Humor me. :) Obviously people read and respond to this forum. Putting out info for others to read, doesn't necessarily garner responses. Frustration should only be a problem if you are faced with a problem and nobody seems to be echoing back some help. I myself, admit to being quite wordy and yep, a bit proselytic. No big deal. The folks on these forums have been a much appreciated source of guidance and might I add, assurance in some of my novice blunderings into the gardening hobby. My wit sometimes gets into the act. I don't mean to be offensive. What the hell does TMI mean?

I'm not an expert but I recently had new countertops installed and have seen this explained so many times on this forum. It in fact, has been talked about quite a bit. 2 cm granite is more commonly used and costs less than 3 cm for the slab itself, but the price difference becomes negligible because the 2 cm requires more labor when fabricating. When 2 cm is installed it needs to go onto a plywood sub top for support. An additional strip of granite is then applied around the edge to hide the sub top, and make the edge appear thicker. It becomes 4 cm with the extra strip added. There is a seam where the strip is glued but typically it is not noticeable, inless the fabricator does a poor job. 3 cm is thicker and stronger so it does not require a sub-top nor the extra strip around the edge. There is no seam and the edge is 3 cm. Some people do not like the thicker look of the granite on the inside rim of an undermount sink. There are also difference supporting requirements for the 2 cm vs 3 cm overhang, such as for a bar area. I went with the 3 cm because I happened to fall in love with a particular slab. I am glad because I did not want the extra seam around the edge. O.K., Kevin, how'd I do?

sheesh! I just realized I'm my mother all over again! :) Not long ago I mentioned in another post about my son getting a dog that he can't afford to properly care for. What did I do? I became my mother (and y'alls too!) and fussed him out. It's become a daily thing, although I have to say for myself, I have been "advising" rather than fussing. At least, trying to. Currently researching housebreaking an older dog.... AND to stop jumping on people. This one is really burning me up... I'm sick to death of dirty paw marks on my clothes when visiting! This is the most unruly dog I've ever seen. And son and his family aren't helping by letting the dog dart out the door ahead of them, getting his feet dirty and then jumping. They're too overwhelmed with the 2 kids they have to attempt to train a dog on a consistant basis. It's almost a lost cause, I'm afraid, yet it doesn't stop me from "advising". We had discussed bringing the dog to my house for a good start but I'm pretty sure my golden wouldn't appreciate such bad behavior around him. And I KNOW the cats wouldn't! I would just like to be able to help out.... for the dog's sake. Sometimes I wish I could muzzle and leash my kids.. grown, or not! Grrrrrr!

What a nice job you did! I think your "before" kitchen was actually quite charming, but I can see the huge leap ahead in functionality you gained with your remodel. I'm almost in the same situation as you but in reverse, doing a bathroom before the kitchen in a "long, harrowing" process (those words describe my situation precisely, so I feel for you). The things I would say to look at transferring might be the following: Countertop durability is still important but a little different. You may have heated styling implements that need to be kept away from heat-sensitive materials like quartz. You may have bathroom chemicals with makeup and grooming supplies that could etch or stain marble and some granites. Soapstone is not a bad choice for a bathroom, but most people want more flair for the bathroom countertops. Just make sure you're prepared to care for whatever you put in. A lot of vanities are shorter than the typical kitchen countertop heights. If you are tall, consider doing a custom countertop for your bathroom to make reaching easy. The idea behind shorter bathroom vanities is to make them dual-use for adults and children, but if you have a bathroom dedicated to adults, it is fine to raise the counters higher. You'll want a decent waterproofing system if you're tiling a shower or bath. Schluter is usually the way to go. Try to find someone who is formally trained and experienced using Schluter waterproofing systems. Most sinks these days for bathrooms are trending toward the vessel-type sinks. You need to be careful when selecting a sink like this or any sink in the bathroom that it is deep enough to prevent splashing out. Having a faucet mounted inside the sink is ideal for that, but if you prefer the freestanding vessel look, that may not be realistic. That's probably enough to get you started. If you have specific questions, you might want to post them here or separately for more input. Happy remodeling!