Renee you must be overwhelmed with all of these comments. Your countertops are GORGEOUS, so I do hope you keep them. Sophie's suggestion to stain the floors is well worth looking into. For what it is worth my suggestion for your backsplash is to go with a simple solid tile in a lighter color that coordinates with the countertop. I would suggest you not go too small with the tile- 3x6 to 4x12 would be a good size to stick with. You want to avoid too much movement in the backsplash as the counter (and the floor) have quite a bit of movement and you do not want them competing. Let the countertop be the star of the show. Good luck and let us know how it all ends up for you.

So is lacquer better or worse than polyurethane? I know the guy used lacquer on my cabinets. When we had to refinish one of the old bathroom cabinets he told us what he used. Benjamin Moore said only 2 states carry it, Oklahoma and Texas. That tells me it should NOT be used. It is banned in other states. It sounds like I am ready to sand? I can quit trying to get the glossy parts off where the cracks are. (Where the 2 planks meet.) They will just sand off? I moved the TV cabinet away from the wall. That wall used to have a built in entertainment center with doors and drawers, but my TV was wider, so we removed the entertainment center. We found the original flooring had not been lacquered or polyurethane where the old cabinets had been. We can see that the wood turned more yellow and darker in the rest of the room. The room is huge and includes the kitchen. 42' x 28' plus 12' x 4' hallway. I am sanding around the perimeter first except for the hall and kitchen area. Then I will move the aquarium, couches, and TV cabinet back in place against the walls. They are all sitting on soft sliders so they will not scratch the floor. Then I can sand the rest of the floor. I have no place to move the furniture so it will have to be done in sections. Once the sanding is finished and the floor is clean, I don't know if I can finish the floor in sections. Can that be done? Thanks.

Here is an option if you prefer the checkerboard design using 2 different tiles. I think they would work nicely. The Ebony Marble design is forgiving in colors used, not too black and solid. The white in it might be a soft white, not too white. Maybe samples would help. The size tiles and dimension thickness would have to be the same. I did not verify these. Ebony Marble https://www.lowes.com/pd/Style-Selections-1-piece-12-in-x-12-in-Ebony-Marble-Peel-and-Stick-Vinyl-Tile/999978538 The Crescendo might lean to an off-white. Crescendo https://www.lowes.com/pd/Armstrong-Flooring-Crescendo-12-in-x-12-in-Groutable-Marble-Look-Peel-and-Stick-Stone-Look-Commercial-Residential-Vinyl-Tile/1001435690

Called the company, the guy came out yesterday to do one bathroom , it came out beautiful! The stone is practically new.