I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to post my rant. I bought an L 130 from HD . After the first season, the deck spindles went out, predictable enough, the originals don't come with a grease fitting. So instead of a $.10 zirc fitting from the factory, you WILL need to buy three "new style" spindles (the new ones come with grease fittings). $45 each. After around 200 hours my L130 began having the dreaded growl. Once it gets hot (20-30 minutes) it won't drag itself up a hill. New transmission $650 + install. I understand that when they (JD) built these they used the bottom k46 tranny (as do most mowers under $5000) however they decided to use standard oil (not synthetic) no external cooler (some k46 trannies have an external tank). And to add insult to injury JD won't service the tranny, no oil change, no rebuild, just replace the whole unit. Tufftorq (the manufacturer of the k 46) sells parts, including a rebuild kit, making JD's lack of service unacceptable. At this point the only real JD part of any mower under about $5000 is the cutting deck itself. All the tractors are about the same (MTD builds them all). How much is green paint worth? About $800-1000 more than a comparable model made with the same parts painted a different color. I guess they don't care if I buy another one... My next one WON'T be green.

I have honed Vermont Danby marble in my kitchen, 5 years ago. I have carrara marble in my powder room for 20 years. I do not like the etching in my kitchen and I am sorry I got the marble. But what is worse is that the marble in my powder room oxidized at year 19, with big ugly splotches of rust, brown, yellow . Joseph commented on my 'oxidize' which I posted to warn potential users of marble. He said that the toilet leaked and water was the trigger. I mainly dont like marble for my kitchen because I wanted a modern look and marble has a more traditional/transitional flavor. I struggled with selecting a countertop and settled on marble after some months and it was a compromise. But I never received one compliment on it either. I do like cooking and baking on it. I think if you love love it you will perhaps forgive it's sins but as a gardenwebber, I have to share. I have no stains whatsoever and a couple of dings. Im pretty sure that I will get quartz for my new kitchen.

@typeandrun, thank you for the response and feedback. Just out of curiosity, was honing an option when you were making your decision. This gives it the matte look but without the texture. We are going with a dark greenisland and warm white perimeter cabinets and I really like the Taj Mahal. I just want to make sure I get slabs that are more cream than beige. That's the toughest part b/c they look so different in the warehouses than they will in real life.

@Rachel - per the stone yard, it is called "Caitite". @Ciara Stone - I agree with making this the focal point. We've got good afternoon light in the kitchen with windows and sliding doors, and a skylight. The living room is adjoined to the kitchen; it's white with black, grey, and gold accents. I'm not against something lighter, and your advice is certainly true. I've got a darker dining room and have had it for about 6 years, but so far I still enjoy looking at it. But paint and accessories are certainly easier to change than cabinet colors! @megs1030 and @chiflipper - good food for thought on the backsplash. We had originally thought about a herringbone glass tile, and was thinking the same. Too busy? I'm going to wait until everything else is done before deciding on the backsplash. We have the sink side of the counter that has the box window in front of the sink; we're planning to do two floating shelves on either side of the sink and I was thinking to do tile up that wall. I do love a beautiful tile, but you're both right about letting the stone shine.