I've never bought anything major from IKEA, but I work with a fabricator and sell a TON! of stone countertops. First, you won't pick out your slab; it's not important as there isn't variation in a manufactured quartz like there is in natural stone.

Regarding using IKEA, why would you buy from them? They are a middle man and will be marking it up and then most likely (given their history) providing very bad service. Their installation office is not made up of people with a lot of history in doing projects like yours; rather, they are generally hired to fill a void in the building. Please note that I said "generally".

If I were you (and mind you, I am about ready to make a large stone purchase for my own countertops; additionally, I've been a designer/renovator/installer for 10 years), I would go directly to a stone countertop fabricator. They will be very helpful, definitely more cost-effective, and more efficient. However, I would get a referral somewhere from a local installer who is known to do high-quality designs. Just look one up or ask around, then call them and ask them. Most top design firms are happy to tell people who their favorite sub-contractors are.

And remember, you get what you pay for. If you go cheap, you will get cheaply-made/fabricated stuff. There is no getting around that.

Hi Hunter, I agree very much on what you said! We are about to get counter tops also, as our house is very unsquared, would Home Depot Subs be able to template to install? My client is going towards Home Depot for this. It will be installed on my custom built cabinets.

Ken