Cevemal; An appreciable fraction of natural stones have matting and resin on the backside of the stone to reduce the risk of cracks during shipment. Additionally, there are a number of natural stones that, when polished, have miniscule surface depressions too small to feel with a fingertip but visible when the lighting and viewing angle are correct. To make the stones more attractive to the market a process was developed where a VERY thin layer (.060") of resin is impregnated into the top surface of the unpolished slab using heat and vacuum. When the slab is then polished the surface irregularities are filled by the resin so the stone has the preferred glassy smooth finish. This process has the additional advantage of making typical sealing of natural stone unnecessary since the pores in the stone are filled by the resin. Regarding solid surface vs. natural vs. engineered stone all are good looking and durable countertop materials. Make sure you understand the different material properties and then pick the look you want with material properties appropriate for your application.

i also agree the the new quay and darlington look gray. i like the canterbury for a dark choice. others i like: Light choice: bellingham and praa sands Med: new brighton (different kind of pattern, seems "soft" and calm, if that makes sense Dark: aragon, canterbury and shirebrook also agree you have to match it to the style of your cabs. bring samples home or bring sample of cab and floor with you to counter store. me personally i would go darker to hide dirt, stains etc, (a light counter is so much extra work and everything shows,) (imho) and to give a contrast to white cabs. also have to figure in your backsplash, will it be light or dark?? so many decisions, i feel your pain, but take your time, it will be worth it in the end. best of luck!!

Ha! tour-key sure sounds like turkey, so I'll keep pronouncing it Tor-kay :) Jackie54016 - Most people who come in to our home love the countertops and island and ask if they're marble. (Obviously not GW-ers!). My mixed feelings are due to mistakes on my part, things I'd do differently 'next time'. 1) Seams are getting dirty (no way to do an island our size without seams). 2) Not crazy about the simple edge I picked 3) The pattern is too monochrome / not enough movement in some places. 4) Our cabinets are a creamy white and Torquay looks better with a whiter white. On the plus side, 95% of the time, I'm very happy with it and LOVE how reflective the surface is. I can do pretty much anything to it and with the exception of the seams, there has been no staining or etching. Some slabs definitely have more 'movement'' than others. I'd insist on looking at them and waiting for the right slab(s)! Here is our island: Do you have an inspiration picture or pictures? Please post and solicit input on identifying the elements in it, which make it work. Then, we can answer which surface might be best. I'm linking to my reveal, if you're interested in seeing more pictures. There have been more than a few threads on Torquay, so definitely google them too. Here is a link that might be useful: More pictures of kitchen

Thank you all for the ideas. They are decidedly different choices, the White Ash being more modern for sure. I'm aiming to have the kitchen appeal to a broad audience in case we want to sell the house, but want it to be beautiful until such time! If the skeleton of the house didn't scream Traditional, we would be happy to go Mod. As for waiting, location may well be an important factor. Odd experience: last week I visited a granite/quartz yard nearby, where the main guy showed me 4 orders on paper for New Quay that he expected soon (after 2-month wait). So I visited again just a few days ago and all of the slabs were in.... I suggested via email to the salesman at the affiliated store that I purchase the remnants instead of buying new, as our layout lends itself to smaller pieces. Still no response, which I'm assuming means "not interested." If that's the case, I wonder why? I'd think he'd be happy to be paid twice for each slab. And it would be great for me since I know the material is in! So really it's simply frustration that is making me look again at the Caesarstone (plus, I'd like to be DONE already).... wish I could find more photos of others' kitchens with White Ash but it seems not to be too popular. Anyway, I enjoy reading about people's varied experiences and helpful thoughts on the topic of kitchen reno's. Much appreciated!