We have a 1916 home; just a few remarks re our own experience: 1) Are you sure the entire floor is concrete? We have a concrete slab just where the stove was. It is visible from the (unfinished) basement. (The rest is wood subfloor.) 2) When we moved in, the kitchen floor was green linoleum and the small countertop was the same, held in place with metal edging. Don't know how long that it been there, but long. (I think it was real linoleum, but not sure. But it wasn't pretty!) 3) We very much respect our house's character and try to maintain it. But we don't live in a museum. When we expanded/remodeled we matched the mouldings, windows, etc, but felt no compulsion to match every kitchen detail. We put down a "standard" oak floor similar to that in the rest of the house, and used a medium-light, marble-like, greenish granite (with white cabs). It seems completely in sync with the house, even though it is not period. Unless you plan on getting 1919 appliances, you're not going to have a 1919 kitchen no matter what you do. Don't feel compelled to do anything you don't really like, just to be "authentic." P.S. Don't get too hung up on the home's specific style. Fact is, most houses from that period -- like ours -- are a mishmosh of styles, and simply reflect what was currently popular. (As remains the case with most new homes today, though I would say to less pleasing effect!)

I'm a little late to this thread, but we recently had installed the "Cement" color neolth countertop. We wanted a bullet-proof light gray counter with a bit of uniqueness. I was so happy to find this product, but nervous since it was hard to find references. Of course it is a matter of personal preference, but we really love the material. It does have a matte finish and a leathery feel (maybe similar to honed). We did not bevel the edges, so it is just (edit 12mm) 12cm on edge, which gives it a unique look. It contrasts to our shiny smooth kitchen island which is a (edit 3cm) 2.5cm wicked white quartzite (we like the contrast). I am so pleased with the look and performance. I like being able to put the scalding pans right from the stovetop to the counter. In a pinch I cut vegetables directly on the counter, but don't want to damage my knives so I don't do it often. We don't worry about oil or lemons or anything staining it. It cleans up very easy. We will see how it stands the test of time (2 months now), but so far it was the right choice for us. This post was edited by pbas40 on Mon, Oct 13, 14 at 13:19

wow- I so get this one! This is happening so much down here. I am in south florida, and this seems to be a kind of weird thing thats going on right now- its like real estate agents (or owners) are thinking 'this kitchen is a wreck", (oh- those pink and black formica cabinets that were huge down here in the 50's and the laminated white ones with the wooden strip on the bottom? Not exactly Eames.) So they think, lets plop on a granite counter top to fix this, up the price and sell it all as new! More than a little nuts- right? For goodness sakes- give an allowance for the kitchen to be redone (even gutted) and leave it to the buyer to chose if it fits their energy to redo. !*sigh*! Just as an example- my ex had a condo right on the beach that was amazing until you walked into the kitchen. (Shiny marble floors, floor to ceiling windows, a view of the ocean from the living room and a view from the dining room of cruise ships coming and going- total Hollywood glam.) Then- the Kitchen. The cabinets were plastic- really, truly- hard shiny molded plastic! and- ta da! the countertops were a silky gorgeous polished marble. Nuts! Anyway- I have done this ( moved both marble and granite slabs.) The trick is to find someone who knows how to crate it before its moved at all. Even if its not going anywhere but to the back yard, (or the living room) crating it stabilizes the stone. I have two large pieces that I have moved twice now- one of each. It's expensive, but a good moving company should be able to give you quotes to do it. If you love the stone please dont just rip it out and dump it, it drives me crazy (personal opinion) to think that granite has become a design element that can just be replaced if it doesnt fit a new "look", like on the show "flipping out". If you find that it's prohibitive in terms of cost to do this, then do at least put it on Craigs list. You will be surprised at the number of people who will respond to take it out for you. At the beginning of negotiations, adjust your offer accordingly. The problem is that most of the desirable areas down here are older and the kitchens arent antique-y looking, just really horribly dated. Just because folks spent money on kitchen counter tops doesnt make the kitchen updated. I so get that! Good luck to you on your house search... :D

Do your serious research on this: before you put money down: just beware: buyer beware. public website: also there is the granite association of america: "I am a General Contractor and have over the years installed many many stone tops and other stone surfaces on my projects. Not until now have I ever been faced with a stain problem. On a multi-million dollar condominium project, I have encountered stains that look like simple water stains on the absolute black granite tops. Already I have completely replaced two of the tops because no amount of in-place polish or buffing would remove these stains. Last week my Superintendent discovered at least two other tops with similar stains. Replacement of these tops is very expensive not to mention time consuming and I am looking for some other repair method. I have heard about a black stain being used on some inferior stones in the fabrication process to enhance the color and appearance. Is there any method out there that I can employ to less expensively repair the discoloration spots in these tops? Help, I have already invested over $5K in two tops and appear to be on the way to more. Please respond soon Harvey: Is this soon enough for you?... :-) I've got one good news and two bad news for you. The first bad news is that your "granite" countertops are either maliciously doctored, or they are "mutt" stones. (Some black "granite" with mineral binders within, which react to acidic substances.) The "stains" that you have are not stains at all. In fact, a true stain is always darker than the stained material - never lighter. If it is lighter, it's a mark of corrosion (etching). It could be the doctoring agent (some sort of black "shoe shine" applied by the factory to make a gray stone look black) that's coming off (you know, the one that you would like to do?...); or it could be the type of stone that's sensitive to acids. The second bad news is that even if I knew about some "magic black shoe-shine" to bail you out for a couple of months at best, I wouldn't tell you. Sorry, but I'm the creator, co-founder and major responsible of marblecleaning.org, and therefore I am a consumer advocate. Stone doctoring is right on our hit list, and a very high priority at that. Trust me, you don't want to be in our line of fire!! I can't be part in any way, shape or form of such a despicable practice, which is a full-fledged criminal activity - sorry. Which brings us to the good news! You're not responsible for what's happening! Well, you are in relation to the owners of the condo's units, but you can easly go back to the fabricator and the stone yard that sold that stuff to you and hold them fully responsible on consumer fraud charges. It's a pretty black and white case, and in this scenario marblecleaning.org would be only glad to help you. And... FYI, there's no such a thing like black granite (all black granites are not granite by a long shot). And selling stones like that as granite is consumer fraud right there. If you add to that the fact that those particular slabs do not perform like black "granite" is supposed to perform... " http://www.marble-institute.com/about/mission.cfm They have a phone number that you can call or write: they take the claims re: false granite ect. They are the best advisors in the business> Before you spend money