old wood floor (one that's varnished or oiled), new wood floor (one that's poly-treated)? old stain? or a recent addition? any texture at all? in general, I usually try the following in order: 'magic eraser' type sponge (use damp, rub gently) baking soda paste )can rub vigorously) 'goo gone' automotive 'polishing' compound, applied gently with a rag - this is a stronger abrasive than the magic erasers, but will not appreciably mar the floor's finish. by this point, you will have a better idea if it's a surface stain, or something that has soaked in to the grain of the wood itself - which is the worst case scenario, since anything that will lighten the stain will also lighten the surrounding wood, making sanding or chemical bleaching tricky.

I wish Bill V would chime in on this. I think I recall that you can't seal any *polished* stone. It can't penetrate. But, you do need to seal the honed travertine. There will be more maintenance with natural stone rather than a travertine lookalike porcelain. I love travertine but chose to do a porcelain in my bathroom strictly because of the higher maintenance. There are plenty of natural stone cleaners. Be sure and use those. They have the neutral pH the stone needs. Monica

Thank you all for the hugs and support. I couldn't dare vent to my husband b/c he would probably flip his lid with the amount of extras we put into the kitchen above the allowed budgets via the builder.. I know in time it won't matter. My children are only 4 & 6 so I am trying REALLY hard not to let myself get crazy.. LOVE your poem Buehl- Funny enough I just received this email from a friend today.. LADIES!!! Remember...a layer of dust protects the Wood beneath it. 'A house becomes a home when you can write 'I love you' on the furniture .' I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect - 'in case someone came over' Finally I realized one day that no-one came over; they were all out living life and having fun! NOW, when people visit, I don't have to explain the 'condition' of my home They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun. If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice. Life is short. Enjoy it! Dust if you must ....... but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake cookies or a cake and lick the spoon or plant a seed, ponder the difference between want and need? Dust if you must, but there's not much time . . . . with beer to drink , rivers to swim and mountains to climb , music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead. Dust if you must, but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day will not come around, again. Dust if you must , but bear in mind, old age will come and it's not kind. . . And when you go - and go you must - you, yourself will make more dust! Share this with all the wonderful women in your life. I JUST DID. It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.

Rupes, After you tested the lemon juice on the sealer did you try to remove it? I'm wondering if it'll be permanent or if it can be dealt with. When our honed AB counters were first installed we had quite a few "stains.". For example, grease splatters. I could not get them out. They have since disappeared...whether they were absorbed into the stone or what, I don't know. I do periodically use the Method cleaner so I'm wondering if that helped. What I do now to clean the counters is use hot water and a tiny bit of dish soap, then use the Method cleaner every few days or so, with a microfiber cloth. I haven't seen anything on our counters like what you showed with the test above, even though our marble counter has etched quite a bit. I've heard the Cambria Black is less prone to fingerprints,etc., if that's an option for you.