They are probably concerned that silicon becomes mouldy. If you are happy to resilicone every 8-10 years it shouldn't be a problem. My main concern would be the very slippery surface you would be creating which may be a safety problem.

Hi Melissa, My bench tops will cost me $7000 too and is Ceasarstone Buttermilk but I think it's cheaper than your price based on the benches to be covered. My stone will also be only 20mm thick I have an island with seating with waterfall ends that's 3m x 1.3m Then I have another seating area that's 4m x .9m All other benches are standard 600mm and I have one which is 5m x .6m and finally 1.4 x .6m, so that's over 13mtrs of benches in length. Oh and I also have a little breakfast bar like you have which is about 3mtrs x .3m, so that's over 16mtrs in length. I'm based in the country and I'm getting my stone from Bartlett Bros in Colac Vic 3242

Hi helennick, I think someone may be having a lend of you about Butler sinks being hard to get in Australia and that they are too heavy for cabinets; these are certainly not our expierience. The only problem you may have is that you want to use timber tops. This is because the constant exposure to water against the end grain over many years of use can become problematic especially if your tops are not polished properyl and it breaks down, wears or is damaged over time with use. For your handle selaction, I think choosing tapware with gold trim or gold and porcelain from Perrin & Rowe or Bastow or the like would be a good option. Hope this helps, Malcolm

Quantum Quartz have a couple in light greys. We’ve ordered QQ carbon matte for our laundry. Once it’s in I’ll put a pic up.