Ceiling fans -- the key is to keep 'em moving! It's harder to see the dust then. LOL! :) Yep - As sheilajoyce said, it's important to get a granite with lots of pattern and swirls if you want to hide anything. Also, we polished our granite once when we had it installed and again about 6 months later. It's been 3 years now, and we haven't done it again (I'm SOOOO ashamed... not!) and it's fine. I don't notice any stains or marks and it's still shiny. Yay! The only thing I had to learn to do was to not set a glass or dish down on it very hard. There is NO give like on a laminate countertop with a plywood underbase. I went from a vinyl floor and laminate counter kitchen to a ceramic tile and granite counter kitchen -- it took awhile before I adjusted! At least it's an excuse to buy new dishes since I chipped several of mine before I got used to it (plus, I think my sister and neice chipped some too when they lived here -- again, inexperienced granite counter users!). Enjoy!

Hi. I'm getting a new granite countertop myself--it will be installed on Tuesday! So I have been doing lots and lots of looking at granite-- both in person (went to lots of warehouses) and in magazines. The trend is definitely toward lighter stone countertops, judging by what I see in the the magazines. (Carrera marble is also getting more popular in those designer kitchens, for some inexplicable reason. Marble is not practical in a kitchen, so many people are trying to imitate that look with certain granites, like white river. ) This trend toward lighter granite was verified by several granite sales people at the warehouses and fabricators I spoke with. Of course, this may be a regional thing. I live in Maryland, near D.C. , where everyone and his brother, it seems, is getting granite! Have you thought about checking out a lighter stone, like a cream or white? (such as Bianco romano, white shivakashi, Colonial Cream, white river, among others.)I am getting Harvest Cream, which is similiar to Colonial cream. It has a white or off-white background with lots of golden accents that pick up the color of my cabinets, and grey/black and taupe accents and a light sprinkling of garnet(burgandy) in there too. My cabinets are honey-spice maple (installed 10 years ago with a formica countertop). We did some minor remodeling that called for a new countertop--so I was so glad I didn't spend the big bucks for the corian that was so popular back then, and that I had an excuse to now get granite! I'm not sure how dark your "autumn" cabinets are, but you should try to have some contrast. If your cabinets are dark or medium dark, I think that a very light granite would provide a great contrast with your cabinets and darker floor, but that is just my personal opinion. Are you going for a traditional or contemporary look? Black tends to look "modern". If you do want a very dark countertop, I would think that a very dark brown would look better than black with your mocha floors(which I assume is a very dark brown.) You probably already have thought of this, but when you go to the granite warehouses to select your slab, bring a cabinet door and piece of your flooring to see how it all looks together. Another thing to consider is what you want on your backsplash. If you want a very "busy" stone or tile, then you should select a granite that would not look too busy, so the darker colors would work well for that, usually. I am going to go with a tumbled white travertine backsplash. If I went with anything busier, it would "fight" with my granite. Hope this helps. Hope this helps.

I'm not sure about the statistics on that. I did notice that there's no mention of other countertop materials and their life expectancy. According to this blog, marble countertops lasts longer than ceramic countertops: http://homeimprovements.ygoy.com/2008/03/25/complete-guide-for-selecting-kitchen-countertops/ I did find an article about a ceramic-based solid surface if you want to take a look: Here is a link that might be useful: Ceramic-based solid surface countertop

Just a BIG word of warning here. Many of the chemicals mentioned are pretty toxic and dangerous to deal with. The methods discussed should only be utilized by a VERY DIY savvy homeowner who owns the proper personal protection to use such chemicals. MEK especially is pretty nasty and should be used only as a last resort by a pro. Many times the best option would be to relax, and enjoy the developing patina!