Okay. Update on removing countertop(s). We took the first (of 2) countertops off. Abbisgram, you were correct, and there were only a few screws attaching the top. All came out easily except one which was impossible to get to without disassembling the whole cabinet, so we got out the sawzall and took care of that one. Decided for several reasons not to special order countertops. We bought a sheet of 3/4" plywood (4x8), had it cut in half lengthwise, and that will do all the new countertops. Got the first one on and will need to put the tiles and edging on. Regarding the comment from the guy at Lowes: He was correct in the sense that the cabinet was very flimsy; however, it didn't 'fall apart'. The front (where the doors are attached) is pretty standard, however the sides of the cabinet are 1/8" (at most) luan, and there is no back piece at all, just a 1x2 strip fastened to the bottom of the (old) countertop, then screwed to the wall. Thankfully, the shelf inside the cabinet seemed to help keep it all together til we got the new top on it. Once the new plywood was on though, it is as sturdy as it was before ... lol. Not sure if I mentioned that this is not our full-time home, it's a mobile home that we purchased in a resort town, so we are not there to work on it every day. Hoping to go back next week and remove/replace the 2nd countertop, then cover them. Bottom line is that it wasn't nearly as scary as the Lowe's guy made it sound. And thanks, abbisgram, for the encouragement. :) As a side note, the finished countertops will end up costing under $100 for approx. 13-14 feet of countertops. I'm not the best at taking pictures, but will try to post some when we finish. This post was edited by danandcarol on Sat, Sep 27, 14 at 22:44

I think white would be a nice contrast. I've attached a link to a GW member's (kellienoelle) kitchen that used Delicatus granite & a classic white backsplash. Here is a link that might be useful: Kellienoelle's Dark Cherry & Delicatus Reveal This post was edited by romy718 on Fri, Mar 14, 14 at 21:46

terrilynn, I am confused about what to do for the island and also the desk/coffee bar/bar area. I'm going back and forth on wood or soapstone for the island. I'm pretty sure I want wood on the desk and soapstone on the bar/coffee area. (just for maintenance purposes). I'm not sure if I do the base colors on the other areas the same as the island or different. We aren't doing any stainless except for the range, but that desk is pretty cool! Lavender, thanks, and I love the idea of red accents. I hadn't really thought that far, but that will be perfect and will blend with the rest of our house. I guess I need to figure out if I can really do the painted island and how much maintenance that will be. Here are my options, in case anyone else is as confused as I am: 1. Wood colored island with soapstone top 2. Sage/light green island with soapstone top 3. Sage/light green island with wood top Desk: something with a wood top....I'm thinking base should match the island, unless of course the island base is wood tone, and then it would either match the yellow cabinets or the coffee bar area. Coffee bar/bar: definitely soapstone top- either yellow cabinets like the rest of the kitchen, green, or wood colored. I'm even confusing myself, so if anyone is following this, I'm impressed, and thank you for any thoughts!

@kel_kat5 - It is a mistake to think that Dayana’s situation is representative of granite counters. Most importantly, the Bahamas White granite she pictured looks like it’s in the family of the Imperial White or Kashmir granites, which is notorious for behaving more like marble and staining easily because it is more absorptive than other granites, I.e. porous. If one is looking for a granite with a white background, check out the granites in the family of Alaska White, White Springs, Bianco Delicatus, and Lennon, which are pretty bullet-proof. I’ve had different granites in different homes, and none even needed sealing, and were carefree, and we didn’t baby them. There are a thousand granites out there, and they should not all be lumped under the same umbrella. Quartz is a great choice if you want a more uniform appearance to your counters. There are stories on this forum of Quartz staining, scorching and chipping, and having resin pools. I actually think Quartz is a wonderful choice for counters. But get it for its appearance and beauty, not because you think it is more durable than granite.