A wood stain cabinet. with stain factory applied is I think the easiest to maintain. If you like white cabinets, make sure that the white is factory applied, too. Cabinets that are painted and / or stained at home, do not have as durable a finish as factory applied finishes.

I have tumbled travertine (basically a form of marble) in the master bedroom and a marble mosaic in the master bath. It is higher maintenance. It stains and it wears differently in different areas. I am not doing natural stone in my new home. There are some fantastic tiles now that mimic all the stones, and a good quality porcelain tile will be very durable. Some ceramic wall tiles are "weaker" but I have had excellent luck with porcelain tile. Granite floors. Sure. But as people have said they also require maintenance like periodic sealing etc. In a house that size you don't want a different kind of floor in every room. I would stick to one or perhaps two types of floor tile in the main rooms. You can get away with additional types on walls in the bathrooms but I would keep the floors consistent. As far as cost goes, there is a very broad range of tiles and stones. In my shopping I have found some very good high quality floor tiles for reasonable prices. Stone has priced out higher...at least the ones I have looked at. Good luck!

Hello Rahul, limiting to your query on granite - It is quite a beautiful, natural and hard material. For applications in kitchen, store and balcony they would do good. There are some points you should consider for granite application - - Granite usually occur in dark shades so consider the lighting in the area of application. - Ask the vendor for iron content in any natural stone for avoiding rust marks. - The process of application and polishing is cumbersome but thank god in India, craftsmen are easily available. - Do not go for a elaborate gloss polish to avoid skidding/slippery floors. - It is also advisable to re-polish/reseal them every 3-5 years. Thanks, Nitin CORNERSTONE DESIGNS, Bangalore.

Hey Pooja, I'm thinking to create a DIY project for a multi purpose tablets with minimalist design whilst being functional.