Well it seems that for some reason even though I must have typed it into a text editor I didn't save it. Dumb. Here's the quick summary: We found slate tiles on sale and HD Expo for about $1.50/sq ft. They were significantly higher quality (more on that later) than the crumbly pieces of mud we'd seen at HD and Lowe's. They had "Indian Multicolor" and "Rustic Green". We calculated our square footage and bought about 1/3 more - initially. When I calculated later the cost per sq foot of what we actually used it was around $2.50, maybe a little less, so that's roughly an overage of 60%. We had them delivered - 450 sq feet was two pallets, almost. I opened the boxes and layed them out on the driveway and hosed them off well. I noticed that there were a lot more charcoal-black tiles than I would have thought in "multicolor" - these had a slight sheen and looked almost like a different material. I also noticed that I really liked the Rustic Green so we made the first of several trips back to HDE and got a few boxes. In order to get the checkerboard pattern I had seen in photos I sorted them into categories: - green - light colorful (my favorites) - darker colorful - boring but usable - black - unusable Unusable to me were ones that were broken, had sharp ridges (like a low spot with a sharp raised area next to it), or had "rusty" inclusions. These rusty spots usually had very sharp edges, were pits that could collect dirt in them, and looked ugly. Most of the unusable set were because of the rust pits. I even got in a bit of an argument with a salesman at HDE when I went back once and complained about how many were like that and he said it was part of the nature of the material. I told him there was a difference between inexpensive and unusable and they had sold me unusable product. For all the difference it made :) The Rustic Green were by far the most consistent and dense and non-flakey. They were two colors, really - a bluish grey-green, and a gold that reminded me of agates. After the washing and the sorting I bought a few more boxes, and also some more boxes of the Indian multicolor. I admit to opening the boxes and doing a quick sort to make sure that at least half were usable (while no one was looking.) What i should have done at this point is taken all the colorful tiles and spread them out and scrubbed them with a stiff brush. Especially the reddish ones - they seemed to have a LOT of mud on them that when washed exposed some really pretty patterns. Now I had 5 piles for the installers. The black ones went in the entryway, The green, light, darker, and boring tiles were piled separately and took one from the first pile, then one from the next, etc. I also told them not to put two of the same side by side especially the green ones. We tiled the whole space before the cabinets went in and they used the unusable ones under where the cabinets were going to go. The guys we got were excellent tile installers but had never done slate. Slate tiles are differing thicknesses and they need to use thicker mud and make sure that the tops of the tiles line up so that you don't have sharp edges higher in one tile than another. It was a one-day job so by the end of the day they weren't doing as well even though overall, for the price, they did an excellent job. They installed on one day then grouted the next so my job (we did this as cheaply as possible) was to clean the tiles once the mud had set and to apply a coat of sealer. This is where I learned that the tiles should have been scrubbed really well before installing - most of the cleaning had nothing to do with the installation. I used a Floormate wet/dry vac, I'd wet and scrub a section with a stiff brush until the water was coming off clean and then I'd vacuum it up. It took hours. Kneepads were required. But it looked amazing when i was done. I let it dry (it was summer and I had big fans on it) and then applied a coat of the Miracle SuperSeal. Good Ventilation is a must for that stuff. Next day they grouted. Everyone's experience is that grout dries a lot lighter than the sample and mine was no exception. They did a good job of cleaning off the tiles but I did take a fair amount of time to do detailing where there was still small amounts of grout. After that we sealed it a second time with the Superseal, and later the MiraMatte. I still love the floor. It doesn't show dirt or grease.

I am using the General Finishes Butcher Block Oil. From the bottle, "With pure food-safe mineral oil". On the back it says, "A completely natural and safe mineral oil for butcher blocks, wood utensils, cutting boards and salad bowls. The oils in Butcher Block Oil meet all requirements for use with food." Williams Sonoma also sells a wonderful food-safe butcher block product that is a combo of mineral oil and beeswax. Now this will not give you the gorgeous, glossy, shine look of Waterlox. It's just a completely different look. But you CAN eat off it!!!

My old kitchen definitely didn't look bad. The only thing about the old cabs that wasn't bad was the doors. The boxes were total garbage, otherwise I would have done a reface on some of them. CEFreeman - You're right! I hated that weird cabinet! lol It stuck out into the room and created a weird traffic pattern. Good riddance! shappy - I can't imagine anyone liking that sink! The biggest problem with the darn thing is that the middle bowl isn't recessed into the sink. Being an over mount, that middle bowl is the same height as the outer rim. Wash anything and you have to rest it on the edge of that inner bowl and water runs out the front and back of the sink. Took a bath every time I used it. If they had just recessed that middle bowl . . . . . . In hindsight, I should have taken a sledgehammer to that darn sink and bought a new one for the people who took the kitchen. Would have been good therapy. lol Meanwhile I am LOVING using the single bowl utility sink in the laundry room. After trying to decide between single vs. double bowl, I know I made the right choice to go with a single. Can't wait to use my new one. This is my temp kitchen/laundry room.

We've had it for 3 years and get soo many compliments on it. (We're renovating now and gutting our kitchen, replacing with granite). It's a soft black with swirls of grey. When you see it in certain lights you can see a bumpy texture which sometimes makes it look more "fake". But overall it has a very sophisticated look to it. There were some chips around our sink during the sink installation but they haven't gotten any bigger or anything. You have to accept the fact that with laminate, any scratches will show. Overall, I would highly recommend it for those looking for an affordable countertop.