Second attempt was with Windex and same paper towel, which cleaned the two honed surfaces up pretty well. The lighter Raw Concrete seems to have been easier than the Sleek Concrete. And finally, to get rid of that pot scratch I used a non-scratching Scotch brite pad (what we usually use on dishes) with some diluted Soft Scrub. This one took a little more elbow grease but I'm satisfied with the results. My opinion is that comparing the two surfaces (honed vs. glossy) there is a marked difference. That being said, I currently have tile from 1978 and grout lines that are so deep and narrow I have to scrub them out with a toothbrush. I guess it's all a matter of perspective. We decided to go with the Raw Concrete after all, and like others have said, just expect that it'll take a little more work and show a few more stains. But then again, isn't that the whole point of concrete? That it looks industrial? I hope this has helped someone. If anyone is interested I'll try to post some more photos and real life feedback in a couple of weeks once ours is installed.

thanks how2girl, but I guess my question is more about polishing concrete that has been sealed/oiled than it is about concrete benchtops (hence those threads were a bit generic). A bit more research suggests to me that a sander is the tool to use. I'm thinking of attaching some used carpet to a sander. I'm still unsure of whether to use a polishing cream - I think it perhaps can't do any harm though, and may add to the shine. Then the question becomes whether it makes sense to add bees wax over the top. To me, it seems it would protect the shine. But I'm guessing all of this.

Hi Rachel,a plain slab melamine door is hardly a profile. To me it reads as just a material selection. So yes, I think mixing the two door styles of shaker and slab is perfectly fine, it's a bit like thinking of the slab doors as background and shaker doors as feature. Especially if you select a matt finish. You could think of it in fashion terms as the shaker doors are your wow factor jacket or top, handles jewellery and the matt black slab a classic pair of denim jeans. Can look a lot more interesting than a full on pant suit:)

while i can't comment on appliances with 6m of available space you should be able to spread out a little and make more serving space as well as making the size of cabinetry more streamlined...dividing the space into 4 x 1500 zones allows for 2 x 2 x 750 cabinets and fridge space or seating something like this with space beside the barbq for serving and stacking dirty dishes and i'm wondering if a dishwasher would live inside one of the cabinet spaces to make clean up even easier? btw your image is gorgeous and my poor 3d computer images can't compete..enjoy your new home