You'll find a lot of variation between brands. Some only tape the edges (1/32") others use solid wood edging (1/16-1/8). Of the latter some apply veneer to face first and then edge, others apply the edging first. All of the higher end brands I handle only offer veneer. Last year my mainstream brand brought out a veneered slab door and so had both. There was a lot of discussion among dealers when they wanted to discontinue the solid wood door. Some wanted to keep the solid because it was cheaper, some to appease an occasional customer who thought solid was better. To me they did the right thing and now only offer the veneer slab door. It is solid edging with veneer applied after, unusually good for the price. We used it for the desks a year ago, get a lot of use, no dings.

We remodeled our entire house in 1989/90 and updated the kitchen and baths in 2003 (new counters, faucets, some new appliances). - Hated the Moen faucet, so-so on the Grohe Ladylux Plus. - Kohler cast iron Exec Chef sink was a workhorse but we hated the double. Vastly prefer the super-single Swanstone. - We installed a huge wall of picture windows (24' long and 14' high) which is wonderful for natural daylight - but it also bleached the sheet vinyl flooring and wood cabinet moldings, and killed the refrig in 8 yrs. Had to coat the windows, but am glad we put in laminate cabs (the most UV resistant) even if the resale would be better with wood cabs. - Adore the frameless cabs: storage, storage, storage! Have had no trouble with the high-density particleboard boxes. Even a small leak in the Moen faucet for 6 months did no visible damage to the sink cab. The shelves are sturdy, the hardware has operated without a flaw, the laminate is a miracle of easy cleaning. I just wish they still made this line of cabs: Kraftmaid stopped selling it in the late '90's. I'd take them with me when I leave, if I could manage it. - GE makes horrible DWs, especially from the '80's and early '90's period. So why our Kenmore/GE DW refuses to die is a complete puzzle to me! One of these days I'll get a better-cleaning DW in here, though - this one is slowly rusting out. But of course, the rust never gets on the dishes nor impedes its operation, LOL. - Although I'd love to replace my range and refrig just to have those gorgeous new pro-style appliances that are now available, I've really no excuse for doing so. Mine work beautifully and are suitable for our starter home neighborhood. But I still might do it anyway just for my own fun, hehehe. - The layout, which I did myself, has a few minor flaws but no biggies. It's the most efficient use of space (U-shaped) and miles above what most cooks have to deal with. After almost 20 yrs, people who see it still find it visually pleasing and it works well for 1 cook or 4 (my whole family likes to cook). All these years and I still smile every time I walk into my kitchen. I love working in it, and that's what counts in the end, I guess.

Thanks everyone! We have maple cabinets with plywood construction. I don't really know/understand much more about them. They're Medallion brand cabinets, painted white. Our hardware will be polished chrome. Well, I went ahead and cancelled my order. It's so frustrating because I ordered August 19th, and there was no indication that anything was back ordered. I received my knobs but not my pulls. They called about 2 weeks after the order and told me it was back ordered until mid-september. They also failed to send me a couple other things I ordered and claimed to have sent it. Nothing but a headache. Anyway, I guess my lesson is that you get what you pay for. At least I can get a lot of the RH stuff locally and order the rest. I think it was a sign too. My heart was really set on the RH style, but they were much more expensive and my builder wasn't crazy about them. Well, we just went into contract with our current house and the new house is supposed to be completed in 3 weeks. I NEED my hardware! It all works out! Happy sigh of relief. :-)

Sorry for the delay getting back to you. Life gets in the way sometimes! So, we had the cabinet company make the leg. We ordered it when we ordered the cabs. We asked for sturdy - it's pretty beefy. The granite guy and my GC consulted with me onsite. The GC had done plywood subcounters so the templating could be done. There were several options and we went with the sturdiest, a steel plate. I just measured and it is 3/4" steel. My GC went and got it from a metal shop. I think the cost was around $300 but i'm still waiting on that bill (and many others, but hey I'm not complaining!) It's basically just replacing the 3/4" normal plywood subcounter you have with 2cm granite. The 2cm stacked edge granite is like .8 inches so that puts the steel slightly shorter that the granite overhang. I think the metal fabricator did the holes for the screws into the leg and for the screws into the pony wall in the island.