Yes it's too much. That's 2 differeent stones just in your kitchen. (Granite is a stone.

Ah. Yes, forgot about the granite. :)

Stone, as you show, for a backsplash is great for collecting and displaying samplings of great meals of the past.

It might look really great with the granite though, and register as an extension of the counter and not as a different stone.

My concern would be the same as Mr. Bischak's--you can't really clean that well enough to have it in a cooking area.

It does look awesome against our granite, but rethinking the cleaning ideas. Considering that I was initially considering the sandstone as a backsplash, at least with the coal, won't be able to see the dirt that's there....

Oh that is nice. I don't think it would count as "yet another stone". Do you know what it is? It looks shinier than many of the stones used for the ledger style, like it might not be as porous. (Still bumpy though!)

Test it for cleanability. Stick that sample behind the stove in your current kitchen and cook your nastiest stuff on the back burners. Splatter it with oil and marinara, let it get hot to soak in, and see how annoying it is to clean. It'll be bumpy, so it'll never be the easiest, but sometimes you have to scrub harder to have something that looks good.

If you go with it, you can toss a big cookie sheet in front of it when you do really messy things.

Fori -- that's funny you said that. In our current home, there isn't a backsplash -- just white paint, and it looks fine. When I do cook anything that might be splashy, I do put a tray back there, but even that stays clean. I guess I'm a front-burner kinda gal. :)

It's a quartzite that looks exactly like the coal we pick up behind the house. We'll definitely seal it, for both cleaning purposes and to bring out the blacker tones. But you guys have me thinking that maybe I should just use it instead of the planned ebony slate for the master fireplace...

A big cookie sheet back splash would be highly functional.

What are the cabs? wood? is that granite similar to this one?

For this backsplash, I suggested she use the basalt tiles. This was a honed basalt. (if you do go w/this, make sure to SEAL these prior to install, not after grouting. )

you would get a similar look but it would be much easier to keep clean than the rough cut quartz.

Although, they do make that ledgerstone in a smooth, level cut.

this is the basalt ledger panel

lighter Pewter color w/more texture

this is a black slate, but it's smooth. once a semi glass enhancing sealer was applied, it would look much blacker, smoother and be simple to wipe clean

If you prefer the roughcut, why not use it for the fireplace?

or, is there a dining wall area where you could do one wall of this?

Your design sounds AMAZING! Must follow and see photos.

No problem at all with mixing stone in different areas. I would recommend you skip the black everywhere. That's not a good color for your plan. You need natural or concrete/iron.

Use it elsewhere. I shutter at the thought of keeping any kind of rough stone clean.

Thanks everyone! We are using black slate as the tile in the baths and laundry, so tying that with the backsplash would work too. Great Idea, @Beth H. :

We're still picking cabinets -- either a graphite or java, and the countertop is similar to that -- much more simple and toned down, mainly black with veins of lighter cream and brown.

I think on a fireplace it could be a dust magnet, and certainly even worse as a backsplash. The "ledgey-ness" of it and the black color will not be forgiving when its dirty.

Here's a crazy idea. What if you put a few layers of the "coal" stone within the sandstone on the fireplace? It could be a little geologic reconstruction of the sedimentary sequence of coal.

Another stone to consider for local flavor is Colorado Marble. They are employing former coal workers in their quarrying and fabrication operations. A cool company with gorgeous stone.

https://usenaturalstone.org/colorado-marble-american-stone-meets-italian-tradition/

Thanks @karin_mt. We're using local boulders and steel ibeams in the fireplace already, and the steel is already being fabricated, but I love the idea!

Oh WOW!!! @karin_mt -- that link is amazing!!! If we weren't so far along in our selections and ordering, we would definitely have considered that marble! We're using stone from the neighborhood already throughout the house and outside hardscaping, so we're all over keeping it local!

Yeah it's cool isn't it? I'm the same way, I love local materials and have built 3 stone walls on our property with local rocks. One is a mini geologic timeline, and it contains all the rocks in our region, in their proper order. I never tire of this stuff.

It sounds like you're having a lot of fun and I'm sure you will continue to do so! Maybe you'll come up with a use for that sexy marble somewhere.

@karin_mt One of our main influences in designing the house, along with material selections, is Mary Jane Colter. We often ask "What would Mary do?" when making decisions. She's known for using local materials, and making her buildings appear as if they rose out of the ground organically. We also love her fireplace design at the Bright Angel Lodge in the Grand Canyon, that uses the local rocks stacked geologically correct too. (Know the Canyon's History, Study Rocks Made By Time, Very Slowly is my key to knowing all the rock layers there myself!) Rock nerds rule! :) I wanted to copy her fireplace, but was voted down....

Ahh, that fireplace is perfect. They've even got the Great Unconformity at the bottom. Love it! The Grand Canyon is such a delight. Thanks for sharing this!

I am an interior architect and a gourmet cook, so here's what I think: Not only would it look stunning, it will look sleek and sophisticated, and make you happy. You can mix several colors and textures of stone in one area, and you should. As long as you vary the size and texture and coordinate the colors, it will be great, and WAY more interesting than just one material.

There is a tiny concern about food splatter, but a screen over pots will help and should be used anyway. I would definitely seal the coal ledger stone. Dusting once a month will fix any dust.

The slate in the bathrooms is a concern, but at least you are not using it in the kitchen. Slate is a grease magnet and stains EASILY. It also flakes and needs lots of maintenance like . Whenever I have a client who wants slate, I steer them to porcelain pavers that mimic slate amazingly well. However, if you insist on staying with all natural materials, I would look at basalt, which is a volcanic limestone. It would need sealing too, but doesn't have the toes rubbing alerts that slate has.

Thanks @lgrdesign. We'll definitely seal the ledger stone - for both cleaning and to enhance the color/sparkle. As I said, I don't have any backsplash in our current kitchen, just white paint, and it's clean as new. I put up a tray when I use our "griddler", but I would do that no matter what material was on the backsplash.

The slate floor won't be in the kitchen, and it is a sealed product -- I'll see if it's not too late to change that order. Thanks!

LOL @salex -- it's our favorite place in the world, and we've hiked down to the river and R2R2R'ed so many times I've lost track! In my head... the coal canyon also reminds me of the Vishnu Schist in The Box, so there's that too....

I too am enjoying the geologic content in this thread. I'm impressed with both of you - 'running up' to Bright Angel Lodge and doing rim-to-rim-to-rim multiple times - wow!

I could imagine basalt working well in your plan, that's a good idea from @lgrdesign. I think you can source it from the Pacific Northwest if you want a local source.

Since we're on the topic of geology, just a minor correction that basalt isn't volcanic limestone. But it is a volcanic rock and often it forms from a lava flow, as in Hawaii and Iceland, and the lava flows in the PNW. Basalt has completely different mineral content than limestone and is much harder and also more resistant to acid and it won't etch.

When I built my geologic timeline wall I put a grouping of basalt columns in the wall, in the Eocene, right where they belong. :)

Here's a photo gallery of all the ways Icelanders use their native basalt in their architecture. I had too much fun with this topic! http://usenaturalstone.org/got-lava-photographic-tour-icelands-native-stone/

Thanks @karin_mt for the links to your company and your articles -- very interesting! We're struggling to get our builder to realize we want our areas natural stone boulders as our hearth -- just big, slightly squared off sandstone where he wants clean sharp angles.

I hear you - those details are important. I hope you can get the look you're after.

The articles are mine but it's not my company. It's an organization that I write for. I'm just trying to bring a little more useful geoscience into the stone industry. It's super fun!

For practicality you need a smooth surface as a backsplash behind the stove. You will constantly be wiping splashes of spaghetti sauce, etc. not an east task on stone.