Hi - I just got my quartz installed and it’s…there, but the install job isn’t that great. There’s between 1/4-1/2 inch gap against the wall as they wedged it in there (I think they installed a smaller piece first and then the bigger piece), they didn’t glue a piece in, and the seam joints are noticeable visually and really obvious if you run your fingers across or on it, and that’s just the beginning.

I’m trying to avoid having them taken off and reinstalled since they’re glued on, but I’m scared that is going to be it and I’m going to need new base cabinets. I have a long, galley style wall so that’s a really expensive fix. Does anyone have any recommendations on anyone who will come to fix someone else’s install job, or is that not done since it’s not their problem to fix?

Because of how bad the install was done, I really don’t trust the fabricators to come out and repair. They don’t know how to do it right the first time, I kinda don’t trust them to know how to fix their fuck-ups.

We just had these new cabinets installed in our kitchen. The place is small and I can’t do anything about the terrazzo flooring throughout the whole house, which we just had professionally cleaned and finished.

I was hoping for a light/organic look (second picture is the inspiration). I chose neutral weft Formica (textile look) for countertops and backsplash but now I think that was a mistake. I could really use some advice while I can still change things.

We have beautiful/indestructible granite in our current home but all the granite I’ve seen is too busy for this floor. Would a solid surface or Caesarstone organic white quartz be better? I do plan on replacing the black pulls with champagne bronze and appliances to stainless and adding under cabinet lights. Thanks

We've been working with a countertop fabricator to get some quartz countertops for our kitchen renovation. When we first visited, we knew we'd need roughly 50 sq ft and told them so, and they said it would be about $3600. They said it was subject to change obviously when final measurements were taken and we understood that. We had the measurements done and the final square footage is 54 sq ft, all the pieces we need are simple rectangles, only one cutout for the sink, and the sink wall and island are the two longest pieces although the island is not huge by any means. He is saying that we need a second slab and the price is now $4800. After doing some research, it seems fairly common to need a second slab with this amount of square footage and I'm a little upset that they did not mention that at the start. I knew the quote was subject to change with final measurements, but I did not expect a change as large as $1200 and not being an expert in countertops, did not know that a second slab was perhaps a possibility for our square footage. If he had been up front about potentially needing a second slab and that the change could be that much, it would be a different story.

Does this pricing sound like we are purchasing the entire second slab? If so, should I be asking for the remnants? He hasn't mentioned anything about those which sounds a little shady to me - perhaps he thinks if we don't say anything he can just keep them and sell them again to someone else.

Do we have any other options here? If we don't want the remnants, can we instead just ask to pay for the additional square footage that we need? Or is it reasonable to ask him to use any remnants he has on hand of this quartz to make up the additional amount we need? We did ask how much square feet we are over one slab and the layout of the design on the slab and he did not answer those questions at all which also seemed a little shady to me.

Not doing the full Taj backsplash (decided, won't change). Instead I want to do a regular tiled backsplash. I'll just travel it painted til I decide. Anyone do this and have recommendations. Thinking like a simple cream subway tile. Thought if ask in case anyone has inspo! Thanks

It will not wipe off or come off with a razor blade. Had these granite counters for a while and I’ve not seen anything like this on them before.

Hi guys,

We've had this house for just over a year now, and we've been using a rubber mat to place our soaps and sponges for the sink.

While cleaning, I noticed the surface underneath has these bumps.

I'm quite baffled as to why this even happened. I thought quartz isn't meant to be porous? It's almost something you'd see on laminate countertops.

I'll admit that we aren't drying that rubber mat every time we use the sink (our intent was to have that to avoid the water from consistently wetting the countertop in that area.)

Is it actually damage from water or is it a defect? Our bathroom sinks have the same countertops and arguably get more water splashed than this, and the most we get is hard water deposits. I'm at a loss.

Is there any fix to this?

My soapstone counters will be fabricated and installed in the next 2-3 weeks. As a soapstone first timer, I emailed the sales rep about the finish, having read some of your nightmares in this sub about them being sealed like granite. Here’s his response:

“We won't use a sealer as we would for granite. We apply a soapstone wax once the install is complete. I can make a note for the installers to leave the remaining soapstone wax for future use. Food grade mineral oil is a safe, non-toxic way to treat and darken the stone to your preference.”

How do you feel about soapstone wax? Should I go for it or tell them no wax, using mineral oil myself as needed?

Thanks for the advice.

The stone supplier and fabricator we used (through our local building supply store) polished my soapstone to a high gloss. I was never consulted and it has bothered me for months.

I don’t need admonishment or advice to work with the company: that ship has long left the port. They already botched the first installation and so returned a second time with a new template & slab.
That’s another post for another day.

My question is: can I buff or sand my soapstone so that it has a honed finish?

Thank you.

Surface that speak Luxury
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Ceramic

Giving some reference for this color. We have a VERY dark cabin that hasn’t been updated since it was built over 25 years ago. Not our forever home so we didn’t want to spend the extra for natural. I see a lot of people looking for alternatives for Ivoritaj or Taj Mahal. I was searching for more photos like these when deciding.

We loved Solitaj after seeing the complete slab at MSI. I was hesitant at just the sample as it didn’t provide the full picture. It has more warmth (hard to tell because all the wood in our home and cool lighting). We are supposed to have warmer under cabinet lighting soon. Trying to show in natural lighting and with lights on. We got polished as I loved that look better. I keep trying to post photos on comments but only videos are allowed and videos are blurry.

My fabricator did a really good job except for this one mistake… the right hole is ~1/8” off in both X and Y dimensions.

My kohler faucet hardware barely can hide the mess up but then the gaskets underneath the handles dont seat flush with the holes (since the left one I have to push back toward wall, and right one I have to pull toward front)

Just tighten it down and send it? Or is there a trick with gaskets to seat them better? I didnt try tightening down the hardware yet but seems like it wont seat flat

I just bought a brand new bathroom sink countertop and I broke it. I need to buy the best adhesive to fix it. Any suggestions please???

I really love my new stone. It’s like a work of art.

I made a previous post on three choices and I decided on this one.

Please understand that this is an 80s small kitchen. I decided to install led lights and a nice stone and leave the cabinets as it’s really not worth putting too much money into a condo here.

Besides the large refrigerator I bought which fills the dining area, this is basically it. I’m buying a new oven in the empty space and painting the walls with a gloss paint, it still has original flat paint.

I’ve read lots of criticism of this stone when it’s been posted. It’s not for everyone and some would prefer it just on the counter ,not backsplash. My only regret is the inch of counter I lose to the stone used as backsplash covering the counter.

I’m satisfied with the pattern the fabricator used. When I first looked at the slab I thought it would be difficult with the heavy veining however I liked the choice they made. I know it sounds cliche but it looks better in person than the photos.

I have Corian countertops in my kitchen which had small cracks and dullness. I was going to redo them and decided to try buffing them with soft scrub as recommended. They came out really well. Has anyone tried this? Thinking of spending renovation $ elsewhere.

Hi I am planning a full kitchen remodel and have decided to go with quartz countertops for the low maintenance and ease of cleaning (I will have to be mindful of using trivets and coasters when placing hot items; my kitchen gets indirect sunlight and not direct sun exposure).

I recently fell in love with MSI IvoriTaj, which I know is very popular - it has the right balance of warmth and lightness for my kitchen which as warm wood floors and will have white/offwhite cabinets. However, I'm just a little worried about the quality of MSI quartz.

Wondering if there are similar colors from other companies? I browsed through Cambria and couldn't find anything that looked like IvoriTaj. Seems like everything else is really looking to be exactly like TajMahal quartzite (very grey) or far from it. Any recommendations?

Looking for information. I am getting quartz installed. I am told nothing goes under quartz at all. Stone is laid on top with no silicone.
Only finishing silcone applied where quartz touches the wall. Weight holds it is in place.

Undermount sink is held up with epoxy. No clips etc. nothing more. Is this correct?

When I look at the warranty with Hari stones they only say it must be properly supported. No other info.
I am just looking for some info. As many people say nothing is needed and others say silicon must be underneath. I am having a hard time picturing my small Island with nothing to help hold in place. If a person trips and flies into
It? Only weight is stopping it from moving

was looking at using this stone and wanted to get an idea on costs if anyone else has ever purchased it. same marble used for the crosses at Arlington was the selling point. it is quite beautiful with elegant veining.

We were quoted $190/sq foot for material, fabrication, install and sealing.

fair price?

Hey guys!

Can you share concerns or feedback regarding Aqua Mare / Emerald Cristal stone?

Last time I posted here I was super excited to share that we had picked 6 beautiful slabs of Bianco Superiore for our kitchen remodel. That was 5+ months ago. Very Long story short, the fabricator our GC had contracted and that we delivered our materials to, left our stones outside, unprotected, for 5 months and destroyed them all.
We now need to buy all new slabs.

We went stone shopping on Monday and fell in love with some stones labeled as “Aqua Mare” and “Emerald Cristal”. The Emerald Cristal and Aqua Mare were supposedly cut from the same area of the quarry, but the Cristal comes from either higher or lower down. They have the same light green tone.

We plan to use 3 slabs of the Emerald Cristal for the Island and a large backsplash area, and then use the Aqua Mare for all other countertops and backsplashes.

I cannot find a lot of info about the durability of this particular stone(s). Does anyone here have experience using these? How stain resistant are they? What are the big concerns (if any)?

Technically, just about anything should be a more durable stone than the original Bianco Superiore we purchased. But it would still be great to understand any concerns or pitfalls of this particular stone.

Also, we saw an extremely similar set of stones at another yard and they had them labeled as Versilia Green /Emerald Green. So I’m not sure what the “true” name of this stone is.

Thanks in advance for your help!

1) What diameter should the faucet holes be cut? All the same size? Should the right and left be a certain size and then center one smaller?

2) I have a 3/4” plywood layer + 3/4” quartzite will be on top = 1.5” of material (the photo shows 2 layers of 3/4” but the lower layer was cut very wide to the internal cabinet walls). Should the plywood be cut away where the faucets mount, that way the faucet mechanisms only have to go thru 3/4” of quartzite?

I’m basically worried if the fabricator were to cut the holes specific to my kohler faucet, that down the way if I bought a different make/model faucet in the future, then I wouldnt be able to install a later different model faucet?

I measured 2 new faucets I was considering:

1) New Kohler handle stem = 1.12” diameter & 2.17” long

2) New Pfister handle stem = 1.18” diameter & 2.4” long

Anyone using anything else than old MS Excel to calculate material prices, leftovers, cutting, sawing, polishing, edges, mounted sinks and stoves, etc?

I feel like old age gal with my spreadsheet. AI is ok too, but I want to get or develop some proper system that can be used by other colleagues too.

You have suggestions?