I will start by saying that a travertine is the perfect compliment to a beach house as far as the easthetic of colour and texture goes, however natural stones are not ideal as work surfaces because of their porosity. You are able to prep and seal them at an expense, although there are alternative to natural stone that can provide similar colour tones, without the need to do so. Composite quartz bench tops, and reconstituted stone Benchtops which are manmade have a 92-98% resin impregnated during their manufacture process and this effectively prevents absorption of moisture, hence stains. Essastone currently has the highest resin composition, making it the most durable. However, the beauty at natural stone evokes is unmatched. Because travertine is not only porous, but pitted, a normal sealant would not prepare the surface for Bench tops as these pits would collect all sorts of muck. A glass coat sealer or a self leveling resin could be applied by your stonemason to fill these pits. You can also purchase filled travertine in the form of tiles, so perhaps speak to a stonemason and ask what finish options are available in slabs. For my suggestion, look into quartz in your sand palette to avoid the cost and effort associated with using the travertine. Good luck.

I can't help you with the bench top supplier, sorry! But I think your current cupboards will come up amazingly well with paint! The shape looks pretty dated in timber, but that shape painted white, will look fresh, even those dinky little window doors... almost a bit Hamptons! ; D You may not need to as they're timber, so with a light sand and primer/enamel paint they should come up well. But I recently painted my kitchen cupboards. The lower cupboards were laminate so I used the White Knight Primer & Laminate Paint (in a dark blue-grey!) and the upper were painted timber so I just used enamel paint. But the White Knight paint just came up so much better and was so much easier to paint with, the finish is incredibly smooth, they look like brand new cupboards, I've even suggest using that as it's so strong too. But having seen what a transformation a simple paint job made to mine, I'm sure yours will come up really well. Just put the effort into preparing the surfaces of course, the actual painting was the much easier part! Also, try for a light stone, it'll make the space look bigger and your sink etc will blend better, making it seem larger.

Stone polishing of kitchen bench tops, bathroom vanities and furniture made from marble, granite, quartzite, onyx, travertine, limestone and other natural and engineered stones, look magnificent and add value to your home when they are polished. The Marble Man specialises in stone polishing to remove dull spots, scratches, etching, ring marks and stains from all natural and engineered stone kitchen bench tops, bathroom vanities, bar tops, countertops, coffee tables, dining tables and other stone furniture using the latest equipment and our unique polishing systems developed over the past 27 years. Our highly trained technicians will restore your stone bench tops to their natural looking best. The beauty of having bench tops, vanities, bar tops and tabletops made from natural marble, granite, travertine, terrazzo, onyx, quartzite, limestone and engineered stones such as Caesarstone, Essastone, HanStone, Silestone and Quantum Quartz is that these surfaces can be polished to erase damage and reveal the original appeal of the stone. The benefits of professional polishing are numerous and will keep your stone kitchen bench tops, bathroom vanities, bar tops, countertops and stone looking and feeling like new. Marble and stone kitchen bench top polishing and stone bathroom vanity polishing will remove scratches, dull spots, etch marks, discolouration and stains High gloss marble, limestone, travertine and onyx kitchen bench tops and bathroom vanities will once again look highly reflective after polishing Matt honed marble, limestone, travertine and onyx kitchen bench tops and bathroom vanities will look and feel smooth after polishing Semi-gloss marble and stone kitchen bench top surfaces and bathroom vanities will look clean and satiny Caesarstone, Essastone, HanStone, Silestone and Quantum Quartz kitchen bench tops, bathroom vanities and kitchen bench tops will regain their new factory finish The ambience of your kitchen or bathroom will be improved Regular maintenance of your kitchen bench top and bathroom vanity will be easier Give The Marble Man for all polishing, repairs and sealing stone surfaces - 1300 627 626 View www.themarbleman.com.au for more details on stone and The Marble Man services.

Getting a quote on the Grande Statuario. I think it’s going to be significantly dearer than our first quote ☹️ The crispness of the White is perfect with great veining. Second quote being done with main island in the Statuario and with Smartstone along benches under window and into pantry, in case the first is too dear. Took our Lexicon 1/4 and overhead samples with us. Really happy with the choices. I just hope the first quote isn’t too dear as I’d prefer all white but I’d be happy with the combination of both tops.