vinyl is nasty but relatively cheap. Off-gassing a problem? Can get it in clear; even from JoAnn's. Clear won't lose the beautiful new wood you just spent your retirement income on. Muffles sound. Smoothness might not be optimal for stopping slipping, not sure. Comparatively easy to clean.

ribbed plastic. Available at costco relatively cheaply, but not in clear. Ribs allow air to circulate underneath still-wet glassware. Ribs royal pia to clean; hide spills from sight too. Not sure how price compares to vinyl; probably more. I think the ribbed plastic is available in clear elsewhere. May prevent slipping. Muffles sound.

cushy cupboards. Beloved by many. Expensive, sparsely available (why??). Cheapest online by the case. Periodic sales at Dewalts in socal. Anyone know if upper midwest is cheaper? Spongy plastic - offgassing a problem here as well? Easy to clean; impervious. Not clear. BBB might have a rip-off version of this.

cork. Environmentally friendly. Nuisance, relatively fragile. Deadens sound. Probably expensive, most perhaps. I'm guessing pieces rip off which might be annoying and dirty too.

freezer paper. Suggested as cheap, waterproof alternative. Fine in fridge as well.

waffly stuff - almost forgot this. I haven't seen it in water-proof material though. Permits air flow for better drying.

Other alternatives: pimpernel placemats (love that!), paper towel, nothing.

Everyone seems to hate that old stand-by, adhesive contact paper. I loved putting that down.... and I loved the sweet patterns too.

What about spongy plastic that you can buy in large rolls from packing stores I think? Somehow I wound up with tons of it when packing things away a couple years ago and it doesn't seem to have left any residue on plates, etc. It's not the firmest of closed-cell packing material, but pretty dense. How's this differ from cushy cupboards? Denseness? I'm sure it's way cheaper than cushy cupboards (so who's really dense if you shell out so much $$$ for it?)

Anyone have anything to add?

Why can't they make cushy cupboards in clear plastic, with optional ribbing, at a much cheaper price, more widely available? Don't answer that....

You know this process is taking its toll when even this trivial decision becomes oppressive. Fried I am....

Question for cushy cupboard users: do you set wet glassware on it or does it make a seal that would prevent drying underneath the glass?

Thanks.

Is this ok timing or should I wait a few weeks/months after the countertop has 'settled'?

Also what join should he be using between the BS and CT?

As for the granite story.The counter is much darker than New Venetian Gold would normally be. I had a beautiful slab
of NVG in my other house and I wanted the exact same granite in my new house. My KD suggested a place that could give me a "real deal" on granite so I drove 2 hours to the fabricator and picked out a primo slab of NVG.I was so excited and couldn't wait to see the final product in my new kitchen. Months passed and still no granite. My builder started to worry that the fabricator would push back the completion date and potentially delay our move ( when we had to be out of our old house). I finally heard back from the fabricator that the slab I had picked out had to be used in another home that had a granite order from the same run. They said I could use the NVG from another slab. All I needed to do was approve an attached photo and they could have my counter top installed in time for my move in date. Here's what I've learned. NEVER SIGN OFF ON A GRANITE SLAB WITHOUT SEEING IT IN PERSON. It was a stupid mistake on my part. I have no one else to blame but myself but I OK'd the slab from a photo. It looked dark but I naively assumed it was my monitor and that all NVG was pretty much the same. It was such a shock when I saw this butterscotch colored granite against my creamy white cabinets. What was even more disturbing was that the original NVG color was visible on the edge of the counter tops. The fabricator later explained that the granite was likely discolored during the polishing process. My builder said he would stand behind me if I wanted to press for satisfaction and everyone here on the forum said I should fight back but the fabricator said I didn't have a leg to stand on. Eventually, I gave in and decided to make the most of it because it was creating a huge riff between my builder and KD both of whom were friends. It actually looks pretty good against the cherry island and I even get compliments on it sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I love the new kitchen but every time I see a nice slab of NVG,I wonder how it might have looked had I gotten the granite I picked out. Sigh.

This is a better shot showing the contrast between the granite and the light cabinets. The NVG I picked out was much lighter with flecks of white that blended well with the perimeter cabs.