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.

You don't have to give up your beloved pink. Pink, brown and grey are doable. I googled pink and grey living room and saw some great pictures. Maybe get a large carpet that pulls out the pink (must match the same shade of pink). Then place your beautiful little pink and cream Kashmir(?) carpet over it. Also pull that same pink into sofa pillows. And a similar pink and brown Tablecloth for the dining table will pull the colours together. Just need to make sure all the pinks are the same shade with small accents/border of the same brown and grey from the sofa. Solid colours or subtle designs will be easier to coordinate than bold dramatic prints. These 2 are not the right shade of pink but you get the idea, I hope. Carpets with tone on tone pattern. A dusty rose on one wall would be nice too.

Tsilanko, I would always recommend professional installation where needed. But what I am doing here is suggesting that WHEN you are planning to build or renovate, to consider how your plans will affect you in 20 or 30 years time. Split levels are very hep when you are young. A kitchen 3 steps down at 30 is rarely a problem, but might be a hazard at 60, or, as Marjie1059 suggested, if you break a leg. ... All my parents' homes were terrible for old people. They were forced to move to a bungalow in extreme old sge because the location and design of their home was more suitable for an active young couple with a large family than for an elderly couple with stroke disabilities. I would not want to move again, so my present home has features built in that make ageing in place simpler. Mostly small changes, like grab rails, and lever handles on doors and faucets. A major disability suddenly suffered requires major changes if permanent. I did look at this because it came up in the discussion, but if you look at the heading, Planning for Disability, it means just that. Plan ahead so you don't have to make expensive changes later on. But thank you for your advice, yes, major changes are not in the DIY domain.

First of all a very happy and prosperous DIWALI to you and ur members.. DIWALI, popularly called Deepavali in some parts of India, is a festival which I long for every year. The preparations for Deepavali start long before the festival date. First, the excitement for me would be the new dresses that are bought to be worn for Deepavali. Apart from this all elders visiting us buy us sweets and dresses also. Jeans, T shirts, Trousers and shirts were all bought for me by my parents. The other major excitement for Deepavali is the bursting of crackers and fireworks.This year I will burst lot of crackers but only eco-friendly. Earlier I used to be afraid of crackers. Now I have got over the fear of bursting crackers. My parents tell me that I have to be very careful while bursting. I followed their advice and there was no fire accident also. The third rejoicing aspect of Deepavali for me is the eating of sweets.We visit relatives and friends with sweets and snacks. They also visit us with sweets and snacks. We seek their blessings on the festival day. Gulab jamun, Laddoos, Halwas and Kaju cakes were my favorites. My grandmother tells me that the victory of Good over Evil is the reason for this celebration. She also says that the festival is to mark the return of Rama to Ayodhya after his defeat of Ravana. In all, I can say that Deepavali is the brightest festival to be celebrated in India.According to me,the delicious food associated with the feast makes us feel that this festival must come more often in a year.