Here is a pic of the slab of alleged river white.

It's blue! Did he not look at photos before he ordered? He needs to attend to have it sent back.

Where do you live? Can you visit a stone yard and pick out your slab? Is worth a lot of driving.

Some of that is that poor camera phone pic and the shade.
The real problem is that is has almost none of the burgundy or the white and lots of black and gold. Here is a close up pic.

It also doesn't have any of the streaky swirly grays that we fell in love with.

One option that the granite contractor suggested is Bacca Bianca.

It has a similar color palate to the river white but is more of a gray base. It also base a very different pattern.

This is all part of the thrill of natural stone; you never know exactly what you're going to get. Embrace it or go solid surface, estone, or sintered.

When I ordered granite for my kitchen and for my bath, I went to the stoneyard and picked the exact slabs to be used. We then discussed where the cuts would be. Did they not do that for you? There can be great variations in granite slabs with the same names, as you have learned. You are lucky to be able to make a change before it is cut. Good luck. I like the suggested replacement.

Gee, from your subject title I expected a real "fiasco", not just that the slabs came in looking differently than you expected. As has been said, stone varies. Go to the stoneyard, and pick out actual slabs you like that are physically present in the stoneyard. If you don't like any that are there now, either go to another stoneyard (it's amazing how inventory varies at different stoneyards), or wait for the next shipment to come in. When you see a slab you like, make sure to label it as yours. Then, take a few photos of the entire slab with your label on it, perhaps from a couple different angles. And you must, no matter what, be present at the templating. Take photos of the slab with the tape on it that shows how it will be templated. Do not skip the in-person templating. I mean it.

One issue is that we live in central PA and there are no slab yards near us. There are a couple of local fabricators who use a variety of suppliers around the state, in MD, NJ, and VA.

Unfortunately we can't just go a pick something we like.

Our fabricator is trying to get pictures of actual available slabs from their various suppliers for us to choose from.

Another she has found is called Thunder white

I used the word fiasco because we are under a very tight construction deadline at this point. We have a firm deadline to be out of our short-term rental so any delay becomes a huge problem. If we don't meet that deadline then I have no idea were we will be sleeping.

I understand that natural stone has variation, but this struck me as beyond expected variation. I also feel that the flooring and cabinet choices we made has constrained our ability to choose an alternative on the fly. Lots of stones we may like just won't work within the design.

Well, you can sleep in a house without granite counters - put in a sheet of plywood until you find the right granite. Don't rush the process. If you think this was a fiasco, wait until you've actually installed a granite or backsplash that you hate.

OK, now that you gave those details that were not in your previous posts, I understand why you said fiasco. And you have my sympathy that you are in a bind. But I am concerned that you might choose a stone just because you are in a hurry, and it might not be right for you. Can you move into your home without the kitchen counters? I can't tell you how many people have had to live with plywood counters and unfinished kitchens until everything came in. People have talked on this forum about dinners made using microwaves, toaster ovens, and the bathroom sink for months (it's worth it in the end). And, even without your counter issue, typically kitchen builds will have some other holdup of some kind, delays, items that don't come in, or things come in damaged, etc. so be aware of that. I have done 2 kitchens in the past, and am on my third one. My experience has been that it is best to plan on a minimum of 6 weeks more to whatever timetable the GC has given. If it's finished before that, great. But at least you've planned in case it's not.

Yes,you're very lucky they showed it to you and it wasn't installed. Wait. Plywood works great. Get a nice smooth grade one. Photographs are very inaccurate, as you can see from the blue granite above. At least get a chunk from that lot to see the coloring but I would take a pleasant day trip or overnight getaway to view and template the counter. It is too costly a mistake with very long term consequences.

Have you considered quartz? I think that with dark floors AND dark cupboards, the options you showed are still too dark.

If you want to stick with granite, I believe a weekend road trip to actually see it would be worth your time.

I agree..plywood counter tops til you can find exactly what you are looking for. I did it for 6 weeks. Many others here have as well. Mine were "on" during the holidays even. ;)

If you need to drive several hours to a yard to choose your actual slabs then do that. You cannot choose from pictures. Stay overnight if you have to. It will be cheaper in the long run than choosing the wrong stone. Central PA is not exactly the boonies, you've got big cities within a few hours drive.

Personally I would be willing to wait if need be. Not sure if our bank would let us close on the house without counter tops installed.

Ditto to the above advice from others. And, a bank will not hold you up cause your counters aren't in. Electric and plumbing, yes. Really, lack of counters happens thousands of times with new construction. Show your bank your contract with your fabricator if need be.

When you go on your drive to the stoneyards, make sure to bring your cabinet sample, floor sample, and camera with you!

BTW, visiting stoneyards is fun! This should be an enjoyable day trip, or overnight trip if you have to, with your spouse and any other family members. We went, and had to drag my son to come with us, and he grumbled the whole drive. Once he got there, he was all "wow cool!", and wanted to see every single slab, and was fascinated. He even posted on his FB page a pic of himself standing in front of the slab we picked.

This post was edited by Mrs_Nyefnyef on Sun, Nov 23, 14 at 13:55

I agree with the above, you're after a specific-looking stone, you'll need to see it in person to be sure so take your time. Otherwise...'marry (the granite) in haste, repent in leisure'. ;)

Use melamine, not plywood. It's cheaper, flatter, and much more sanitary.

This post was edited by Trebruchet on Sun, Nov 23, 14 at 15:03

I quite like the Thunder White. Do you?
Agree with you about the slab not matching your expectations. I wouldn't get that slab.

'When you go on your drive to the stoneyards, make sure to bring your cabinet sample, floor sample, and camera with you! '

this - for sure!
do SEE the granite in real. We've had a number of very unhappy posters on here because they didn't go see it and didn't template it. It's a LOT of money and you'll be living with it for many yrs - do it right! haste makes waste

A good number of people here have also lived with plywood counters for a time... try the melamine suggested above.

Just wanted you to know this happens to others too. In AZ the same thing was happening with River White last year around April/May. I chose the river white you did, white with grey swirls and had it installed. My sister in law chose the same based on a sample but by the time she was installing her kitchen months later the slabs came in and were a completely different color! Keep looking. Good luck.

Crisis averted.

We found a pair of slabs much more to our liking. they are being delivered to our fabricator tomorrow.

Also our cabinets are mostly installed. So we think the counters are going to look great.

Good news!

Yay for averting a crisis. I think your new slabs are way nicer than what you originally planned to get. They will look awesome with your cabs. Now, pour yourself a glass of something nice and relax.

They ARE going to look great herrdoktor!

That's great that you found slabs - they're gorgeous and I'm sure will look great with your cabinets.

Be sure to use a very good sealer on your granite. I have River White bathroom counters and shower niche shelves and can't seem to prevent water and soap stains no matter how many times I seal with 511 Impregnator. They were just installed a few years ago and have been sealed several times. I'm in the process of looking for a better sealer now.

Beautiful! I too like this slab better than your original.

My earlier advice bears repeating: make sure to go to the templating, and also take a photo of the slab with the templating tape on it. There have been many Kitchens Forums threads from people saying "my counters were installed, and I am so upset - they ran the pattern the wrong way", or "they cut out my favorite part," or "I wanted the sink cut-out here, but they did it there". These people were not present at the templating.

Well the saga continues.
Due to the storm and the holiday last week our slabs were delayed until today.

When they were getting unloaded at the fabricator today one slab cracked at the top where the hoist grabs the slab and is useless and the other slab fell and shattered. Oy Vey!

The supplier is going to hand pick two slabs from the same lot and have them delivered on Friday.

Oy vey is right!!!! Hope things go well on Friday!

Out countertops were installed yesterday and finally made it over take a look.
The pictures really do not do them justice.

Yay!!! It's beautiful. All's well that ends well.

Gorgeous! Glad you hung in there and it all worked out so nicely!

Looks beautiful! I'd love to see more, esp how they look with the darker cabs.

Very nice!

Magpier.
Here is a picture with the espresso cabinets.

Thanks! Looks great!