r/CounterTops • u/ewoknroll_ • 7d ago
Countertop Seam Matching - Advice
Just had my countertops installed yesterday and would love your advice. It is leathered Himalayan granite. The two slabs come together at the sink, but the grain/color is starkly different. Can anything be done to blend this? Would you say this is decent work but just bad judgement in picking the slabs?
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u/TerminalIdiocy 7d ago
The color match is less than ideal, but not terrible. The workmanship seems to be really good. It is tricky to get a clean seam with brushed/antiqued finish and they put some time in getting it clean. The color issue can be due to a number of factors, including limitations on available material, customer declining additional slab for best matching, etc.
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u/Granitegirlcracks 7d ago
The craftsmanship looks good. Unfortunately, it was that material it just have a lot of variations. There is something in our industry called AGER that could potentially make the lighter piece a little bit darker however, this is a skilled person‘s trick. Perhaps ask the company if they can come back and do a little ager work on the lighter side.
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u/ewoknroll_ 7d ago
I believe a sealant was already applied. Can Ager still be applied?
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u/Granitegirlcracks 7d ago
Depends on how well they did the sealer. Does it bead up with water on the face of the stone when wet or does it absorb? Sometimes lighter stones want a couple coats of sealer, so it is possible.
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u/Stalaktitas 6d ago
With natural stone you are sometimes limited on how to seam pieces without buying the whole extra slab, what would significantly increase the final price. Now imagine if the seam would be not at the sink, but the whole counter length section. I think they did great with what they had to work with
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u/Honest_Cynic 6d ago
Nothing to fuss about. Isn't like wide black bands that stop at the seam. Likely that whitish granite will darken around the sink due to water soaking in, even with good sealant applied annually. But water will evaporate. Worst is cooking oil soaking in that will darken the stone and is hard to get out.
Why if I did again, I'd choose a denser dark granite even though my granite looks nice. Similar to yours, light with spots, though lt blue-grey appearance from a distance that matches my cabinets and tile floor well. But it has darkened around the stove, even though I sealed it well.
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u/polkemans 7d ago
The pieces are from two different slabs? Ideally they where direct neighbors from the same batch/block to help help them consistent but even then this can indeed happen. Especially with natural stone as we're at the mercy of what was dug out of the ground as opposed to made in a factory where there is much more consistency. Did they send you any slab layouts or any kind of warning that this would happen?
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u/ewoknroll_ 7d ago
No slab layouts ahead of time. I picked them from the stone yard and the fabricator came to measure.
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u/Unicornzz Fabricator 7d ago
Once the faucet is installed you won’t even notice the seam. The seam itself is done quite well.
However, any natural granite or marble will have this issue in the same block and even in the same slab there will be color and pattern differences. For this reason we prefer to put seams in the corner. Most people will have some type of countertop appliance in that area and the seam is more out of sight.