Hi iggs85. I see your point re cost and how you think it may look. I'll attach a photo of one of my semi-recessed basins in stone. We had to use semi-recessed due to space restrictions as well. The benches are 440. Are yours narrower? I did Google stone benchtop offcuts. eBay has some in marble and granite. There appear to be businesses that do sell offcuts. Anyway, I think you would certainly be able to find a beautiful laminate you like. There is such a wide range. There are also some that look so much like stone. Will you have vanity cabinets/drawers under the benchtop? If so, what are your thoughts there? Same laminate or different? Have you visited any shops yet to look at samples?

I repaired our bathroom doors which seem to made of particleboard, the bottoms had got wet from the showers & were quite swollen. I got a very small 'stanley' knife with the break off blades, new, so it's sharp. I held my finger on the blade & carefully sliced off the swollen parts, work slowly, then painted it with Bondcrete - paint all the flaky parts with the bondcrete (it dries very hard). Let it dry completely, overnight, next day carefully sand with a med to fine sandpaper until smooth, don't rush. I would then either stain the damaged part with matching stain or paint with a varnish stain to match, finish with a clear coat if necessary. Give the whole back a coat of clear varnish - I would use oil based not water based varnish. I would also suggest you paint the interior with clear varnish - especially the back panel - 2 coats. For the small damaged parts on the top apply stain & varnish with a very small paint brush, like an artists brush.

I have only seen one wooden bench top that has managed, over time, to keep the wet out and avoid that black mouldy creepage where the water splashes behind the taps and around tap inserts. It was built by a carpenter and then the owner applied oil to gain the colour desired before applying several coats of marine epoxy (several = at least 5), sanded back before every new layer. It was burn proof and the colour locked in by epoxy coat with no maintenance required (until a visitor put a burning pot on it and left it there while attending to fire on stove, still... only left a black ring. That said, the owner promptly got out the sander and ground back until black ring was no longer charcoal texture, then reapplied oil and layered epoxy until black ring looked like it belonged (can't do that with any other surface I can think of?). After 15 years there is no sight of the insidious black mould from water penetration so I suppose it is the same recipe as with most thing successful projects in life, research, research, preparation, preparation, preparation and don't falter at the finish line.

Carpet on stairs is a practical safe, cost effective option. I would gate the bottom of the stairs to restrict access to the stairs, recarpet the stairs (if it is already damaged), and tile the front foyer. You can also purchase indoor doggy litter trays (like a cat litter tray), which should reduce accidents, and make cleaning up easier. Are they accidents, or do they not have another toilet option apart from holding on until somebody gets home? If you do decide to tile the stairs you can purchase terracotta or natural stone coping tiles (used for pool surrounds) which has a curved front lip and avoids the need for metal edge trim. They are non-slip and practical, but will be more expensive than new carpet, and expensive to install. https://pool-coping-tiles.com.au/products/?keyword=pool%20capping&gclid=CjwKCAjwsdfZBRAkEiwAh2z65lzb388qnXait7iZiWmpIH_jvieG_4VnQlbk3JqShgSAc_jOz4G-5xoCEKwQAvD_BwE Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls