Well, no, they were both new builds. But I like to go from the general to the particular, so I guess I chose the paint first (general) for the general "feel" of what I wanted, and the benchtops (particular) last for the detailed finishing touches. With the painting done and the cabinets in, we grabbed about 8 samples of benchtop material, and it was very easy to pick the one that worked best - one just stood out from the others. I can't actually imagine going through a thousand iterations of either paint or benchtops, though. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

Hi, I have just installed a long span stone bench with an 80mm edge detail for a kitchen bench. Because it was over span and very heavy, we had to support both the weight of the stone and the possibility that someone would sit on the kitchen bench (not something everyone considers). We just designed a steel tube frame to be concealed within the cabinetry and behind the fascia panel, bolted to the floor with a couple of horizontal bars to support the overhang. We used a 40 x 40 steel tube and I got a local welder to make it up for us. You wouldn't need that big a tube. In your case, the support required is quite substantial because of the overall span along two axis. You have a couple of options here... 1. put a leg in 2. use the brackets as your stone mason had shown 3. create a concealed frame (will require a thicker edge detail) spanning from the cupboards at either end and bolted to the wall at the back edge. It could be as simple as this and could probably be done out of 25mm x 25mm square tube. Cheers...

Yes, if you check the Caeserstone website they say; " As Calacatta Nuvo™ incorporates large veins with some small unique natural variation between slabs, we encourage those of you that select this design to view your actual full slabs first hand at the stonemason prior to them commencing fabrication." https://www.caesarstone.com.au/colour/5131-calacatta-nuvo I am not sure if your product is from Caeserstone or a competitor, but most manufacturers have a similar disclaimer with their veined reconstituted stone as there is variation between slabs as you have discovered. If you were selecting from real Calacatta marble from Italy you would definitely check the slabs before delivery as there is always variation in natural material. I suppose the question is - who checked the slabs? Or did you just order for two to be delivered, assuming they would be the same? Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

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