You are in the Bay area of CA and can't find a showroom? I'm quite surprised since a large metro area like that usually has multiple showrooms. Go to a kitchen design center and see what they have--they usually rep several lines of engineered quartz. Then go to stone yards and see the slabs in person. Depending on the pattern/match and your kitchen's configuration, you may need more or less than you think. Ask your contractor or the design showroom for a recommendation for a fabricator, who will be able to price out the entire job. Don't worry about the details of the price--the total should include the material and installation, which is all you should focus on.

Unfortunately, this process does take a lot of time, but unless you hire someone to do all the legwork for you, it's a necessary step.

some companies sell 1/2 slabs. you are just going to have to visit the showrooms in your area. Research what you can on here, by searching the name of the actual quartz, in Advice.

Bring in one of your cabinet doors when you go looking. (and a piece of your flooring if you can). Best way is to narrow it down to the look you want, type of veining, and then company.

shop around for pricing. always check w/the company to make sure your fabricator is qualified to cut that specific quartz. That way, it's guaranteed.

someone was just on here last week with a slab on her large island that was damaged during fabrication. they tried to pass it off w/gluing a corner chip. She paid 10K for the Neolith slab and wanted it perfect. Fabricator was at fault, so it was replaced.

In marble look alikes, there is an awful lot of repetition among brands. Essentially a giraffe by another name, is still a giraffe.. Go to a good kitchen design shop/ fabricator, and look at the samples in person. Rarely will a contractor stock quartz, and certainly not all of any brand, it is simply ordered in and that is because there is a great deal of consistency in any selection you make, and in most brands as well. YOU STILL MUST go and see YOUR slabs before a cut and polish to approve. Nobody can guess the slab quantity without your kitchen plan. And a final amount is decided on site in your kitchen via a laser template and a discussion with you, as to seams and their location.

Beware the bold veining in a kitchen with perimeter turns..............beware. You will not in any way be guaranteed a veining match. Don't expect one.

Select NOTHING online.

caligirl123:

You're buying a completed job from a fabricator, not slabs. The slab yield is his problem, not yours.

And please don't think you can buy a 1/2 slab somewhere and have it match a slab from a different run even with the same name and brand. It may match; it may not. If the 1/2 sits by itself on an island the difference may not be noticeable enough to worry about, unlike if it is seamed to material from a different run.

Some very large fabricators that keep a lot of inventory will only charge you for what you use. You could call around and ask for their policy. I ended up going with a quartzite from Daltile Stone, but they also carry full slabs of their own branded quartz.

371

Most fabricators do not have full slabs available for use unless they ordered them for a job and did not end up using them. You are going to be looking at a lot of samples.