I "inherited" matte black Formica in our last home (in the master bath) and this one (in the kitchen), so I can share our experience. It was no coincidence; the last house was decorated by a fancy-schmancy decorator, and this house was her (that decorator's) OWN house, 2 owners ago. I happen to know her and her 2 adult children. Her son told me that she NEVER cooked -- she used to joke about putting vending machines in the kitchen! I guess that's why she also felt that WHITE CARPET in the kitchen made sense. It looked dramatic, all right, but -- yeesh! DON'T DO IT. The matte black looks sensational -- for about 10 seconds after it's been cleaned. After that, EVERY speck of dust shows. Water drops are awful; little white rings. So unless you either don't care that it will rarely look perfect, or you don't mind constantly polishing it -- and I mean at least twice a day; more, if you actually USE that counter -- don't do it, at least not in a "working" part of the kitchen; maybe on a credenza area or something. Now, I stress that I am ONLY talking about solid, matte black. The slate-like picture above and the others that other posters describe would be fine, I think -- we have a mottled black granite in our kitchen, and although it does need a little extra work, it's fine. Also, I think the problem would be with any matte solid black surface, not just laminate, and even with some shiny blacks, too, like Absolute Black granite. (I happen to like laminates, by the way.) But you can get virtually the same very dramatic look with something that isn't pure black -- it will look more sophisticated, too. I was SO happy when I replaced it in both homes.

Thanks for the suggestions. We are getting closer. We took at look at the additional suggestions (SW Blonde, Ivorie and BM Shelburne Buff HC 28) but they didn't make the cut for what we are looking for. The good news is I think we are down to two (or at least that is all my DW wants to deal with at this point): BM Precious Ivory 185 (a little tan and slightly darker) and BM Soleil AF-330 (a little sunny). The Precious Ivory probably does have a better chance of complementing some of the ubatuba highlights, but I like the 'sunny' part of Soleil, especially since we have little direct light into our kitchen. Oh, and there might be some BM Popcorn Kernel 310 in there but I can't tell if the kids like the color or the name.

Hi, I just found this thread, I don't know if you've made a decision yet but thought I'd offer my two cents. While building our home my husband and I debated heavily over real slate, he wanted it for the "look" of natural stone and I didn't want it because of the maintenance, and the problems (flaking, staining, and the variations in thickness of the tile, etc...). After a lot of serious consideration we chose to go with the real slate because it fit the style of the house. I have not regretted it. It looks great and after having moved in a year ago has been holding up well. We went with Brazilian multi color slate that I found through a local tile distributor. It was professionally installed and my tile guy used an impregnator to seal it. I believe the impregnator is available at home depot. While shopping for the slate I found a huge price difference between two local distributors for what was essentially the same thing, one offered ungauged and unsealed 16"x16" tiles for around $5.50/sf and the other offered the same size tiles but gauged and sealed for more than double the price. I opted for the ungauged and unsealed knowing my tile guy would apply sealer anyway. The tile turned out to be extremely consistent in thickness, very durable, and was easy to install. We've had no flaking as of yet. I have since learned that Brazilian multi-color slate is a favorite of architects because it is much more even and less prone to breakage than many other types. As far as cleaning, it hides the dirt very well. I've found sweeping with a soft broom the best way to keep it clean. If you are quick to clean up spills with hot water and a little dishwashing liquid it will hold up against staining however it is porous and will tend to absorb spills that are left on it. That is all part of the look and also gives it character with age. It is installed over radiant heat which is quite comfortable. We have about 500 square feet of it on our first floor, I don't find it hard on the feet at all, and I rarely wear shoes in the house. I don't know how to upload pictures to this forum but if you'd like to email me I'd be more than happy to send you some photos of it. Good luck with your decision!

Jan Moyer that clock thing is the control to the sauna so has to stay. New towel holders too and decorations. I’m glad you all said the gray will go with the room bc it’s a long story how we ended up with the gray (briefly: had to buy entire slab for master and sauna bathroom was showing wear so used rest of slab). The upstairs colors are agreeable gray so not opposed to using the leftover paint but I did think of yellow or an aqua - something spa like. Here is a professional photo from the listing when we bought the lake house and a few others to show why we replaced the top.