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 :/

My shiny black granite benchtop is easier to clean than others in the past. I use a clean dishcloth, and wash it under the tap regularly while cleaning. The real secret is to follow the wet cleaning with wiping off with a clean tea towel. The granite benchtop and splash back around the stove gets a gentle multi-purpose cleaner first, allowing a minute or two to soften the grime, despite my installer's advice to use 'just water.'

Hi Em, no you are not overthinking it, it is important to pick a white that does not clash with your tops, or kitchen face colour. You can't change the colour of granites but you can pick a colour to suit your Granite (stone), which is why we like to recommend that our clients should always choose their stone (and cabinet colours) first and then choose their wall paint colour after the kitchen is installed. In addition to your floor throwing off colour, also effecting wall colour in the room is the type of Lighting which have a strong influence (white light or warm light) where these too are other good reasons to pick your wall colour last after the kitchen installation where you can best see that paint colour within your space and not someone else's warehouse or showroom. Hope this is of some help, regards. Malcolm

Hi Steph, we have Caesarstone Fresh Concrete which is a similar product with a matt (but not rough?) finish. We love it in our kitchen and it does show marks at a certain angle more readily than our previous polished stone finish. When we first had it installed, we used the recommended products supplied by Caesarstone, they worked somewhat but we found we had to scrub the whole bench with the cream cleanser, wipe with fresh water to remove residue then buff to remove all water rings etc. We also tried windex, spray n wipe and magic erasers- all ok but not fantastic. We finally asked our Enjo rep to come over to see what she could do and that worked a treat- all surfaces are wiped over with the cleaning cloth and then buffed dry with the other. I use the marble paste to get rid of the grey marks on the edges caused by metal on belts, probably once a fortnight. I know I sound like a salesperson but I honestly don't work for Enjo! I have just found that this has been the clear winner. Even with slightly the extra work, we love the feel and look of the Fresh Concrete so absolutely no regrets. Hope this helps.