I think perhaps by definition we TKO are disproportionately fussbudgety. What's it all for anyway? You can't take those perfectly unscratched cabinets with you. Maybe have yourself buried with them like pharaohs? Nah..... Dings Happen. And as for dh's who can't refrain from cutting on granite - well, that's why we just need to teach (or have taught) our children well.... :) And in the absence of that, this is why we have MIL jokes... ;) FWIW -- I drive around in a minivan that has a cracked bumper; you can see its innards, the metal "I-beam"-like thingymabob in there. It is very out of place in LA where so much is just-so. I attract a lot of attention. But it is not worth it to me to spend the money (thousands; more than the car's worth) to fix it. And in all honesty, I don't care, though I recognize it gives many the willies. Thing is, it reminds me of an interlude in French Canada where the ding was inflicted by a snowplow. They have a very different relationship with snowplows, snow removal and those who perform said operations there. The previous winter there had been several individuals killed by errant snowplows. But subsequent inquiries had determined the individuals were simply "in the wrong place at the wrong time" -- like my car and its bumper (parked, on the side of the road with many others just like it). Things happen, and just about all that changes is our reactions to it. Seems a life's lesson I rather value leaving visible on my bumper. But of course that's way too long a story to explain to the guys trolling parking lots looking to "fix" it (not) for a few $$.

We visited Moab last fall and it was one of the highlights of our entire Western US trip. Arches, Canyonlands... wish we had had more time there. We hope this fall to get to Bryce and Zion. The red rocks are amazing. But as plllog said, best left as natural art, or at least as vertical surfaces. Some stones have good reason to be polished, and some k;tchens have good reason to have polished stone, and some people have good reason to prefer that look. And polished is not necessarily unnatural. However, if you don't prefer that look, then as jrueter said, there are other options with granite. We bought the same thing that she has but ended up exchanging it for a different leathered stone for various reasons. The options are confusing.... leathered, honed, brushed, riverwashed, satin, antiqued, maybe more. One supplier I talked to last week said that the boutique names may differ but often mean the same thing or close to it. But it doesn't have to be polished. These kinds of treatments really bring out the beauty of some particular stones, but may mute certain characteristics on other particular stones.

wow- I so get this one! This is happening so much down here. I am in south florida, and this seems to be a kind of weird thing thats going on right now- its like real estate agents (or owners) are thinking 'this kitchen is a wreck", (oh- those pink and black formica cabinets that were huge down here in the 50's and the laminated white ones with the wooden strip on the bottom? Not exactly Eames.) So they think, lets plop on a granite counter top to fix this, up the price and sell it all as new! More than a little nuts- right? For goodness sakes- give an allowance for the kitchen to be redone (even gutted) and leave it to the buyer to chose if it fits their energy to redo. !*sigh*! Just as an example- my ex had a condo right on the beach that was amazing until you walked into the kitchen. (Shiny marble floors, floor to ceiling windows, a view of the ocean from the living room and a view from the dining room of cruise ships coming and going- total Hollywood glam.) Then- the Kitchen. The cabinets were plastic- really, truly- hard shiny molded plastic! and- ta da! the countertops were a silky gorgeous polished marble. Nuts! Anyway- I have done this ( moved both marble and granite slabs.) The trick is to find someone who knows how to crate it before its moved at all. Even if its not going anywhere but to the back yard, (or the living room) crating it stabilizes the stone. I have two large pieces that I have moved twice now- one of each. It's expensive, but a good moving company should be able to give you quotes to do it. If you love the stone please dont just rip it out and dump it, it drives me crazy (personal opinion) to think that granite has become a design element that can just be replaced if it doesnt fit a new "look", like on the show "flipping out". If you find that it's prohibitive in terms of cost to do this, then do at least put it on Craigs list. You will be surprised at the number of people who will respond to take it out for you. At the beginning of negotiations, adjust your offer accordingly. The problem is that most of the desirable areas down here are older and the kitchens arent antique-y looking, just really horribly dated. Just because folks spent money on kitchen counter tops doesnt make the kitchen updated. I so get that! Good luck to you on your house search... :D

"The rounded edge on the inside of my sink and the two outside side edges cost a total of $150 more." This is why I keep preaching that fabricators should sell this option instead of that gawdawful ugly cheap "pencil" edge at sinks. One chip, and that's "when", not "if", and you've paid me nearly $300.00 to fix it on site. Pulling the faucet and sink, profiling and polishing a proper round over, and reinstalling the sink and faucet to reduce the risk of future chips could be $500.00 or more.