Greenhaven, thank you. My marble is honed Vermont Imperial Danby. Ikatz, thanks for the kind words. Lesmobo, still waiting until the cardboard on the floors is gone to do a full reveal although I've got pictures all over GW. Oldbat-many thanks. I do love crackle tile & really have to restrain myself when anyone asks for backsplash advice. These mats are lightweight but stiff enough to store in a vertical cabinet for cutting boards, cookie sheets, etc. I love them & own 5 of each of the 3 sizes. They'll be everywhere for the large family gatherings. My version of Bee's plexiglass. Firsthouse, I ordered them from Home Depot and Kitchen & Company. I'm loving your progress posts.

If you try to post too soon or right in a row, it'll reject it, thinking you may be trying to post the same thing twice. The easy way around it is to change the title of your new post. See what I did for this. Also, I'll get you the photos by tomorrow.

Did you go to Elizpiz's album so you could see all of her photos and enlarge them? I have several coats of Waterlox on my wood island top. It is a wonderful finish and I have no worries about how it will hold up to the water around the sink. (I am always creating a lake around our sink, and we have kids who cook and bake, so aren't the most careful and neat either.) Our sink could be undermount or self-rimming and we did the self-rimming, feeling it was safer with the wood (and to match our main sink, which was self-rimming because of being in a laminate counter.) Many people here, though, have done undermount in a wood counter. If we did that, I would have made sure to also finish the under side of the wood for a good radius around the sink opening.

I love the slabs you are looking at. Beth is great at this and has very good taste and knows her color schemes! I too like the tempest with the stone and cabinet choice but it has what you like best. Just because we all think it looks great does not mean you love it. Maybe you do need to look at more. Look at all of Beth's beautiful pictures. You want to be sure and you should LOVE your choice. I just went through this myself and this house we are building will most likely be my last (scary thought) so I understand where you are coming from. Get the stone that you jump at immediately and love. Maybe Beth and AJCN can fly out and come with you :)