I think the first pic will go with your warm floors better than the cool 2nd picture. Either way I would go with a very simple backsplash.

Sure! We’re adding cabinets/counters under the window where the table is now. Also taking out the perpendicular wall & putting a small peninsula there.

I thought the granite was the first pic?

On my phone it appeared in a different order than I stated in my post. Just checked my computer & those pictures match my first post. Don't know how it appears on others' phones. My computer shows: Thunder White granite, Himmalaya White granite, Gray Calcutta Quartz & flooring last. My phone shows: the quartz on top, then Himmalya White granite, Thunder White granite & flooring last. Not sure why they are in different orders each place.

So, mark_rachel, are you liking the top computer picture of Thunder White best? I will add that it was taken inside a warehouse & the Himmalaya White was outside in natural light. Quartz was inside also.

Nothing you’re considering resembles marble. There are two options that look like marble, actual marble, and marble laminate. Maybe you should consider the latter.

I would go with the Thunder white granite. I’ve never seen it in person but the pictures I have seen online look lovely except for those dreaded purple speckles. That’s always one of my complaints with the light granites. If you have found a slab that is free of that, I would go with it!!

Yes I would go with the Thunder White granite. Or keep looking. Don't settle.

Those 2 granites look very much like the granite I fell in love with. And then I did the stain test. It failed big time, developing large dark stains around each condiment I tested. They eventually faded but it took time. This was on an unsealed sample so a sealed stone might not react this way but it was enough to make me, sadly, say goodbye to that gorgeous stone.

Have you done a stain test? If not, do one and then decide whether one of these stones is the right one for you.

True, eam44. While I do love the marble, I also love the movement & coloring of the Thunder White if it’s not too busy. It does resemble the Fantasy quartzite look which I really like but was steering away from with its care issues.
And, lisa_a, you may be right that Thunder White, while classified as a granite, might have the same issues?
chess, until I saw this one I didn’t know there was one mostly free of the purple!
mark_rachel, glad to hear you like it!

I think the thunder white would be beautiful. If I had seen it when I was looking I might have gone with granite again myself.

Thanks for all the input. I’m still leaning toward Thunder White with your encouragement! I did talk to a fabricator today who has some quartz that may be doable so I’ll look into Gray Savoie or Cemento before my final decision. Gotta proceed soon!

"And, lisa_a, you may be right that Thunder White, while classified as a granite, might have the same issues?"

Sorry, I'm confused by your response. I'm not sure what its classification has to do with staining. You have to test the stone you're considering to get an idea how it will
perform in your kitchen. Don't go by names. They can vary quarry to quarry. Ditto for variability of a stone by the same name from one quarry to the next. It's a natural material so its mineral content is never consistent.

Have you read karen_mt's fabulous countertop geology threads? She's a geologist who
has shared lots of very useful information to help you know more about
the stone you're choosing, including how to test it to assess durability
and stain resistance. Go to [Countertop Geology, Part 5: Marble, Quartzite and other Favorites.[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/countertop-geology-part-5-marble-quartzite-and-other-favorites-dsvw-vd~2438427?n=165) Parts 1-4 are linked in this thread.

It's been a long time since I sat down and read through the threads (coming up on 3 years since we remodeled our kitchen) but what I recall is that white stones are generally more prone to staining than dark stones because they generally aren't as dense. Key word is generally. We've had zero staining problems with our Bianco Romano, a true granite, on our island.

Thanks, Lisa_a!
I believe I did read those threads a couple of years ago when we were redoing our bathrooms. I do realize that different stone yards classify the same stone differently. I felt safer with granite re etching but had not thought about the lighter color making it more prone to staining. I’m not always able to get a sample to test but that is the best idea. Thanks for the reminder. I’ll read those threads again!

I'm kinda liking that one on the left. Your granite is beautiful! It's got some dark movement, so I would go with something lighter - I think that gray tile on the right is too dark, and I would want a bit of contrast to the cabinets.

Chess, the tile on the left in the picture of 3 tiles?

Yup.

That just happens to be my favorite! I thought the color/tone really blended well with the granite. Then someone told me if it's that much the same, why bother? They liked the beveled gray on the board. So I was second guessing myself.

With gray granite, floor, and appliances, I'd use white tile. You can grout it gray to tie the counter to the cabinets.

I like the one of the left, but it may not be that light in your kitchen. It would NOT go with that dark gray. Wait till your stone is installed, then decide on the backsplash.

Gray grout with white tile always just looks dirty to me. You have white cabs, so a slightly darker tile would give you a nice contrast, and still pick up the lighter areas in the granite. But I agree with waiting until the counter is installed to choose - it makes a huge difference.

I can appreciate the dark grout in other people’s kitchens, but I’m not a fan of it for me. And I’m definitely a visual person so seeing the granite once it’s in would be a big help. I thought if I could go ahead & make a decision it would move things along. Better, I’m sure, to make a more confident choice since I will be looking at it daily!

Dark grout with white subways is a period look. A light gray grout is a modern look. I would be very reluctant to use white grout behind a range. I had white tile countertops with white grout for twelve years. One day, after I had scrubbed every grout line and couldn't get it clean, especially around the sink, I vowed it was my last time cleaning grout. We started looking for a new countertop and that led to a new kitchen.

There are a lot of grout options today that are excellent at stain resistance. And many don’t even need to be sealed. White grout is really no longer an issue IF you choose the right product.

Food for thought! I haven't really looked into grout options yet. Something else to research. :) I guess I had a grout that was a similar gray to the tile in my mind. Don't want to get on that grout-cleaning battleground any more than necessary! So, Chess do you have a specific grout to recommend? And, mayflowers, what color grout do you now have?

catgo I'd love to hear how your Thunder White granite is holding up and see pics. I am planning on light gray cabs, white tile backsplash and have been trying to decide between quartz, marble, quartzite, and just recently discovered Thunder White granite. Needless to say, I haven't decided anything and would love advice and pics :P

cailgirl123, it’s a tough decision to make! Our bathroom marble scratched immediately, but it’s a guest bath that isn’t used as often. I lift, not slide glass containers, etc. & wipe down water splatters after my grandkids use it. So, for us, it’s been a little over a year & I love it. Not sure about a heavily used or teenage-girls-with-all-kinds-of-products scenario. Quartz maintenance is a no-brainer, evidently. I couldn’t decide if I liked the light “marble-like” looks & would probably have gone with a solid gray in the kitchen had the price been more budget-friendly. I loved the quartzite (Fantasy Brown first drew me in.) but couldn’t decide about the brown part (depended on the slab) & functionality in a kitchen.
So, back to granite I went. When I found a Thunder White that didn’t look like someone had splatter painted it with purple paint, I was in love. There are still small raspberry flecks running through it, but it’s not an overall purple splotch look. Lol! My granite place had no samples so I did no testing. It’s only been five months, but I love my kitchen counters! They do water spot, & I keep a drying mat on both sides of my sink as we often keep out glasses with ice water, etc. So far, no stains. I’m the main cook & our kids are grown. I do have grandkids who cook with me but since that’s supervised, it hasn’t been a problem. Hope that helps! Here are a couple of photos. There’s a semi-circle scratch on the bottom left in the marble close-up if you enlarge it. The marble has light & dark streaks running through it so the darker part is natural.

Thanks. Both look lovely. Your granite was cheaper than quartz? I thought the white granites were pricey. I've been searching for a marble like quartz but don't love any of them. If I go with quartz I'll probably get solid white.