marm congrats on your remodel just searched to find some good shots that will give you good idea here's a pic when we were still deciding granite is "Victoria Classico" similiar to a verde butterfly I took lots of time deciding - Many samples of stone -including soapstone (fr. Vt) - this stone held up to all the tests we threw at it - oil, vinegar, wine, mustard, ketchup, lemon AND knives - the others failed in some fashion - including the soapstone which held the red wine stain I knew I wanted honed - this stone is very forgiving - does not require babying or high maintenance - no fingerprinting etc... which does happen w/some dkr honed stone - I would suggest getting samples, request they hone the stone you are interested in - bring it home & put it w/your pallette - BTW - I would do same w/your hardwood flooring - test samples of stains - I Love dk stained hw - however the dkr the stain the more things show - dust bunnies, crumbs, scratches good luck w/your remodel

Here are some of the stones/products that I've been considering in my search for non-glossy kitchen surface. I've also reposted a few pictures here that I have collected. If you search on the name of the stone or the username I've credited, you will find their post and comments. Or perhaps they will contribute something additional here. =) Granites: Jet Mist/Virginia Mist Here is a photo from Boxerpups Ocean Green Here is a photo from Grendal Fly Cambrian Black Thank you Roulie for the pictures and info above! Nordic Black A picture from Alexamd Absolute Black sounds like the honed version displays fingerprints nicely. IÂve seen some fabricators mention they donÂt install it anymore. But IÂve also seen some homeowners say they like it. Here is a thread on honed light granite. I'd love to see some photos from people of have gone this route! http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0108363719329.html Marble I haven't collected many marble pictures, so honed marble owners, feel free to share. There are some honed marble threads in the forum where more info can be found. Soapstone  many varieties Recycled paper countertops such as Paperstone, Richlite, Ecotop IÂve seen samples of the Paperstone and Richlite. Both are matte. However, some of the older installations IÂve seen seem to show more shine in some areas  perhaps where they get more wear? Maybe the shine is the "patina"? Recycled glass countertops  Ice Stone, Fuez, Vetrazzo Some are very shiny and some are more matte. IÂm assuming this is a result of how they are polished and sealed. Most manufacturers also make their products for use as floor materials. These are often honed or antiqued to give them more anti-slip properties. IÂm sort of assuming any of these could be honed, or at least finished with a more matte appearance, but I havenÂt seen this mentioned as an option for countertops on any of the product websites. Perhaps someone with more knowledge of the honing process can chime in on this? I have a Fuez sample in Sapling. I believe it is unsealed, so assuming you can use a matte sealer on it, then you would have a matte product. I saw a very cool new product at the Pratt and Larson near me (Bellevue, WA) that was the same idea as the recycled glass counters but with small pebbles used instead. It was very cool looking and was relatively matte. And since both of those are concrete based materials, I guess concrete should be mentioned as a potential non-glossy surface. Anyone out there with matte concrete counters? Quartz I know IÂve seen some kitchens here with honed quartz surfaces. However, IÂve also read that many fabricators are not installing certain quartz colors honed because of issues they had. I would love to hear more from others that are familiar with the issues or that have honed quartz.

Welcome to the kitchen forum! About posting pictures -- have you seen the instructions in the "ReadMe" thread (link below)? The key is to understand that there is no photo hosting capability on this site; you can't "attach" photos the way you could in an email. You need a website like photobucket (or, my favorite, Google's picasa) where you can upload and store your photos. Then you can add in links to them in the messages you post here. About your countertop question: how much light is there in the kitchen? Are there multiple windows? If not, I'd be careful about going really dark with the counters... but that is a personal preference. It's not as if there are rules about how to make these choices. If only there were -- then it wouldn't be so hard to decide! Are you sticking with laminate for the counters, or considering other materials? Here is a link that might be useful: Read Me for GardenWeb kitchen forum

There are several other brands of similar materials. The main ones that have had a few other discussions on this board come from Stone Peak, MSI and ThinSlab. While Neolith/Dekton generate the most discussion, I would definitely check out the other products, especially if you are after a particular finish. I agree that the edge profile would be a problem with a obviously veined countertop. But an all white countertop or even one with faint, thin veining should not be a problem at all with a thin profile edge. The main body color matches, and there is very little to see beyond that on a thin edge. I would imagine that the NYC area has a lot of Neolith installs, so you should be able to find an experienced installer. If you contact Neolith, they would direct you to their recommended installers. Pricing reports on this forum have varied quite a bit. Some people find it insanely high priced in their region, others find it quite a bargain. There is no way to know until you start pricing it out locally. You may also try asking the question directly in the Kitchens forum, as I don't recall if any of the previous posters who have discussed pricing have been from the NYC area. All that being said, should you strike out with this material, I know that other stones do come in thin versions, it is just about what is available locally for you. Polycor, in particular, makes and heavily markets their granites and marbles in 1cm slabs.