Lenore, who is installing the granite slab shower? Start there and make your priority be hiring a VERY experienced tile professional - one you have vetted carefully to insure that their qualifications meet your design requirements and product selections. Stone slab installations are not for the B team, and especially in a wet area. Can it be done? Yes, depending upon the structure over which a solid surface stone is installed and the methods used. We install solid surface shower walls regularly, but from an empty cavity which we build to meet all specific design and installation specifications, including the pan. A solid stone slab cannot be supported by the pan (it is not meant to support a slab wall). A slab wall is pinned and tied so it is self supported, not supported by a pan. This is a very complex installation. A LOT to consider. As one example, the thickness of your slab? 2cm. 3cm? (effects the weight load on the space). And I could go on. After you have carefully vetted the qualified tile contractor, have this conversation with them. If you question or want to clarify their recommendations, check back or seek professional advice from other qualified sources. Please consult with a professional onsite. Good luck with your project.

You'll find that Cultured marble is generally less expensive than other solid surface products and if you have a local manufacturer, it can be custom sized so there is no waste having to buy full panels. I have been doing cultured stone showers for 20 years and there is no more durable or easier to clean surface. Mainly because there is no grout and it has a permanent sealant. As far as the issue of looking dated: For vanity tops use an under mounted sink- the Kolher 'Caxton' is an industry standard with a cultured stone top. This will give the look of natural stone especially if you can get it with a dropped edge or at least 1' thick. The older integral sinks did crack around the drain-typically due to a chemical reaction to plumbers putty. But the gel coated products have improved tremendously as far as no yellowing and being very abrasion resistant. Again as far as getting a more time-less look, go with a solid white shower/tub surround or very subtle swirls. Cultured granite gives you a more typical solid surface look, but I prefer a GLOSSY surface since it is so much easier to clean than a matte finish. (Soap scum doesn't stick to it) Another timeless look in the cultured stone product line is TruStone. It's a gel-coated cultured marble that goes through a photo fusion process. It looks just like natural stone without the cost, weight, and porosity. If you have a local cultured marble manufacturer, they may be licensed to provide TruStone. Here is a link that might be useful: Trustone Products

I have a blend of Owens Corning Aspen and Bucks County, and I really love it. My only complaint is that there's a certain shade of purpley-brown in the Bucks that tends to repeat a bit too often. I may actually take a wire brush to a couple of them way up high, see if I can knock it back a bit. If you visit a decent sized dealer, they should have several boards of a given color to look at, and may be able to give you the addresses of homes in your area with a particular color as well. Most important is that the mason should be willing to come out and do an actual sample on your wall: that made all the difference for me. My first choice took on an awful salmon/pumpkin color when placed in the context of my siding and trim. The Aspen tends to look boring and homogenous in OCs own promo material, but has a great range of colors and shades in person. We used a natural stone for the hearths, color matches, and doesn't scratch the way the cultured can. Can you tell it's not 'real' stone? Yeah, probably. While there's a great range of colors, textures, and shapes of the stone, in larger areas it still tends to develope a certain rhythum that signals that this is a man made product. I don't think the casual veiwer will identify it as such, and I don't think it will be the sort of thing I notice more and more over time. I'd caution that the skill of the installers makes a huge difference.

As I understand things, manufactured stone (such as from Eldorado Stone) can come in panels / blocks that comprise multiple simulated stones, and these panels come in predefined lengths. So, how do you deal with needing to cut the stone and expose the cut edge when the stone sits proud of the fireplace itself, such as in this picture or this other picture? Seems like you can't just cut willy nilly because you might interrupt the well-planned lines already in the larger piece. Plus the cut edge itself will be a bit unnatural (too smooth) -- maybe not too noticeable, I dunno.