I think your seams are probably normal or standard for the industry. Maybe one of the stone gurus will chime in and let you know if this is normal or not.

"Joint seams widths are to be 1/16" with a tolerance of +/- 1/64".

industry standards

We decided on placement during templating. I went with his recommendation and he assured me that the seam would be not obvious. I understand they can’t be invisible but it sure stands out to me more than I expected. The placement doesn’t really bother me.

The color isn't great, but I would probably take it over a larger seam.

I also have OW counters, and I just looked at my seam. The color is off on it, too. Mine is behind the sink, so it's only six inches or so, but I've never even noticed it before now.

Only you can decide which is the lesser of two evils, though, and what you're okay with long term. Good luck!

At least it is front of the plug so just put an appliance there and you won't even see it.

It would bother me as well, but I wouldn’t have them change it. Once they start hacking away at the seam to remove the epoxy, there is no guarantee it won’t look worse. Aside from the color, the seam itself looks good.

I have marble counters (so not the same material as your counters) and there were two seams behind my stove that did not match up well so I had them redo it for a better color match. I think it looks far worse after the redo, and the wider seam is not a good look. Thankfully it’s behind the stove. I truly don’t notice it and it actually doesn’t bother me because it’s in such a small area. But if it was a long seam going down the middle of my counter, it would bother the heck out of me....I say leave it alone.

Maybe it could be a place for a beautiful butcher block... :) Thanks for the comments. I appreciate knowing that the wider seam was a regret and glad you don't have it going down the middle of your counter! If I'd known this would be so visible I definitely might have gone with an apron sink to get the behind the sink seam like Hillside House.

Your seam is tight & small which is what you want. If you have them change the coloring its more that "just the top" they have to separate the seam and re-do it which CAN result in a larger seam but not necessarily. In my opinion its not that bad & i would move on. However, if you want it re-done they can do it. Just know you are taking a risk with making it worse than what it is now.

Also can you post a picture of the full run of the counter?

Thanks for the reassurance Mrs. Gopher and thanks for the idea picture Nidnay, I'll do just that. Your kitchen is beautiful! I'll take and post a picture of the whole kitchen when I get back from work tonight. I'm really happy with the cabinets and the counter top overall and you guys have helped me gain back the perspective I needed. Thanks!

I considered a white quartz and my fabricator told me seams are really hard to make inconspicuous when the countertops are that light. She showed me some samples in their shop and they looked similar to yours. I think unfortunately it's one of the downfalls with the trendy white quartz. I wound up going with a chunky pattern and you cannot see my seam at all.

I read the same on a lot of threads here that white is hard to match. Definitely going to cover it up with a butcherblock like in Nidnay's kitchen. My trash pull out is the cabinet right under it. Score!

Here’s the whole run Mrs. Gopher

what everybody said

your kitchen seems very nice

I know it's a bit of unpleasant shock when you first see it (light uniform Quarzt-you're most likely to see it)-but then you'll forget about them..))

you might not even need that butcher block, even though it's always pretty and useful to have regardless

you'll have other stuff..now you're concentrated on seams only so they seem glaring..(mine reminded me pencil lines.."who drew on my counter?")

fast forward-I don't think about them, at all

(happens with many things, this mental adjustment. I disliked every outlet, every air vent..to me they visually interrupted the surface lol, but they had to be there. so. you forget about them, after a while)

I would have them fix the backsplash but not the counter. I am afraid it will look bolder once they "fix" it

I'd leave it be. You are focusing on this seam(s) 100% because this is the "newest part" of the kitchen when they are only a small fraction of the overall look of your kitchen (which is STRIKING!). Of course it looks "worse" in the pictures, because there's no context and your eye automatically seeks out the "weird" thing. When you have more stuff, and take in the whole thing - NO ONE will look at that seam. trust me. The cure will be worse that the disease here, IMO, and as you complete the accessories and start adding your fixtures and lighting - this will be a flyspeck in the overall picture.

Please share your progress pictures.

Thanks for your comments everyone, I feel 100% better. You are all exactly right! There have been other things about this renovation (we gutted the house over a year ago and have been hiring subcontractors on our own) that drove me crazy for about 24 hours then I was over them. It's a mental adjustment just like aprilneverends said. Thanks for the reassurance about how insignifcant this will be once everything comes together. I'll post a few more pics and progress pics as we go. We are almost there, crossing our fingers that we'll be in by Christmas.

I'm going to let the seam at the backsplash go. I've thanked the counter guys and sent my payment and am on to painting all weekend. Cheers!

It looks great! I would love to see some before pictures if you have them.