My grandma eats sweets including homemade pies with 1-2 c sugar per pie, loves sweets in general, eats too many fried foods for my taste, doesn’t eat paint chips, bathes in a porcelain tub, and was JUST moved to a nursing facility this year since she’s losing her mobility (mind is still intact) and in another month she will be celebrating her 100th birthday. You don’t have to live in a bubble to live a long life. Much of your life expectancy is predetermined in large part by genetics. Use common sense and don’t lick the bathtub.

Well, originally I planned on granite tiles on the deck and granite countertop. But the vanity was too small for granite for some reason (Lowes came out to measure), and I was concerned about the weight, the granite tile at Job Lot sold out so the bathroom has just been sitting waiting for me to find the right tile for the deck (and get around to tiling it and the floor). Now my design has taken a new direction thanks to my cousin's DH gutting the old farmhouse to put in insulation, wiring and drywall. The "barn board" is actually wide plank tongue and groove chestnut (?) roughly handplaned that was used as the original interior walls in the one room (and pantry) that was the whole house built in 1743. Later when the house was added onto, it was covered with lathe and horsehair plaster. I helped tear down all the old plaster (broke my heart) last year and scrape linoleum off the old wide pine floorboards that he is now ripping down to make door and window trim. He was going to use the beadboard as wainscot but my cousin just wanted this room done (it's going to be their master BR, they keep moving as they finish rooms) so he just drywalled everything. He would have painted it white b/c she didn't want a dark room (it's got 3 windows in it!) so I'm glad he didn't use it, said I could have it. Even though it was all around the room, he didn't seem to have much of it and westiegirl suggested that it be highlighted more in my bath by just using it on the apron (front of the tub going down to the floor) and maybe a little on the surround (where the deck meets the walls above the tub). Also on the countertop of a "farm table" vanity I will build to drop my sinks into. The rough boards will have to be planed for the countertop to get rid of the plaster streaks and to make them smooth, that will get rid of the bead but the tongue and groove will still fit together (I'd also use pocket screws I think for strength underneath the countertop). I was hoping just to sand the planks to use in the tub area by hand (orbital sander) just so they're not rough enough to scrape my legs, but keep the bead. I don't mind if some plaster streaks (embedded in the grain, not sitting on top) still show, think that gives it character. The top edge will be routed down in an eased profile to cover the edges of the tile. No, I hadn't considered white tile for the deck - never thought of making it look like a big rectangular tub, since there is a high rim, it's not undermounted. I don't know whether it's best to tile the floor and deck first, then put the wood on the apron or not. Might be - last house we built the apron first, made sure it stood proud of the deck enough for tile and thinset, but then when the guy tiled it we had a few spots here and there that were lower than the wood edge, and 1 spot that was higher.

There is a product being released by Cosentino ( manufacturer of Silestone quartz) in the next 90 days which is called an ultra compact surface and is the first surface of its kind ever made. It is comprised mainly of porcelain but also has quartz and refined glass in it as well. It is extremely impact resistant and heat resistant up to 1400 F. The other great thing about the product is that it's available in both 2cm ( 3/4") and 3cm (1 1/4") thicknesses. Check it out: Dekton.com

I think my fabricator charges for the whole slab, period. When they did the kitchen, I recall they told me if I used one of their 6 or 8 stock granites, they charged by the foot. But Cambria and solid surface was all or nothing. So I bought the slab. I bought the granite by the foot for my laundry. It was as cheap as the Formica I'd chosen. And it is probably standard, but for all these projects they did send a guy with a fancy laser on a tripod to template. I think that's what it was.