Reporting back that we have had Lapitec installed for about 3-4 weeks now. We ended up getting 3 cm because of large overhang on the peninsula. Unfortunately that overhang sent us into a 3rd slab. (We'll end up using the extra in a bathroom, rather than what we had originally planned.) We had a very good fabricator in our awesome contractor (Cornell's Quality Construction in Kirkland) who has his own shop and is certified through Pental for Lapitec installation. They did a very nice job, but I've been kicking myself that I forgot to ask for it to be flush around the sinks, and they did a negative reveal which is not my preference, especially if this stuff is prone to chipping. I have a big sink, so hopefully I can learn to keep things away from the edges. The first day, I whacked a baking sheet underneath the edge while washing it and it was fine, thank goodness. We got "Bianco Polare" which is a plain white, satin finish. It looks lovely, but is not without issues. It is nice and smooth. It is cold, and maybe a bit noisier than granite. Of course being plain white every darn crumb shows. But what is frustrating about it is that it marks up. There are grey marks on it from aluminum pans being set down, from moving countertop appliances to wipe under them, etc. Those grey marks do not just wipe off. I can either rub them with my finger like an eraser, or use a scrub like Mrs Meyer's. So they do come off, but what a pain. This was not something I even thought to test when I was trying to damage the sample I had. A friend of mine got Lapitec also - she got the glossy Lux finish, and the color is one of the lighter browns. She likes hers but says it always looks smudged unless she has just washed and dried it, which I think a glossy finish is prone to regardless. She has not commented on it marking up like mine does - maybe the Lux does not do that. I am not sure I would get Lapitec again. But I'm not sure what I would get instead.

Onlybaba yes I did carry out my appointment to see and discuss the Neolith. I came in a day after the Neolith rep was there...lucky me! They said the rep did a demonstration on the silk finish Neolith Calacutta sample I had taken home and returned (I took pics of samples while at home below). The demo was taking a screw driver and smashing it over and over on the surface of the Neolith and it didn't leave a mark! I was impressed and asked if they sold a lot of it? They said they literally just got the Neolith display 2 weeks prior to me coming in! I did not know that. Cp I did ask the owners wife again about the frying pan thing and she laughed and said after seeing the demo she feels differently and not to let the beauty skew one of its durability. I still absolutely love it, but am leaning against it for a couple of reasons. First I was going to do a small island and thought the pattern did not fit the scale of the island size. Then I changed to a larger island but then thought the use of it on the island and around the perimeter was overkill as I need about 85 sq ft. Also, decided I would rather keep with the same material for whole kitchen as I'm not big on mixing too many different materials and liked the idea of less waste using one material too. The other reason was the quote I received for the Neolith vs DuPont Zodiaq London Sky was almost double. :o yikes! and again for the amount of square footage needed...ah no! I'm not ruling it out the Neolith for use in our master bath and half bath. But for now I'm really leaning towards Quartz Masters Organic White. It's a quieter, softer look and resembles more of a Carrara marble as opposed to a Calacutta. Hope this helps! :) Here are some pics below: (side shot so you can see the finish) Neolith calacutta silk (top) Neolith calacutta polished (middle) Quartz Masters Organic White (bottom) I would describe the silk finish look like honed, the polished look like high gloss, and the Quartz look between the two actually it looks like when I get hairspray on my porcelain guest bath counter. Keep us posted if you get any more info and what you decide. pipdog gorgeous! and my comment about scale of pattern to size of island stands true as I see how well it works and looks on your big island...awesome choice! And beautiful view btw!

@Alex P In theory, cabinets could be leveled to precisely the same height so that a countertop material would sit right down flat on top with no shimming. In reality, this almost never happens. Even with the very best technology in cabinetry leveling like using EZ-Level bracing which remains intact over time, you are still looking at having to shim a countertop of any type at least in a few places even in the best of circumstances. Regular cabinetry shims can shift over time depending on how they are applied, affecting your long-term stability prospects. For a countertop material that is already prone to cracking such as porcelain is, this becomes a great risk to try to shim that material with no underlayment for support, even at a 20 mm thickness. I would be more comfortable relying on the MSI guidelines for something like a small bathroom vanity countertop rather than a full kitchen where you will almost be guaranteed to need to shim the porcelain to bring it level across the largest run of your countertop area, thus leaving gaps between shims rather than the full support a subtop would provide. That is why you rarely see porcelain countertops without an underlayment unless it is for a small area like a bathroom. If you want the edge to be thin and polished without an underlayment, what this means is that you will need to specify your cabinetry to be constructed with full subtops and then somehow get them all perfectly level and ensure that there will be no shifting of the cabinetry or foundation in years to come, and then lay the porcelain down without shimming it if at all possible. Your idea of metal trim to cover an underlayment is creative, but remember that Schluter is designed to be anchored into grout, so you would need to be confident that you could secure it in an alternate manner before going that direction since you won't have any grout or tile adhesive in that area. I mentioned honed Absolute Black granite because it is much lighter than the polished type. Some varieties present in a gray color like concrete which is why your description reminded me of it. Soapstone also comes in a matte gray variety. I put soapstone in my own kitchen and love it, and it is considered to be a modern material for current kitchen design. Prepare for heartbreak if you do go with porcelain under any circumstances. Cracking and chipping with porcelain can happen, and it can happen to you, sometimes beyond any hope of warranty coverage. I liked the look of porcelain and its wear properties, but after much research including seeing cracks and chips in finished applications and talking to experienced fabricators, I decided to spare myself the risk. I have been thoroughly happy with the soapstone instead and recommend it if you cannot find anything else suitable. Even a honed marble like Danby would present fewer headaches for you than porcelain or concrete, I think.

@joseph_corlett. I spent the afternoon at a large volume fabricator warehouse, looking at their remnants. Although they had lots of remnants, I don't think I found what I was looking for. I am looking for a soft, almost-white, solid colored quartz. Looked at some online and think that the Hanstone Royale Blanc might be the right shade of off-white. Do you know of any other brands that might have the off-white solid quartz? I thought maybe if I could find a fabricator that sold a lot of the brand of quartz, I could find a remnant piece in the color I want. Thanks for any advice you can provide.