I agree with you. That work is unacceptable.

@flomangan, thank you. Our GC and designer work in collaboration and worked with the fabricator directly. I am surprised they would've signed off on this.

It looks like they did a good job. You know a slab is a definite area. They have to work with the natural patterns that occur in the stone. You can see they were aware of the veins and the major fuzzy line.

Both parties should have discussed how the cuts would be made and what was possible and impossible to do. It looks like they tried to make it work out but there might not have been enough slab to adjust perfectly.

I agree with leelee's statement that there might not have been enough slab to adjust perfectly. They did a fairly good job in my opinion. The filler in the seam could have been worked better to match the stone.

I'm guessing there is a slab cost issue here? First of all, a slab with that detail is never going to work right with a "L" corner. I guess if you used a second slab and cut the joint on and angle to the outside corner with the black fuzzy joining near the inside edge that could work. But that would require a second slab. So, not sure how you can proceed. I agree they worked hard to do what they did, it just isn't right. But you might have to learn to live with it.

We were told by gc it would take 2 slabs for our kitchen. Unfortunately, no one advised we may need 3 slabs to get best results. Had we known of any potential alignment issues we'd have gone for 3 slabs for best results. Thanks all for your comments. So very helpful to talk this through.

I read so many dilemmas on here where the communication between GC /designer and homeowner failed in some way. GCs/designers can't expect a homeowner to know how a counter will have to be fabricated using 2 slabs vs. 3. These details are important so the homeowner can make the best decision within budget.

You had a designer (a real designer...not a Big Box)? IMO there is no excuse for this mess. The designer's "job" is to anticipate pattern / layout issues and inform the customer if extra slabs are needed.

@chiflipper, yes a designer and gc who work as a team. sigh.

This is a difficult situation, and tricky to clearly assess without more information and situational context. However, at the end of the day, the seam should not have been done like that - this is not the quality of a professional. There are many reasons they could have decided to fabricate/install this way but ANY of them should have involved you in consultation before actually cutting the stone.

In defense of the fabricator (or GC, depending on your arrangement), this may have been necessary to avoid cutting into an additional stone (which, especially with quartzite, could have been much more expensive). Veining, layout, grain orientation, and number of seams (the fewer, the better) are all factors that get considered when determining how to cut. Price can be a very big driving factor, too, especially when a professional has to come back and ask for more money to "do it right". But that should have been brought to your or the GC's attention ahead of time. Or perhaps it wasn't an issue of cost to keep the number of slabs down - could it be there was not another slab available from this same lot of quartzite? (In which case, it's probably better to have the veining slightly off than to have it abruptly stop at the seam!)

There are a few legitmate situations that could have necessitated this seam job, but there needed to be a conversation with you, first and foremost, since the veining is so striking and misaligned. The kitchen palette looks fantastic, though - hopefully you love the rest of the kitchen as much as you love the stone!

@SustainableDesignGroup. I agree with all that you've said. I only wish they would've consulted with us if they felt another slab was necessary to ensure the end result would look good - they didn't. We've had a few issues that we let slide because overall we are happy with the design. This is just a glaring item that is hard to overlook. Very much appreciate your feedback!

On another note, here is the slab we picked and compared to what was laid down. Do these look like they are from the same bundle?

There is a problem here. That fringy line is like nothing I have ever seen. And that detail doesn't show in those pictures. I'm not at all sure you got the right stone. Did you get the specific slab numbers? I could be wrong, because I can't see the whole slab or the whole bundle but I suspect they just grabbed a couple slabs, or somebody else got what you selected and these were what was left. This is why I always advise folks to get photos on site, get the bundle and specific slab number and get a photo of the rep in the picture of the slab. It's called "evidence" and "documentation". This happens all too often.

Naively, I left it with my designer to order. I sent her and gc a pic of the stone with all the specs. She confirmed she'd have the slabs transferred from one retail location to the one closer to her. Unfortunately, the retailer has no record of that transfer. Not sure what happened here but starting to feel queasy.

OK, I practically guarantee you don't have the right slabs. I wouldn't accept these at all. You have a bit of a fight on your hands. Just say NO! Replace. That would drive me crazy. Your designer should have bird-dogged this better or get in there and resolve this for you!

Thank you so much. The support is truly appreciated.

You will need to show them the photo you posted here and they can see for themselves the "lines" in these slabs were much more subtle than what you got. Keep us posted. Man I hate this.

Stand firm AQ H, this is NOT your problem. The designer blew it and it's up to her / him to make it right. IF (and that's a BIG if) it turns out you require 3 slabs to get the correct pattern / flow I would pay for the one extra slab. The tear out, 2 slabs and all fabricating are on the designer's dime.

@chiflipper, great advice. Thank you.

The seam is fine which means the installer did a good job. The problem you are having is with the slab choice or whoever ok's this.

Slabs have variances and this happens but you should have been aware of the cuts beforehand. Again there is nothing wrong with that seam they even offset the edge.

There are two seams I saw and it was the bigger one I didn't like at all. But I agree with @wannabath. The work that was done, was done as best could be done with what they were working with. Just not enough material. That was what I suspected.

I hope my comment doesn't seem rude. The slab you picked out is beautiful! But the countertop you got seems almost scary to me? I'm sorry I just think they can't possibly be the same slab...

LOL! I think you nailed it; scary is the perfect word. It's very sharp in character with that drastic vein. What we picked was light and airy. Well, at least we know we have some taste sense. Thanks :)

Scary is the word, that stripe looked like barbed wire to me! Gotta go!

Pamela Anderson just came to mind. ;)

Did you view both slabs at the yard? The picture of the one from the slab yard does not look like what was installed and surely you would have noticed the zippered veining.

This is a perfect example of why every customer needs to go look at the templates on the slabs at the fabricator BEFORE its cut and not depend on someone else to approve a layout. I spend time on every kitchen to layout the seams and walk the customer thru the process before its cut and make them sign off on how all the seams will be done.

@champchamp... I viewed the one I selected at the yard and only saw the one laid in after it was laid in. @Rococo&TaupeInc, I have learned a good lesson in this remodel should I ever do another. I didn't know I could view a template but should have asked at least what the process was. Relied too much on the pros to provide me info and guide me through the process.

The seam looks fine to me. It's the bizarre vein that bothers me. Was that on the slab that you picked?

Definitely not the same slab you picked and if the fabricator doesn't have record of the transfer that is a huge red flag.

I would ALSO not be happy with the seam in its present position. It would be much easier to disguise if it ran back to front with the right side piece than cutting it across like that..and it would be a straight seam.

This is clearly not the slab you selected. Regardless of the dark vein that really stands out the lighter veining in the picture is wavy. The stone that was installed has very straight veining. It looks bad but the issue needs to focus on the fact this is NOT the stone you selected. If the stone yard has no record of a slab being selected. Where was the disconnect? If designer has no email or trace of informing the fabricator I would say this mistake is something she needs to correct.

Good Luck

Sorry - two different stones. The one in your "My slab" photo shows slow, meandering veining that has slow curves to them. NO big black stripe! The slabs in your kitchen have strong horizontal - almost STRAIGHT veining - with that big strong black stripe on it. Clearly two different stones. It doesn't take a geologist to see that. The veining pattern is different.

ADDED to the fact that the stone yard you PICKED IT FROM does NOT have a record of a transfer = different stones. I would grab some back-up (ie. witnesses) and have a sit down with the "designer" and the GC. I would be asking some very strongly worded questions! Not rude....not crude...but very direct. Ask them what happened. Ask them why you have a DIFFERENT STONE (with a weird "extension" joint) rather than the slabs you picked from the stone yard.

Your best tactic is to point out that your slab in the kitchen is not the slab in the photo. The seam and the pattern match are "good enough" to pass inspection. The seam is clean and nicely cut. The pattern match is almost as good as it gets = good enough unless SPECIFICALLY stated (in writing, with signatures) that it is to be a perfect match at the "black stripe".

The "wrong slab used" will win the day - not the "pattern" match/mismatch.

This is a rough situation. Did you (or the responsible party) go to stone yard and layout where template goes on the stone? Unless you bought the stone through the designer, it is not their responsibility. Many professionals in this industry have zero aesthetic sense. That certainly seems to be the case here. I would never recommend a line-y stone like that for a perpendicular installation. So sorry that you have come up against this. Best of Luck to you!

PS: why does your backsplash have a strip of wood at the end of it? It should be a glass bullnose. I would have them change that ASAP.

@cancorkfloor, thank you for the advice. I did speak to my GC, and luckily for us he's a pretty stand up guy. Although we didn't uncover how the slabs got mixed up he acknowledged immediately it was not the slab we selected and said to go ahead and choose a new one. He's allowing us to select any stone we want. What we originally had was Quartzite. If anyone has an opinion on the best stone would be great? ;)

@TaraVeith, we had our designer/gc team order the stone for us and let them run with the process. We've now learned through this discussion that we should've made sure to see the template so we could approve ourselves. I've certainly learned a lot. Thank you for your feedback. As I mentioned above, our GC acknowledges it's the wrong stone and will replace. Your comment about not the line-y stone in a perpendicular install helps me know what to avoid when selecting the new slab. Thanks!

@taraveith, I meant to ask you about the strip of wood at the backsplash. Are you suggesting a glass bullnose for aesthetic reasons or is there also a practical reason wood shouldn't be there? TIA

Really good news! Select the countertop material that would be best for you and your family needs, and don't get caught up in picking the "most expensive" because the builder said pick anything. Quartzite is one of the most expensive materials you can get, so if you want another quartzite, it will be a function of what is available. Shop around. It looks like your cabinets are a medium to dark gray, so you might want to consider Zodiac London Sky quartz. It is a really nice look with fine to medium gray veining, but it resembles Carrera Marble more than any other product currently out there. There are some very nice granites with white and gray as well, so you need to get your cabinet door samples and go shopping! One more thing, your backsplash might also get messed up so if you can't get additional tiles, to replace that lower edge, just in case, then you might have to replace the backsplash as well. On the wood edge, that is not done. I've never seen that. The standard methods are using a metal edge (which I think would look best with your current tile, except it has to be installed WHEN THE BACKSPLASH IS installed, so open issue there) and you can get what is called "pencil" trim in the glass but it is a bit hard to find. If the tile supplier who got your backsplash had wood, chances are they didn't have the bullnose or pencil trim to finish that edge. Check on line the Schulter Systems because I think they have a simple metal edge, you might be able to use, I'm not sure, but check on that. Hope all this helps. So very glad the scary quartzite is going away! Best of luck as you move forward, and keep us posted.

AQ H, great work in getting your dilemma on its way to a resolution! You got lots of good feedback. Would love to see your new kitchen in all of its glory when you're finished. :)

@flomangan, so much insight you've provided me, thank you! This platform is great because there are so many knowledgeable folks willing to help novices like me navigate the world of renovation. Grateful.

I would be very upset considering the prices of quartzite and that you had a designer. Unacceptable.

If that's a peninsula end, I'd probably fix that with my Festool rail saw with a diamond blade. Pull the left side, rip an inch or so off the front edge, re-profile and polish the edge and French miter. Cut an inch or so off the right end overhang, same as was removed from the left, re-profile and polish the edge, remake the seam, but with an inch less of overhang.

...and it still wouldn't look good

"...and it still wouldn't look good"

hummingalong2:

How so?

That weird stripe would still be there. The overhang would be too narrow. The owner would not be getting the good job he paid for. I would want a seam to be mitered or run from back to front at a corner, not right acrosss the middle of a length AND across the pattern...seams need to go with the pattern to stand a better chance of being hidden, not across it. (Long time seamstress, quilter and upholsterer..I know how to match a pattern (: )

As a custom counter-top designer I can tell you that a seam in those two pieces would have look great, look at the veining and flow, but fabrication was clearly WRONG. Besides, it is not the right place to do a seam. Especially being an open area like that.

If you will change it, Cambria has a few options that looks very similar to that quartzite like Ella or Annica, which has a nice touch

Joseph, no offense intended, I'm sure you would have done a better job than that.

My opinion, wrong location for a seam, should have been to the wall. I always avoid having a seam to an open area. And the problem with the veigns not aligning, that was a mistake done when it was cut. They're off by about an inch.

That's where it went wrong in my opinion.

HU. Old post.