Vinegar, in the 10 to 20 percent solutions not the normal household 5 percent solution, is a plant killer. When applied properly, at the right time, bright, hot sunny day, it can kill all the top growth of plants it contacts. Just pouring it on will not really do much since it must contact the plant foliage. I have seen nothing to indicate what Vinegar does to soil bacteria, but since it will kill plants I would suspect that it would adversly affect soil bacteria in some way. I do know that earthworms do not like Vinegar, even normal household Vinegar. Rather than pouring something that will cost you a lot of money on your soil, and will not do the job you want done as well as you think, put down some newspaper and cover the newspaper with a good mulch, to hide the paper and hold it in place, and that will kill the "weeds" you have, prevent others from growing, aid in soil moisture retention, and just generally make growing conditions better for the plants you put there.

I think that marble and the granites are pretty similar as far as heat tolerance - generally they will do okay but there is the possibility of some weak point in the stone that will crack with temperature differences or sharp temperature change. With my quartzite, I generally don't worry about temperature up to boiling. For a french press if the coffee is brewing, I would put it on a pot holder or something for the same reason I do with my tea cup when the tea is steeping - the conductivity of the stone might cool the water down and interfere with maintaining a good brewing temperature. Once the tea or coffee has brewed, I would put it on the stone. Anything hotter than boiling like pans out of the oven or a pot that I've been frying in, I avoid putting directly on the granite. But others in my family sometimes do and I don't freak out if it happens. So far it hasn't caused any issues and I don't really expect it to.

Taylor's Cabinets & Interiors - why would they come off - will it be ugly because of damage to what it falls on or the mess on underneath the handles. Are you talking about them coming off because of the glue? I really want to do that on my sink round and the fabricator said he could do it if I found the handles. I don't know that he was going to use epoxzy.

Determine your absolute maximum budget for the project, everything included, and determine your finance plan: how will you pay for everything. Remember to include what extra money you will spend on restaurants and take out that will increase your current expenses for food. It's very likely that your utilities will go up during the project, too, as you heat uninsulated rooms, lose heat/cool through doors opened (necessarily) all day long, and run lots of power equipment on the jobsite. Will you buy hot or cold drinks, meals or snacks for the workers? Add that all in before you start! Take 80% of your maximum as your planning budget and save 20% for what you don't yet know about (rotten joists, new beams or headers you were told at first weren't needed, etc.) Most projects consume most or all of this 20% contingency fund, you will need it when the time comes so plan for it now rather than face very painful "what do I cut out and/or compromise that I thought I could have" tears later? After dollar number, finance, and contingency, you will have a pretty clear idea how much per square foot you have to spend, and you'll see if it will be low-mid-or-high in scope. In other words, can you afford to change room layout, move any walls or windows, move any plumbing or electric, or plan to re-do with your existing walls, windows, electric and plumbing. The scope of a project can vary in extremes, and can get away from you in what's called "scope creep" if you don't have a solid plan and stick to it. For example, you can change your kitchen by painting the walls. But then the window treatments look dingy so you want/"need" new ones. Then the old hardware looks dated, and it doesn't have to cost that much to update it, so you add that. Oh, and the formica counters have some burn marks, so you can keep the old cabinets but just get new counters. Oops, now the old cabinets look sad, but you can keep them if you just paint them a new color. Unless you can DIY the cabinet painting, you're now WAY over and initial decision to refresh the paint on the walls way back when. This is just a scenario that demonstrates how having a final cost and a contingency can "save" your project before it ever begins. Know what it costs and have the money in hand before you start. Scope can go all the way up to "gut to the studs", move walls, new windows, new electric, new plumbing, and everything else from the walls and floors outward. Also know what time and skill you have to invest in DIY. I know it seems so obvious that will affect what you can afford, but some folks overspend their budget thinking they're saving so much on DIY. Again, just know the numbers. Only when all that is set should you start with "design" that lives within your budget. It is entirely possible to have a nice kitchen with a sink, stove, fridge, laminate counters and floors, and Re-Store cabinets, and not go broke in the process. For every upgrade or expansion you may have to make some tradeoffs such as less costly cabinets in order to have more costly appliances. Those compromises actually begin to define what makes it YOUR kitchen, what's more important to you. Whew, with a firm budget and plan, it is time to talk seriously with contractors. Don't scrimp on the time investment here, this (other than budget) is the single most important project decision you will make. Take the time to interview as many contractors as it takes to find the right one! In my experience, the very best ones don't even advertise, they get all their work through word of mouth from their existing happy clients. You may have to wait some time to get on the schedule on the best contractors. (Note: Best often doesn't mean the most expensive, listen very carefully to the references!) When you're ready, choose a contractor and do a contract. The contractor costs will determine how much remains for you to spend on the materials budget (cabs, counters, floor, lighting etc.) The contract will set a calendar and who is responsible for pulling the permits. Do not ever start without a written permit, on display on the premises, if your jurisdiction requires one. They have the power to make you tear out every last thing done without a valid permit! Budget disaster that is so easily avoidable. After permits, it's demo, walls, windows, rough electric, rough plumbing, usually an inspection before walls can be closed up. Then drywall, primer and paint, recessed lighting, (maybe floor unless it's a floating floor in which case it can't go in until after the cabinets). Then cabinets/hardware, final elec, final plumbing, counters, appliances, decorative lighting, upholstery if any, final trim paint, punch list and at last the champagne! Didn't mean to write so much, sorry! It will ALL be worth it.