mosaic, though, was "off". It looked like a very drab version of the photograph that was posted, yet it was supposed to be the actual mosaic. Of course, I wasn't taking into account lighting, etc. that always makes something like whiter, crisper. DUH. Anyway, I tried to love it, but the more I looked at it, the worse it seemed. The white in it just looked dirty. The whole thing looked like it needed to be cleaned, and that was just the nature of the stone chosen for the mosaic. I knew for sure it wasn't going to work when Hubs said, "That just looks dirty. It's kind of hideous." (He has a way of cutting to the chase. LOL!) It was only (only?) $125, but it still was an expensive lesson for me. When I am looking for something so specific, I really need to see it in real life. I sold it on Craig's list for $50.

Deb: $125 per foot!!! Oh my! That's almost twice as much as I paid (prefabricated, I paid $40.38/sq ft). I did some testing and while it did MUCH better than the marble, there was some staining (not etching) on my pre-sealed sample when I had a few food stains that sat for 24+ hrs. My fabricator claims that sealing the granite should take care of the light staining that I saw, so I am trusting him. I actually don't care that much if I have some "lived in" looked. I have lived with marble so I know what that feels like, I am just hoping to defer some of that permanent etching that we had. If you have white cabinets and a wood island, I might actually think about the Caesarstone if you can't find the white princess. I was pleasantly surprised to see a showroom by Christopher Peacock that was done in the Caesarstone that looks like marble and it was REALLY pretty. I would never have believed it unless I saw it myself. Wish I could have taken pics but they wouldn't let me! The other option I love is concrete! Might be too un-traditional for your style, but I really like the counters in my friend's house and they are very light gray--and very easy to take of! Despite what some people say, she has never had a staining problem. They have a gorgeous patina that is really pretty and I love them with the white counters. Not her kitchen, but similar--look how pretty the concrete is! From Menlo Farmhouse

That's a very good idea, Suellen, to do tile beadboard. I'm not having any success in searching for where to buy it. : / I look forward to seeing Sheesharee's reveal, tuesday. Some of these reveals just can't come fast enough, LOL. There's another one I'm waiting on that's going to have cabinets painted in SW Softened Green, and I want to see it done... yesterday! I'll also contact sheesharee and see what she discovered, thanks. Well, when all else fails, check the manual, yes? The owner's manual for our cooktop states that it needs 2 3/4" from the edge of the cooktop to combustibles behind it. If that's the case, then it should be no problem to put beadboard behind our cooktop, right? So, maybe this is a non-issue?