Hi Quest, Didn't expect to see this thread resurrected :) I borrowed a polisher from our local tile shop (I've gotten to be friends with the guys there) and polished them up, changing out the pads from -- what was it, around 80? until around 2000 or so. I bought a new mounting thing for them (my memory is *so* shoddy--can't remember the term anymore) as a little thank-you gift for letting me borrow it. Polishers are rather expensive to buy if that's all you're using it for. It worked beautifully and is SO much darn fun!! I love running my hands over the smooth edge and knowing I did that. I just did an eased edge, though, nothing fancy. Honestly, I wouldn't dare do it for an undermount, though--while I was good with the hole drilling for the faucets, I'm not strong enough to guarantee that I could make an aesthetically beautiful regular curved edge (straight edges on the front of the counter were easier) that would show above an undermount. You might want to practice, if you're planning to do that. E-counters was having a sale on DIY vanity counters recently, btw--got an e-mail from them--might want to check that out because the labor saved, if you're planning to do an undermount, might well be worth it. Although I do wonder if they polish the edges of the undermount--hm, even if they just cut a raw hole for a drop-in, the *polishing* might be something you could do yourself...only you can know. I'd definitely get a remnant first and practice so you know your strength.

Long dead thread but i'll post my two cents. Yes, once. My wife and i gutted an early 1980's two story colonial (yeah i know it's not old comparatively speaking to other homes mentioned in this thread) but it had terrible wiring, incorrect and undersized plumbing, bad framing, cheappp insulation full of mold, asbestos floors, over 20 windows that were totally shot, an utter disaster of a kitchen, and two hideous disgusting 1980's era bathrooms. It just made sense to gut the place and put it back together right. Plus two previous owners had been heavy smokers and one of them was a creepy cat lady / hoarder who had filled the second floor with tons of junk and way too much weight (I'll come back to that in a minute). But the worst was yet to come. After gutting the place I really started to fully realize that in practicality 2x4 exterior stud walls and 2x8 floor joists for a 2 story home is inadequate especially if the home DOES NOT not have plywood sheathing (just that cheap cardboard wrap) and has 15/32" plywood decking for the floor (should be minimum of 3/4"). We immediately noticed significant sag in all the floors at the center of most of the spans and some of the exterior walls had started to deform inwards. The only solution was to tear up all the floor decking for the second story, remove the interior partition walls upstairs, all the wiring, plumbing, hvac and then sister 2x12's joists to all the old 2x8's after jacking them back up into place. In some places the sag was so bad (well over 5" in the middle of the spans) they had to be cut out, removed completely, and replaced. Would have been impossible to do with wiring, plumbing, hvac in place. We learned later from a neighbor who has lived here since the 80's that one of the previous owners had been a disgusting hoarder and that she had packed the upstairs floor to ceiling with books, trash, and other belongings for years which created the sag. Worse yet she also had a fondness for cats (most of which were not fixed apparently) and they had soaked the floors and sprayed the walls absolutely soaking the lowest two feet of drywall and insulation throughout the home. A subsequent owner who moved in afterwards (before us) tried to encapsulate it with special paint but it didn't work and her dog also urinated on the floors as well. When the sun shined intensely through the windows into the upstairs you could still smell the pungent ammonia stink up there and it was absolutely disgusting. This Hoarder also once owned (she's dead now) two other houses on the street and they were also packed full of junk. lol Fast forward 2-1/2 years and we had done 90+% of the work including plumbing and electrical (with the exception of replacing the panel), keep in mind i worked for a contractor for years in high school and college so i knew what i was doing, but it was basically a second full time job for each of us (5pm-midnight) most days of the week and full on LETS GO! on the weekends. The end product was great and i'm glad we did it because we saved a TON of money, but i have to admit despite having an extensive construction background we were totally EXHAUSTED at the end. I'd probably never do it again unless it was a very valuable house in a prime location to be perfectly honest. My advice to those thinking about doing this, DON'T unless you have the background and experience in hand before getting started. Learning how to do "gut job" renovations on the fly without qualified supervision is a total nightmare scenario and a recipe for a complete, utter, and demoralizing disaster. You've probably all seen the renovation nightmare shows on cable tv. They only hit the tip of the iceberg to be honest. It can not only destroy your wallet, but also ruin friendships, relationships with family members, and even your marriage, just an fyi. It's hard enough if you know what your doing but if you've never attempted small renos within your home you are best to steer clear. You will get quickly overwhelmed frantically looking for help before realizing IT'S ALL UP TO YOU and maybe a spouse to dig yourself out of it. Don't put yourself in that position without proper preparation. If you do decide to proceed (YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!) PLEASE, PLEASE hire a professional if you have no experience with plumbing or electrical. You can easily kill yourself on electrical by touching or cutting a live / hot wire. You can also royally mess up plumbing by not pitching drain pipes correctly, including the appropriate venting, and or create a ticking time bomb if you can't properly solder water supply lines, or properly crimp pex fittings together, etc. I also warn inexperienced DIYers to stay away from massive drywall mudding, taping, sanding jobs. Don't attempt to do it all by yourself without extensive experience. It really is a skilled trade and takes TONS of practice to get good at. I'm good but it took me a while to get there. If you are bad at mudding you will hate your life by the time you are done sanding and sanding and sanding because you used too much mud and or couldn't get it smooth nor cut your drywall sheets correctly to minimize joints and utilize the tapers to your advantage. Your lungs will feel like they have tons of bricks in them if you don't wear a mask and you will be coughing up white phlegm for weeks after you are done. Plus the shear monotony of taping and mudding 100's of feet of drywall joints is enough to drive some people insane. Hire a team and they will knock it out in days and do it right the first time. Lastly, some people are just not good carpenters and attempting to do millwork (trim, stair rails, balusters, etc.) takes painstaking precision and skills to get right. It can be especially difficult and expensive if you mess up because you think your floors and walls are 90 degrees but they are in fact way off. It's not for the faint of heart. Best of luck!

Dawn, congrats on buying your stones- again. Love the granites and the marble. I have never seen a granite like the one for your DS. It is amazing. Can't wait till your chicks come home to roost and you post pics. But I have seen granite similar to what you chose for your kitchen- you should live in Baltimore, girl, I drive by a slab of granite like that every day on the way downtown to work!! Makes my morning! There is a new fabricator business and they have a fenced lot next to the road where they display granite slabs and remnants(I think their operation looks sketchy but it is fun to drive by and look at what is new outside!!) too funny. I was oogling that granite again this morning. So are you gonna camp out in the granite yard? Ya'll have grizzlys up there doncha?? Don't forget your mukluks and flashlight!! Good luck in Seattle, shoot me an email and keep me posted on the little guy. Oh yeah, Hi Igloos mom! Sue

I have to agree with the "you will know it's right, when you see it" group. My priority was to find the soapstone I wanted for the island, then find a granite that would go with for the perimeter-hopefully at the same stone place! I looked at two different stone yards and had them hold a soapstone and two granites for me. The next day I went to another place that had a lot to choose from as well as being the fabricators. I found soapstone there that I really liked. I hadn't intended on making the final decision that day, but when I looked at that soapstone, I knew it was "the One". I continued looking for a granite and had several possibilities. They moved the slabs next to one another so I could see them together and that was tremendously helpful. I was able to pick the granite that day too. Just so you know, I am one of those people who has to research things to death and can't make the final decision until I am sure I won't be disappointed. So, to be able to find two different stones at one supplier in a matter of two days was quite amazing to me. But I just knew they were the ones that would work. I also had paint swatches and a cabinet sample with as well. I actually ended up changing the paint color for my island to match the granite a little better. The first green I had picked out was too yellow, so I went with a bluer green and it is going to be perfect. Good luck and just keep looking until you fall in love-it will happen.