I think the marble naysayers have jumped on the bandwagon without really living with the stone. I have statuary in my bathrooms and love it. Most stains can be removed with a simple baking soda and water poultice. Acid etching is harder to deal with since it removes the polished surface, but its part of having a living stone in your home. If it becomes too bad, you can have it repolished. With a darker stone, you won't have as many issues as a white marble. In order to really know if you can live with it, I suggest you get a small sample of the stone and do some tests. Here is an example. http://www.dohiy.com/2013/04/21/marble-countertops-the-post-acid-test/ Please note that she used bleach and oxyclean to clean the stone after her test. Stay away from both since they can etch the stone just as much as an acidic food. Instead, clean with a ph neutral cleaner like isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), and for heavy stains, the baking soda poultice mentioned above. You have to remember that marble has been used for centuries as flooring, table tops, countertops, etc. throughout the world and most of these installations are still here and aren't stained and etched to the point that it has been ripped out and replaced. Just think about all of he luxury hotels in Europe and how many times they have been exposed to Hangover type guests without any damage.

I think this is a question of terminology. The vast majority of sheet-stock you see is veneered plywood, or these days, particle board or MDF. Plywood, by it's nature is multiple laminations. What you'll want to determine is the quality of the outermost veneer, and whether it's an acceptable grade to clearcoat, stain, etc. It sounds like you're looking to maintain the grain rather than paint over it... ??? If so, apply a clearcoat first. You should not simply polish raw wood or veneer. You may polish a coated veneer - but it would be coated with a varnish or laquer, etc first. Anything needs to be finished in some manner.

Where to go for cheap furniture Goodwill, word of mouth from friends and family, yard sales, and moving sales. Wooden pieces I will buy from anywhere and will dive into a dumpster even, fabric/leather pieces much more picking with. Rugs are easy to clean or have cleaned. Always do the smell test, if you gag run away. You can paint anything, even fabric covered chairs. Get an idea of what you want your space to look like, and feel like. Create idea books in Houzz for each room. This will give you a guide to what you like. Less is more. You don't have to fill every room. Get basics first and everybody has a different idea of basics. Find yours. Put only things that you love in your house, and everything will look great. It will be a home filled with love.

Hello - do you mean paint for the walls? I have seen many bathrooms in other countries, not just India, that have a combination of paint/tiles so don't understand why this would be an exception