Countertop installed, colors off, do I say something

dream house 2015

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I'm I being too nit picky on this? Countertops installed and the background colors of the two pieces do not match, do I live with it or ? I can notice it from across the kitchen, not just standing in front of it. Thanks!

Forgot to put in that it's Polarstone Calacatta Vigli.

Featured Answer

PRO

Granite City Services

8 years ago

I am a fabricator. Unfortunately I suspect this is a case where the slab supplier sent the fabricator "butterfly" or "mirrored" slabs that don't have a perfect color match.

If the parts were not seamed together you'd never notice but seams are the reason people buy "mirrored" slabs.

If there is a way to appreciably darken or lighten quartz I'm not aware of it. The non-porous nature of engineered stone makes it impossible to use many of the techniques that work on porous material.

At this point the fabricator could replace the small piece with a remnant from the slab used to make the large piece (assuming he has one) but you would lose the excellent grain transition across the seam you have now.

Alternatively, the fabricator could ask the supplier to provide another pair of mirrored slabs that actually match in color at the slab suppliers cost and then remake both pieces.

Several years ago I stopped buying slabs from a major quartz brand because I couldn't assume all the slabs of a given color would actually match.

Ask your fabricator what he suggests. If he's a quality shop he should be willing to work with you.

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Comments (11)

nosoccermom
8 years ago
No, you are not not picky. It would bug me, too.

What material is this?
dream house 2015
Original Author
8 years ago
Oops, left out that important detail! It's polarstone quartz calacatta vigli.
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rantontoo
8 years ago
No, you did not pay for non-matching counters. Why would a fabricator think this is ok?
H202
8 years ago
Not okay. If they are mirrored images of each other (which they appear to be), that means they are from the same slab. So the color difference wouldn't be explained by a variation in the stone, but by a difference in how the stones were finished. That's the fabricator's fault.
FeatherBee
8 years ago
Gosh, they lined up the characteristics of the stone so beautifully yet I can't believe they didn't mention the color difference. My mom had this happen and she just lived with it. It's such a small piece, are there any options to darken the lighter piece?
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
8 years ago
Unless you can get the small piece darkened to match the rest, I would make them replace it. That obvious line would drive me insane.
Jade BR
8 years ago
My first instinct was to say "no, don't live with this" but then... are you going to put something on that space? Maybe a coffee maker or toaster?
PRO
Anglophilia
8 years ago
Why would anyone hesitate to speak up about something like this? It looks horrible! It should be replaced.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
8 years ago
The shadowed far right side seems to match nicely. I think we have a photography and lighting problem, not a color match problem.

I am not the first one to spend time trying to sand out a shadow.
granite guru
8 years ago
Joseph
I had a guy come get me to look at a stain he had been trying to grind out of a monument base... I casually moved the remote to his jib crane and his "stain" moved with it! However this persons counter is not a shadow! If you wanted to pursue a replacement or credit you have grounds. They would have noticed this when dry fitting their seams, they are hoping you won't with it being tucked in the corner like that. Chances are you will be sacrificing that nice grain flow though. If you paid for a template get some money back for that to it looks like they cut your drywall defeating the purpose of a Template.