Thank you Kendrah. That was very kind.

Someone put some hard work in! The before & after counter sealer photo was great, quite the difference. Great job overall.

I think my favorite part is just not bumping in to the peninsula every time I walk into the kitchen..and not blocking the doorway to the dr every time I open the refrigerator! :) Also granite that looks like soapstone.

Looks beautiful! I love all the drawers.

What a lovely kitchen! The counters look great, especially against your cabinets. Each one enhances the other.

LOVE those counter!

@sswiddows Thanks so much for this thread and the pictures. I'm considering Silver Grey Granite. In fact it's one of my top choices. Locally, I've only been able to find it honed. I'd love to see leathered in person before making a final decision.

I'm curious if you tested the Silver Grey for etching? I haven't been able to get a hold of a small piece to test. Neither the local granite yards or fabricators know much about this stone.

@missenigma I have marble in my bathrooms that etched like crazy. This granite has not etched at all. It has a great texture to it and seems incredibly durable.

Your kitchen came out so lovely! What a beautiful, inviting space. Great job!

@sswiddows - That's great to hear. I've had laminate counters my whole life and never worried about such things. For all the contempt heaped upon it, laminate really is a worry free countertop.

Anyway, I forgot to ask, but assume from your response, that staining hasn't been an issue either. I'm an avid baker and often oil the counter when working with various doughs. The butter used when making rough puff pastry also leaves my existing laminate counters greasy when finished. Of course I'll be sealing the granite.

Thanks again for the info. I love how inviting your kitchen came out. I think @Kendrah put it best in her above comment:

"Practical, not over the top, and just makes your home welcoming, functional, and bright. Smart choices. Love it. "

sswiddows, The kitchen looks absolutely beautiful. Thanks for sharing it truly is a sharp unique look.

Have you had any issues with the counters yet? We are leaning towards silver grey granite, but can only find honed, not leathered. We initially wanted soapstone, but after getting sample pieces, realized that we would not be able to deal with the scratches. Just lightly dragging a coffee cup across the samples yielded tons of scratches, and while they do look lighter after oiling, you can still see them. I can't imagine what they would look like after a month in my house.

Melyssam10. No I have not had any problems with them. They still look new and we do not baby them. I wash it with dish soap and water and clean with granite cleaner occasionally. Once we got a ring from the oils in a soap bottle but I used a clay based cleaner on it and it came out. I feel the texture in the leathered version lends itself to hiding any issues if we ever had any. Good luck on your selection.

Melyssam10. I forgot to add..we would definitely buy them again..no regrets

@Missenigma Staining has not been an issue..we have had an oil ring and splatters on the granite but I used a clay based cleaner (earthbrite I think was the name of it) and it came right out. I think the fact that it is leathered helps. I read somewhere (whether or not it is true I do not know) that the leathering process makes granite less porous.

@sswiddows Can you tell me more about the color enhancing sealer? I have been hunting for via lactea slabs that I love but it has been challenging. I'm considering some other options to give a soapstone look but with leathered granite. Your countertops are beautiful!

Is the color enhancing sealer a one-time application or do you need to do it often? If so, how often (yearly)?

Thanks for any info!

Sarahben The fabricator put the sealer on and I did not catch what the brand was. They just wiped it on and it took about 5 minutes. I let it dry for a day and they indicated that it should be done yearly.

@sswiddows Thanks!

Ellen Tracy it is true I have a love/hate relationship with that little shelf but it has proven more useful to me than an irritant. Tried to set it in a spot that it did not block the stove to sink to refrigerator pathway. :)

Beautiful refresh!!

The dark countertops on the white cabinetry really pops! Great contrast!

Well done!

Well done!

Thanks for the updates. Cannot wait till mine go in! Best option for those who love soapstone.

newenglandgal I hope you will post a pic here when you are done. I would love to see it!

Thanks. They are doing the electrical, plumbing and HVAC right now. Lining up insulation and Blueboard now. Hoping by July the cabinets will be in and counters ready for fabrication. Every time I look at your pictures I get so excited for my kitchen to be done.

Gorgeous! Can't tell you how much I appreciate you posting about your Steel Grey/ Silver grey granite!!! I've been looking for pictures of it installed- so hard to track it down! Hope you enjoy your new space for years to come!

We used the same granite for our dry bar. Now we r planning to use it in our adjacent kitchen.

Thank you for sharing! Just selected two beautiful slabs for our kitchen and can’t wait to see how it will look installed.

i was team quartz/porcelain but then saw this beauty and I was sold- has so much more depth than the above two. your kitchen is beautiful and warm, well done!

lysajone - this is two months late but I really like your bar!!!

So I just had this installed and indeed is gorgeous!!! However, they r staining easily. Water rings and oil spots. So I wash them out but it takes a day or so dry. Then minimal, if any, evidence of the ring. But I have to look at the ring for a few hrs at least. And worry that it wont ever come out. Yes, they have been sealed by installer. Does this happen to yours?? Maybe I have to invest in your clay based cleaner?

I do have some issues with the marble backsplash behind the stove

Lisa Pinto I have not had any problems and I do not wipe everything up immediately. Maybe they used more sealer on mine? Not sure why you are having that issue but here is a pic of the cleaner I used. It is great for a lot of surfaces and especially fabulous on stainless steel.

Ok thank you! I will try it . It’s such a beautiful stone I’m incredibly bummed to have this problem .

sswiddows I am getting the same staining as Lisa on my silver grey granite! Mine is not leathered so wondering if that makes the difference. I have to wipe everything up immediately or you see a darker stain. It can take longer than weeks if it is oil.
I am going to put spray sealer on it to see if it helps. I love the look but hate how easily it stains. If you have any suggestions on a good sealer let me know!

It looks amazing! Great job!

Lisa Pinto and NewEnglandgal. It may be that it is a leathered texture that I am not getting as many spots because they may not absorb as much?

Hi again! My silver gray is leathered . Water ring looks better today💁‍♀️

Hmm Lisa...I am guessing SSwiddows has very good sealer. My slabs are honed, not leathered. I chose these because I really like soapstone but did not want the maintenance. I may as well have bought that with the maintenance I have with the silver grey. I put a crockpot on it with a towel underneath. It took over a week for the dark spot to go away. Again, I will be spraying on a sealer and hope that will make a difference. Will have to look in the search for "good sealer" and hope to find some suggestions.

Absolutely love the floor selection!

I really like the silver gray granite counters, my counters are off white. Do you think this would clash?

Kath They have a definite white vein in them but I believe it would be a matter of preference.

Depending on how off white your counters are. My perimeter cabinets are like a light light cream color and the counter looks fine with it because the veining does not look bright white in mine. Like SSwiddows says, it would depend on the how much vein is in the stone and the brightness.

So happy to find these photos. We have just decided to replace our granite countertop and glass tile backsplash. Our home is only 4 yrs old, but it was a spec home and we could make only minor changes. Needless to say we made bad choices on what we could change. LOL. So we are looking at quartz, but a charcoal shade with marble or similar - our shaker cabinets are cream, our floor is gray woodgrain tile.These photos helpful!

Beautiful. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the stone tops!

Has anyone found these silver grey granite countertops in Arizona? Trying to find some now and having a tough time! Any help would be appreciated!

Great work! Hope you are still enjoying your kitchen for these past few years.

Love the stone!

Love that you added the mobile island and removed the peninsula. I would like to do this with our kitchen also.