hi e7a416bf, what did you decide to do for your Gaggenau installation? Any pics of it installed in your Neolith counters? or pics of your kitchen??

I ended up going surface mount, which was a good thing as I had a repair a few weeks later. I've attached some pics of the 95% finished kitchen. The lit wall is steel and covers the side of the fridge. The counter tops and cabinet faces are Laminam (Italian version of Neolith). The sink backsplash and bench replaces a weird design where the surface of the counter-top was the floor of the living room (it's a loft).

What a beautiful kitchen! You have me reconsidering a flushmount for my Gagg induction cooktop now. Hmmm ... I really liked the idea of the shiny black surface flush mounted into my shiny black granite - but I don't want hassels down the road.

May I ask, when do you use the gas instead of the induction?

Thanks for the compliment!

I use gas with older (non-ferrous) cookware, when I want char something (e.g. roasting peppers or popadoms), and when I want fine control. The latter is just experience; I can see the gas flame, but not yet used to the induction.

e7a416bf-how do you like the countertops?

Spectacularly happy. They look gorgeous and are bullet-proof. The only issue was finding an installer who could deal with the material.

thanks for the reply. So happy to hear as I am planning to use Neolith. I just found out that one can not use the flush mount installation with Neolith as it is too thin and I already purchased the Wolf Contemporary Gas Cooktop. I was considering changing my countertop material but sounds like flush mount can be problematic.

e7a416bf-you kitchen looks amazing-really beautiful!

Thanks!

I like the industrial look of the surface mount.

e7a416bf Can you tell me where you have seams on your counters and how inconspicuous they are. I am just now conferring with fabricator who has great reputation but may need 3 seams. Happy to hear any info or advice. Many thanks

There are seams at the end of the peninsula, far end of sink and either end of cook-top. The fabricator took photographs of each slab and then used a computer system to create virtual pieces that he could move around to get the best pattern match where the pieces touched each other. The seams are filled in with a grey caulk that was hand mixed to match color. I don't really notice them.