sskit, I agree with Live Wire, while the concept is not new, hanging large format 2cm stone on a vertical wall should be taken seriously. Any well thought-out stone installer will know to ask the right questions and they will make certain other tradesmen are not left holding the bag after the stone is installed. Just make sure the obvious utilities are accessible and the rough in is complete and most importantly identify who is responsible for each task. Another option for the stone installer is to install mechanical clips around the exhaust opening. It�s another way to help pin the stone to the wall without having to worry about hiding the anchors. Something similar to Hohmann and Barnard #432 would work great (again I am sure your stone installer can also provide alternate options). All the best Caayu

I don't have the range yet. I was looking at the GE Profile. The new laminate is in. The problem is that the laminate backsplash is about 1 or 1-1/2" thick and seems that it would look odd with a thin backsplash between the laminate behind the stove. I'm wondering if I should build up something to match thickness. I do really want a backsplash there, not just paint because I do splatter behind the stove. It's the one place that I want a full backsplash. The wavy glass isn't hard to clean, it's big waves and would wipe easily, which is the selling feature for me, besides looking clean and streamlined. I was also considering a sheet metal backsplash, either bronze or stainless. Maybe that would be easier to work around. The alternative to the slide in would be a free standing range with control riser in the back. That's what's currently there, and so there's no issue with the laminate splash on either side. I really don't like that ALL the new ranges have the large burners in the front. I cook lots of big pots of stews and sauces. At least the slide in range with controls in the back would give me a little buffer in keeping the hot stuff away from the children. At least I've realized this before purchasing so I have time to figure things out.

rufinorox and I both did something similar -- however, a bit different from what you're proposing. We both did full glass b/h the range. Her fan had a cab above, I put the glass all the way to the ceiling. I just posted my kithen yesterday, so if you look for my post you can see what I did. I also had soapstone. Here's a link to rufinorox's kitchen. Here is a link that might be useful: rufinox's kitchen/BS

Thank you! I think I may have a solution....I found a trim kit that may resolve the gap behind the range so that we don't see the wall/ledger board. Won't know until the item arrives....sometime in mid October.