Well, thanks, guys! I'm glad that my pics have helped you because I got so much inspiration here before my renovation. Please let me know if you need any other pictures or have other questions! We've been living with this kitchen for over a year now (can't BELIEVE IT!!) and there are only 2 teeny weeny things I might have reconsidered. One was the size of a drawer in between the convection/microwave and the warming drawer. The drawer hardware I selected doesn't have a handle small enough - so it still has to be pulled out by hand from the bottom. Not a big deal for a drawer that is rarely used. The inside corner base cabinet by the fridge - the opening is just a little too small for the types of serving dishes I planned to place in there. It works, but I have to do a little wiggling to get them thru the opening. NO big deal at all....just a l'il something not quite right. The rest of the kitchen is perfect for us. It suits the way we live and I am so glad I stood my ground when dealing with vendors and contractors that tried to steer me away from MANY of my choices - including my island size! HTH!!!

We poured our concrete countertops in place. We did seal them afterwards with counterkote (an epoxy sealer). We used bagged concrete from Lowes. Not the cheaper stuff with large aggregate, but a high tensile strength concrete grout type product used for construction. The aggregate was sand, so it flowed better. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't pour in place. It made a mess of the house and the kitchen. If I had to do concrete counters again, I'd build my forms outside with smooth melamine and carry the pieces in. I'd do the pieces in small enough sizes that a few of us could carry them in. Then I'd fill in the seams with concrete, and once the epoxy was on (which we'd definitely use again) the seams would be smooth. I've posted a link below to the website showing our kitchen being done. Click through to find the page where we installed the counters. A lot of work, but worth it. Good luck. Jennifer Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen w/ concrete counters

Tanisha, that is gorgeous. I saw something similar that was called Blue lava (MSI). I didn’t think I wanted blue but the slab was just stunning in person. Thinking it would really stand out with bright white matte shaker cabinets and a plain matte subway tile backsplash to really let this be a statement piece. Have you done the quartzite test on it?

I have a quartz top as well. I am a very messy cook. Not issues with spills even oils. Easy clean up with soap and water. I don't use any harsh chemicals either. I do keep a silicone mat under my toaster oven because I read that it is better to be safe than sorry. When I do put something in the crock pot, I usually put it on a pizza stone on top of my stove ( old habit from when I had laminate tops ). As far as resin pooling. That is often part of the pattern. If it is something bigger or a bit obnoxious, they may be able to cut around it. Always ask to see your slabs with the template mapped out on it so there is no surprise. Of course if you can see the slabs in person, that is helpful - what might bother some people might not bother you... There was a discussion once about Brittanica - shown here in a full slab There were complaints about white and grey spots throughout the design when the full tops were put in - shown here in a close up ( arrows only show a few ) That is a part of the design! Good luck!