I recommend instead a Blanco Silgranit sink over the Americast. You can do a search on this forum and find all the enthusiastic lovers of their Silgranit sinks. Especially those with hard water who dislike the water marks on stainless, have converted to Blanco Silgranit sinks. Americast can chip if you bang a heavy pot on it. Silgranit is granite composite, made up of 80% granite, with the durability of granite. It won't chip or scratch. Silgranit comes in several colors from very light to very dark. Since you are thinking of an enameled cast iron sink also, I am assuming you want a sink in the white family. Check out the Silgranit in biscuit, which is a creamy white. I'll link a thread below with pics. If you want a white-white, there was also a thread just posted of a white silgranit sink which I will link. Silgranit sinks come in many sizes. Also think long and hard about whether you want a single-bowl or double-bowl sink. How wide will your sink be? Last comment - be careful about buying a sink from your contractor, only because contractors usually charge a middle-man markup, which they should, since they are doing the work of ordering, etc. But that may make your sink significantly more expensive than if you bought it yourself, especially if you buy online. I'm not saying your contractor is definitely going to do that, but I would ask him how much he will charge you for the sink, and check his price against what it would cost to buy it yourself at a place like Home Depot, or online. Thread with Pics of Silgranit sink in biscuit Thread about White Silgranit Sink All about Silgranit This post was edited by shannonplus2 on Sun, Feb 10, 13 at 13:24

Tropic brown, tan brown are two others. There are very dark golds like Juparana Tobacco or Paradiso which might work. You might also consider something like teak wood. Etching leaves white marks. On a brown marble it will be very visible. For fun, I got a two buck pink marble tile from the box store and had "science" when I was trying to decide about counters. Science consisted of pouring a small qty of lemon-lime soda on a bit of the marble and seeing if I could get it off before it etched. The answer was NO! I would suggest you spend a couple bucks to get a tile similar to what you want to use and have your own science project.

Your choice of cabinet finishes is very similar to mine. My perimeter cabinets are cherry with a black glaze and my huge island is a creamy white with a van dyke brown glaze. I too went with a golden granite. I chose Yellow River. It was installed last week and it is unbelievable with my two cabinet finishes. I love your choice of a golden granite, but I am glad I went with a golden granite that has some cream in it too. It is amazining on the island. I have been meaning to get my granite pics up. If you watch this post I will post one here later. Ultimately, go with your heart. The first time my hubby and I went granite shopping we picked a granie slab out right away. When I went back to look at it again I didn't like it. I had them move slabs I really liked to an open area of the showroom for a viewing. This really helped as I could see every area of the slab and all color variations of the slab.

These are the fixtures I've gotten from HD: GE Premium Fluorescent Light Fixture - only about $15, Direct Wire, Thinnest (1 1/4"), can NOT be linked, uses T5 bulbs, 18" long. BTW, I can't find any wiring or connector in the kit. Would I have to buy sth else? Xenon Premium 3 light fixture - about $49, Linkable, Plug-in connector, 2 light levels, 18" long. Considering the cost factor, the GE one is definitely better. I'm not sure if direct wiring or non-linkable would become problems when the electrician puts them in. I only need three sets so turning them on separately would be ok. Ngng, thanks very much for the pictures. I like the look and feel. I'm still surprised that fluorescent lighting can produce the warm color though, since my ceiling fluorescent is not that yellow at all. Is yours GE? I see the wiring in your picture goes on the outside of the cabinet. Looks like your rails hide the lights very well. I wonder if other electricians may drill a whole on the bottom of the cabinet and pull wiring inside. I forgot to take a look at the bottom of the new cabinets and see if the rails are tall enough to conceal the lights. Maybe that's the standard these days? If my cabinets are 33" wide, what length should I use for the undercabinet lights?