Talk to your fabricator for his input. I'm assuming that you've checked out his previous jobs and certification from the manufacturer.

will you have a sink or a cooktop in the island. We have Piatra Gray in our kitchen and the fabricator suggested doing the seam centered at the sink as it has less seam that way. He did such a good job that I don't see it at all unless I hunt for it. Could send a picture if you want.

A good architect enjoys the challenges the constraints of his materials provide. See if he can design the seam away.

Here's the seam on piatra gray centered on our sink. it is directly in the center and the fabricator seems to have cut it at a place where there is some good veining on both sides of the cut so it blends well in my opinion. I'd focus more on having the fabricator cut it at a place on each side where they think they can make the veining match the best. The longer the seam the harder that is to do which is why it could be best to have it bisected by a sink or a cooktop.

Trebuchet, no one can design away a seam in a Ceasarstone island of more than 10', other than by doing what we did, which is to make the island the maximum size we could (118") for a seamless Ceasarstone installation.

OMG. Cleveland rookie intercepts the Colts. TD. Extra point. That makes TWO defensive TDs in this game thus far!

Ok back on topic. On longer islands I have seen and really liked butcher block on the end. It's the kind of piece one could actually USE. And it's beautiful.

Our Piatra Grey island is not long enough for a seam; I don't know if the patterning is regular between slabs, but you could try a bookmatch (the pattern might be truly randomized). Our only seam is behind a sink, roughly 8" long and nearly invisible like the one shown above, except it is behind the sink (apron sink). I would a) see if bookmatching is possible and fits your budget and b) locate the seam at a sink.

In one point of my counter, it is a 13' run. I'm planning on a single hole faucet with single bowl under mount stainless sink pretty much in the middle. I know I'm crazy, but I'm looking at marble, quartz and quartz alternatives.

If I place the seam at the center of the sink, can I do the seam in the center at the wall, too? Will I have to offset the faucet? Or, can the faucet hole be cut in the center as well through both sides of the joint? Or, do I off set the seam in the back and cut the hole in the center? What is the best practice?

My Caesarstone counter's only seam is centered on the sink. The faucet is centered right on the seam. At first I thought it would be a terrible place for a seam, but it's short and I barely notice it.

"Trebuchet, no one can design away a seam in a Ceasarstone island of more than 10', other than by doing what we did, which is to make the island the maximum size we could (118") for a seamless Ceasarstone installation."

sjhockeyfan:

Sure he can. Maybe a raised bar at an end? Anyone can "design" anything on paper; it's easy. The difficult part is designing within the parameters of your material. That's what you should be paying a fancy-pants architect to do.

The ''problem'' was designed into the space. It can be designed out of it too.

That's different - that's changing what was a 13' island into a 10' island with a raised bar. I'll restate - you can't have a single-level island that's more than 10' long made out if a seamless slab of Ceasarstone.

Is it really such a big deal to have a seam? I'm sincerely curious. Is it really necessary to design around it? Is it less desirable on an island or something because most kitchens have at least one seam. Often two.

No, seams are never really the problem that this forum thinks they are. There are thousands of good quality seams produced from stone professionals every single day. Only the poor quality seams get complained about. And it's usually due to two factors that are controllable from the outset.

Bad seams can be a problem with a substandard fabricator. Or a customer wanting "invisible" seams that cannot be educated out of that unreasonable expectation.

Manmade quartz with movement is random, so you can never have a seam that keeps the movement crossing it. That's for a natural stone, with bookmatching. Having expectations of "invisibility" will only be satisfied by Corian. In a color without any movement. Even then, the manufacturer will tell you that their seams are "inconspicuous" NOT invisible. In quartz, a color will smaller particle size and less movement can be quite inconspicuous also, but never invisible. The larger the particle size, and the more movement, the more visible any seam in a manmade substance will be. Because it's random and not predictable.

Shopping with focusing on price alone rather than the actual completed jobs that you view first will open you up to someone who you shouldn't be considering if quality is a goal A cheap fabricator probably doesn't own the latest technology to pull seams together tight, or tries to get a couple of more cuts out of a blade than it really should be stretched to. Shop the job quality first. If the price is too dear, then move to a less costly material rather than a substandard fabricator. The fabricator makes the job. I've got a team that I've never had a single complaint about. They always go the extra mile. Work with a local KD who has vetted the quality of the fabricators in your area and who knows who does a good job. The best professionals are always found by referrals from other professionals.

Read the document linked below and become a better educated consumer. The sections covering the cabinet installation leveling, wall flatness, and counter support are particularly important to understand for you and any design professional assisting you with your kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: MIA Guide

seams are never really the problem that this forum thinks they are.

The seams on the wall side of my kitchen are outstanding. I'd still prefer not to have a seam on my island.