Dilemma #2 Here's an elevation of the powder room which has a 120mm drop down in the stone then a 180mm laminate panel... The idea is for it to look a bit (although not exactly) like this... Our floor tiles are similar (if not the same) as the above photo and go up the wall to below the vanity, the 180mm panel (which photo doesn't have - incidentally, what do you think of the shelf underneath the vanity?) is a black laminate and the feature tile between the vanity and the mirror (incidentally, should we take the mirror to the ceiling?) is Jewels Preto: So which colour should we go for the stone top, Lagoon or Blanco Zeus??... I'm swaying towards Lagoon as it's a bit more of a feature than just plain white, but I'm unsure :/

Hi, This is totally normal. To answer your question, the location of the taps depends on the sink. If the sink has a landing (space for a tap hole) you can elect to obtain it with or without the hole/s and have the tap on either the sink itself or the benchtop. If as in the case of the Franke one you've selected, there is no landing then the taps are mounted on the stone. The cabinetmaker usually provides a template of the benchtop when the carcasses are installed for the stone supplier. This is then used by the stone supplier to make the correct size and cut outs for eg the sink. They will want the sink so that they can do the cutout to suit. They either then drill the holes for the tap/s during production or do it on site. It's no biggie. You just need to have the tap selected so they know what size holes to drill and where you want them. Take care to keep in mind clearances between the sink bowl and the cupboard carcass or other items. It's usually tight. We always plot the location of the taps while we have the template on site so we can check clearances etc. Cheers

I have lived with both and both chipped, although the stone bench was only from a much harder knock than what pitted and chipped the laminate. I've also found that any 'stains' from things like beetroot or turmeric tended to disappear from the stone bench tops within a couple of days of regular wiping, whereas the laminate discoloured permanently. In its defense, the laminate would have been a much older product than my current benches, by a decade or two, so there may be better products available now. But I also think the cool feel of a stone bench is lovely and may even be better for baking, too. I prefer the stone, but that's just my opinion.

for some reason i thought the table top was round? but same principles apply and check out the range of steel available at the hardware stores and IKEA..keeping in mind that if the table top weighs 50kgs and you use 4 legs that each leg only has to hold up about 12.5 kg as long as it's evenly distributed and level...try making a base table with the craftwood and steel legs, paint the craftwood black, make sure the table is level, mount the stone on top of the base...the next question is how tall teh table and the legs should be but something like this leg from Bunnings could work ...leg is 220 tall + height of craftwood and table top?? would make a low coffee table but there are numerous alternative available or check workshop and car suppliers for steel tool storage shelves and boxes