not acceptable- I have had Britannica in my kitchen and I will show you the picture. thats the problem with britannica it has to match seams.

This was seamed at the corners. It has to be!!!

I think it looks jarring. I would go back and complain.

Kim..here is another angle. It might look better in this photo (?) but the original post picture is what it looks like when you’re standing in front the counter the way people would.

Jean, beautiful counters!

Jennifer, the owner told me he couldn’t book match them because of the angles around my sink.

"He also suggested I place an appliance on the seam since there is an outlet behind it."

The outlet isn't even right behind the seam! And what appliance would hide that? An extra deep microwave? That's not something you would put right next to the sink.

stillpatpat, I know right?! I was actually thinking of placing a dish drying rack there with a large mat underneath since it’s by the sink. But I’m not giving in just yet!

That’s really unfortunate. They should not have steered you to a veined product if they couldn’t book match it in your kitchen.

Maybe get a nice butcher block cutting board to keep there?

I thought about the dish rack, but that's something you'd probably put away for parties and such, and then the seam would be exposed.

I don’t think it’s ideal but at the same time, not that bad. Right now you are staring at it nonstop. Once the counter is filled with food and cutting boards and whatever else, it will diminish. As I said, it’s not I deal, but....it’s Costco. A reasonable expectation is a certain workmanship (the counters should be level, stable, watertight, etc), but at some point...it’s Costco. You go there to save money. It’s like expecting your Chevy Volt to be finished like a Tesla.

I hope you don't give up, it doesn't look any better from a distance (and at any cost you shouldn't have to tolerate that look, but 20 thousand dollars worth of that look?!). Call Costco, send them pics, and ask what they can do to make your job look like it's worth the 20 grand you spent.

Re Jean’s counters, gorgeous and that is what you should have got. All over the internet the seams are matched. Does Cambria have this on their website with mismatched seams? I highly doubt it. Also Jean’s seams are at a white spot on the slab, not at a major vein and I read that is suggested for this type of quartz. These guys are idiots. I’d be fuming - I almost am just over yours - ha ha. Industry standards - no way!! The industry standard for this has to be what is represented on their website! THIS is what they represent on their website. No way is that industry standard! You paid $20k for the below, not what you got. Show the owner this, then Costco.

I don’t think it’s ideal but at the same time, not that bad. Right now you are staring at it nonstop.

She paid almost $20,000 for that. It is that bad and worse. For that price it should be matched perfectly and if they couldn't, then they should have let her know. Or they should have seamed it at the sink.

Again I have one of the more expensive quartzites and I didn't pay nearly that much and my kitchen is 15'8" x 13' with an 8' x 45" island and my price also included my outdoor kitchen and my laundry countertop.

And my seams were hidden between my cooktop and my prep sink and you can't tell.

Once the counter is filled with food and cutting boards and whatever else, it will diminish.

No it won't. I enjoy looking at my counters daily.

As I said, it’s not I deal, but....it’s Costco. A reasonable expectation is a certain workmanship (the counters should be level, stable, watertight, etc), but at some point...it’s Costco. You go there to save money. It’s like expecting your Chevy Volt to be finished like a Tesla.

And if it's Costco it should have been a heck of a lot cheaper than $20,000!!!! I don't consider $20k saving money!!!! Especially for what is a crappy job.

Please stop diminishing her desire to have what she paid a PREMIUM for.

I hope you don't give up, it doesn't look any better from a distance (and at any cost you shouldn't have to tolerate that look, but 20 thousand dollars worth of that look?!). Call Costco, send them pics, and ask what they can do to make your job look like it's worth the 20 grand you spent.

Agreed! And like I said, also dispute it with your credit card company and let the fabricator you'll be "happy" to post it all over social media so others can see what they consider acceptable for a $20k job.

Jpp221, so are you saying that if I had gone directly to these fabricators and not through the referral program at Costco, I would deserve their best work but since it was through Costco, I deserve subpar work?

Even though I was referred to them through Costco, I cut a check for almost 20k directly to the fabricator. I think no matter what, they made enough money to do a better job.

Update, my husband got involved and had his own conversation with the owner of the company we hired. Long story short, all of our perimeter counters are going to be replaced with solid gray quartz.

If you look closely at all of the seams shown, they are not perfect matches. They can't be. The material doesnt offer that ability. Nor do they offer the ability to cherry pick slabs. You order, they send in what is on hand.

The mitered edge matches because its cut directly from the same slab at a 90. It wouldn't match if it were a 45. If the island were a 45 seam, you wouldn't get anything close to that either.

This is not a bookmatched seam. Bookmatching does not exist in Quartz.

This is bookmatched. It's a mirror image, because it's from a natural block of stone.

Not that bad? Ludicrous! What these “not that bad/industry stanards” are missing is the seams and continual pattern IS part of what makes this so special. i think Cambria’s own website is your argument. Is there a disclaimer about the mismatch on their website? No. I would never expect the result you got, I’d expect what I saw on the website.

Greendesigns, but you just said it yourself “look closely”...that’s a reasonable expectation, one would have to look closely to see the mismatch. I would be great with that. But I didn’t get that. A legally blind person could see my mismatched seam as soon as they walked into my kitchen. Not cool.

Wonderful news!!! So happy for you!! Hugs to hubby!! :))

that is great news!

You have 45's. Even bookmatched stone won't match with 45s. Only straight seams. 45's are often done with a Jumbo slabs (that cost more) so as to minimize seams, because they won't match. If you get lucky and have a white part next to a white part, it will be less visible. It will never be invisible. It does not have the ability to be invisible.

Very happy for you at the resolution!

I don't see where the OP was asking for invisible seams or bookmatching. She says she would have been happy with seams where the color and direction of the veining match. On the counters she got, the veins were headed in totally different directions. I think it's crazy how many pros in this thread think that's reasonable.

You can not make a material do something it physically can not do. That's what is not being understood. It was never the right choice for the perimeter counter, because it could not physically do what was desired. There are too many angles and too many seams. A Kitchen Designer would have overruled the sales schlub and this would never have happened. A KD wouldn't have allowed someone to go to Costco either.

Instead, not enough research was done to understand that basic fact, and the sales schlub talked someone into an unsuitable choice. And it did exactly as as a Pro would have told you it would do on the front end. The results are the best that could happen in those circumstances.

Circumstances that should never have happened. Quartz with large patterns should be kept to islands with no seams, or simple L shaped kitchens with one seam that extra material is bought to maximize the potential. Even then, it's the luck of the draw on the slabs that you get. There is no repeat pattern, and the pattern is not predictable. This isn't a printed material.

that's great!!!!

To greendesign and the pros who think I got what I deserved for A. Going through Costco B. Not doing enough research C. Not paying enough...

I hired a top-rated professional, I paid top dollar, I went with THEIR suggestion of quartz choice for my 45 angled kitchen counters, and paid exactly what they asked for. I am not a pro. That is why I hired one. When you pay a pro to do something for you, you shouldn’t have to know as much as they do. If you show me photos of what to expect, guess what, I’m going to expect that. If you can’t deliver that, be up front about it. All of this could’ve been avoided if I was simply informed by the pros that I hired that this quartz was not a good match for my kitchen counters, just as the pros here are so freely saying in their comments. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for. Then I would have passed on the Britannica they were pushing me to get.

I think our angles are similar. We just got new quartzite and they were able to do the angles seamless with just a small seam at the sink. Glad you demanded they fix it as it wasn't acceptable.

Choosing Costco isn't a choosing a Professional. It's choosing a third party with no knowledge, responsibility, or fiduciary duty of care. A salesperson isn't a fabricator either. The person who actually cuts the stone is a fabricator. A fabricator technically doesn't have a fiduciary duty of care either, but they generally attempt to act in a customer's best interest. They have customers, not clients. There's a different standard of relationship and behavior expectations between the two terms.

Only a Designer has professional duty of care to a client. They are legally bound to give you their best advice, and to look out for your budget. That is in their code of ethics. They are required to act in your best interest, even if it costs them money. That is why you can get a much better project, at a lesser expense, than going it alone. Not to mention the time and money saved from backtracking and making mistakes.

People...Costco or any of the employees on their payroll is NOT the one I hired to do my kitchen. Costco simply refers their customers to a PROFESSIONAL company that offers Cambria. I hired an independent stone fabrication/installation company that specializes in Cambria quartz. They just happen to be in Costco‘s database. The work itself has nothing to do with Costco.

Final update: Thankfully I (with the help of my husband) was able to get the issue resolved to my satisfaction. The company I hired admitted they did not deliver the end result that was expected and paid for. They are replacing my perimeter kitchen counters. The mishandling of a job like this is not the fault of the paying customer. Don’t let the “pros” tell you otherwise. Thank you to all of those (mandy, printesa, cpartist etc) who commented, gave support and awesome advice. I seriously got through a very anxious and stressful time with the help of this post!

S W - I'm glad you and your husband are getting this corrected.

GreenDesigns - Very unclear about your persistence on S Ws issues....?

So glad you got this resolved!!

Glad they think they can make this better for you. They must have tried fitting it into a minimum amount of slabs, which is normally to save cost.

But with paying 20K they should not be cutting any corners, I have ordered entire homes of counter tops for way less than 20K.

Reading through all the info since I last commented, this was on the fabricator because their salesperson pushed you toward this material without informing you of how the seams would be harder to match due to your 45. The salesperson pushing you this way so that she can put more money in her pocket is what gives you a leg to stand on.

Glad that the fabricator thinks he can resolve this for you. What likely happened is that they tried to fit this into 2 slabs when they should have used 3 in order to get veins matched up better. This is very common practice in order to save cost and have less material waste.

But with you paying 20K, they should not have cut any corners- you very well paid for 3 full slabs of material plus fabrication unless your kitchen is over 150 square feet of counter top. The main fabricator in our area charges per square foot and turns out seams like this to use the material in the best way, but they charge max $100 per square foot with most being closer to $60/square foot.

I have a couple of questions about your project and how it was sold to you...

Did the contractor who's fixing the company actually sell you on these slabs originally or where they sold to You by The Big Box store?

Did you have to pay for the material and/or installation before you ever met this contractor?

I am also surprised at how confused people in this thread are on the concept of Costco. It is not complicated and the OP has explained it multiple times. Costco is not like a version of Home Depot that also sells economy size jars of artichoke hearts. For stuff like home improvement services, they have a network of contractors they refer you out to and that you then deal with directly (i.e. you meet them, decide whether you like them, pay them directly and contract with directly). You get a discount of some sort and the relative peace of mind that Costco, a big box store with a reputation for excellent customer service, is referring to this company. Costco, presumably, gets referral fees, and the service provider gets a volume of business referred by Costco.

Smaller example: I ordered custom blinds through Costco. I really ordered them from Bali, on Bali's website, with a discount for Costco members.

Costco is excellent at resolving customer issues, they only sell quality products and contract reputable contractors. When I bought my cambria countertops, I dealt with Cambria the company, and only had to provide my membership number to them.The actual purchase was through the Costco system. Therefore Costco backs the installation, Cambria guarantees the product.
I have a Cambria countertop that was installed almost 20 years ago,they just came out to repair a few minor chips around the sink.
Costco is awesome, in my opinion!

You can not make a material do something it physically can not do. That's what is not being understood. It was never the right choice for the perimeter counter, because it could not physically do what was desired.

Then guess what? They should have never up-sold her this stone since she came in wanting solid gray quartz. She was talked into this. Sorry. You are so wrong in this case and I'm one who normally does take the pro's side.

And why do you have this need to belabor the point?

When you pay a pro to do something for you, you shouldn’t have to know as much as they do.

EXACTLY!

Thank you to all of those (mandy, printesa, cpartist etc) who commented, gave support and awesome advice. I seriously got through a very anxious and stressful time with the help of this post!

You're welcome and I'm so glad you'll be getting what you originally wanted. Can't wait to see how the updated counters look.

Interesting that only when your husband got involved the fabricator magically saw the light. For everyone out there who still believes sexism is not a thing, behold. You have your example of how it happens to us every day. SW, I'm so glad you got the issue resolved. Good for you for not giving up.

Disgusting isn't it?

OP, I hope you're also getting some money back since the solid quartz is less money!

cpartist, not getting money back since they will have to buy the new slab of gray (Cambria Carrick). We will end up with a less expensive product then we paid for yes, but we are accepting that since they are willing to change the counters for us and eat some money too (costs+labor). When they took out the Britannica, a lot of damage was caused to it making the counters mostly nonreusable, sadly.

S W -- I am really glad the fabricator is replacing your countertops and admitted their mistake in this.

I refrained from commenting on your post because I didn't have the best experience when I got a quote for countertops through Costco. The rep was very pushy and kept trying to upsell me on one of the Luxury series patterns similar to Britannica (I cannot remember the name right now). I wanted something with less movement (because I knew I would need a seam in the corner) and more serene and she kept telling me my choices were "dated". When I explained my concerns about the corner seam to her, she basically waved me off. One of my friends has a seam similar to yours but she had granite, so I knew that the seams could be problematic. Regardless, I went with a different fabricator and their designer completely understood my concerns and helped me pick a pattern where my seam is virtually invisible.

I'm disappointed that so many people on this thread told you to just deal with it, and what were you expecting. You absolutely should have been warned, and shame on the designer for not.

I hope the new countertops meet your satisfaction.

So glad to hear the issue is being resolved. It’s unfortunate your husband had to get involved in order to achieve results. I’ve been running our kitchen renovation and it’s shocking how many tradesmen dismiss me and straight up lie to me and I know it’s because of my sex. Unfortunately my husband doesn’t care enough to get involved. I’ve had to really put on my “big girl shoes” and be very firm to get results and that only works sometimes. It’s definitly been a learning experience. Good luck!

IMO the firsrt step was to contact Costco and as for choosing counters there are tons of stone yards no one is forcing you to deal with Costco. Bookmatching any stone is expensive and unless you request it and pay for it it does not happen. As for the seam I am glad the problem is solved.

Patricia, most people don’t even know what bookmatching is. In my opinion the salesperson from Cambria should have educated the customer of the possible seam issues beforehand. My salesperson ( Molly Butler) was wonderful, explained everything, gave me the estimate, and had me go to the cambria office to see the slabs. Aside from same estimates from my cabinet people and local companies, Costco gave me a 10% gift card. Great warranty, great service, and money!!!!
I have had nothing but good experiences with Costco, I have bought appliances, carpet, cambria, light fixtures, vanities, toilets...almost everything for my remodel.

Patricia, most people don’t even know what bookmatching is. In my opinion the salesperson from Cambria should have educated the customer of the possible seam issues beforehand. My salesperson ( Molly Butler) was wonderful, explained everything, gave me the estimate, and had me go to the cambria office to see the slabs. Aside from same estimates from my cabinet people and local companies, Costco gave me a 10% gift card. Great warranty, great service, and money!!!!
I have had nothing but good experiences with Costco, I have bought appliances, carpet, cambria, light fixtures, vanities, toilets...almost everything for my remodel.

sw so glad you persevered and are getting it fixed!

unfortunate many men need a man to get involved to resolve problems.

it will be worth all your effort in the end. send us a photo!!

""No veining at seams where possible, solid colours at seam"."

That's unrealistic. A modern fabricator should be able to show you your seams before a blade ever kisses a slab. They are fabricators, not magicians.