I think the fabricator is trying to cover his A-- . I really dislike honed marble but the point is if you chose a honed slab in the stone place then it should be exacly what picked but if it was a polished piece and went to be honed who knows . I like our system in Canada where we go to the stone yard choose the slabs and they are fabricated in the same place . That way no passing the buck. Was ift perfect when it was approved? Did you take pics ?

@Patricia Colwell Consulting Thank you so much for your input! I wish we had they system you do. The slab was honed when I chose it and I have pics and video of the slab when I approved it.

I am hoping for the best, but given the situation, I feel really anxious. The original slab was supposed to be installed 9 weeks ago and we would just like to be done at this point, but also want the island to be in good shape. I want to be sure it is not unreasonable to expect it to be in the same condition as when I approved it.

Thanks again for your feedback, it is greatly appreciated!

@M Miller Thank you so much for your feedback. I love honed marble and had such a good experience with it the first time I used it.

I appreciate your information about damage prior to or during installation. I was starting to feel like I was in the wrong for expecting the slab to be in the same condition. This is a big fabricator with good reviews, so I thought I was making a good choice.

I would like to give a warning to others to make sure that your estimate breaks out costs for each individual item. We had a honed granite installed on the perimeter. The invoice only lists the total cost, and when we asked for a breakout cost for only the granite (so we could go elsewhere) the cost of the granite seemed really high. In hindsight, I should have gotten the cost for each item beforehand. We are definitely going to take a big financial hit if we have to choose another fabricator at this point.

I really appreciate your input. Thank you

If I were in your position, given your experience, I would not allow delivery before I could inspect the work at the fabricators shop. I'd photograph it if approved. If you don't approve choose another fabricator. Before you OK the new one going forward, let him know you are going to inspect the work before delivery. Photograph the slab.

I have honed marble. It was installed with no scratches, dings, chips, blemishes, etc. Our installer is also the supplier and fabricator. They gave us a one-year warranty where they will come back out and repair any chips, scratches, and/or stains that are our fault.

@dan1888 Thank you, that is really good advice. The fabricators are a 3 hour round trip drive. If I have to do this again, I will definitely choose a fabricator who is closer to my area. I have learned a lot from this experience.

I have honed marble and it has absolutely no dings, scratches or bruises.

I am not sure why honing would be an issue since polishing is a proces as well.

I chose honed marble for my bathroom counter for aesthetic reasons because I wanted a softer look but in terms of wearability it performs as well as polished. In fact since "etching" is essentially creating a 'honed" spot it actually eliminates the *horror" of etching.

My honed counter had a very small fissure (hairline) that was probably there in the original slab and the installer came and worked his magic so that it is completely invisible and can't be felt even with my fingernail

@anna_682 Thank you for sharing your experience, it is really helpful! Your fabricator sounds great and sound like they really stand behind their work. Can I ask what part of the country you are in if USA? I was not able to find a fabricator who also had the marble available.

@Helen Thank you so much for the information. I was starting to think I was being unreasonable and had unrealistic expectations. It is so helpful to hear from others.

I love the look of honed marble. I'm happy it is doing well in your bathroom; that is my next project.

When the original slab was damaged, I consulted with a marble restoration expert. He said that if there is a small damaged area in the honed finish, it can be repaired/disguised. The problem with my original slab is that the fabricator damaged the entire honed surface. The restoration expert said that it is impossible to repair an entire honed surface by hand and it would have to be re-honed by machine. The fabricators did try to have it re-honed by hand, but it did not fix the damage. They were unable to find a place to re-hone it by machine.

Thanks again for sharing your experience.

If that's too far to drive, have him send pictures.

@dan1G888 g

Good idea! Thank you.

Yes, your marble should arrive without damage that was not there prior. I had honed marble counters installed last week ; a replacement for some damaged quartzite, and there was nothing scratched, damaged, etc. That should not be something demeed acceptable upon delivery. Do not feel you‘re being picky or parricular. You should receive a stone free of flaws like that. I hope all goes well for you

Thank you so much for your response. I was beginning to think I was expecting too much. Feedback from this group has been so helpful!

I hope you love your honed marble countertops, I don't think there is anything prettier than honed marble!

No, you are not expecttimg roo mich. Countertops are a bkg investment, and cost far too much to settle or accept damaged goods. Thank you; I do love my new countertops and I agree that honed marble is quite beautiful; both the look and the feel. houzz is a good place for support Glad you inquired to reassure yourself of any doubts.

You are not expecting too much. Sounds like they are just trying to make you feel that way so they can get away with delivering something no matter the condition. They are correct that marble is very soft and that is why they need to be extra careful when working with and transporting it.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Kendrah. I agree that they were trying to make it seem like I was being too particular. It was a very stressful experience and I will never use them again for anything.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting @M Miller @dan1888 @anna_682 @Helen @Kendrah

I can't thank y'all enough for taking time to comment on my issue yesterday. It has been a very stressful situation, but your feedback helped me to see that my expectations were not the issue.

Update: The island arrived in good condition and was installed today. They did put some expoxy in a small pit after they arrived, but it disguised it very well. It's really pretty.

Hmmm …. I’ve had several stone countertops fabricated by the stone company where I purchased them, granite, onyx , etc & I live in CA so it’s sometimes done here in the state also also.

@K Laurence I wish they did that here! It would make life a lot easier. I couldn't find a place locally that would do that here. We are in a smaller city in between a few larger ones. You had to go see the stone 1.5 hours away and they sent it 3 hours away to fabricate.

You have to post a picture, please.

@dan1888 Happy to! Just ignore the bits that aren't complete yet. It's so pretty!

PS stay tuned for part 2 of the countertop saga. I learned today that my honed Absolute Black countertops are probably NOT Absolute Black. 😭

Wow, beautiful kitchen!

What did you learn about the Absolute Black granite?

@Ann I live in the Raleigh-Durham area.

Your kitchen is beautiful! I love the green island and marble. Enjoy!

Beautiful kitchen...It is white, but so warm and inviting! Your honed marble is lovely. I have honed Calacatta Gold marble in my master bath (12 years now) and it is as beautiful today as when it was installed. I love to run my hands over it and feel its silky smoothness! I am careful with it, but I don't do anything special, but of course, marble in a kitchen is different and more susceptible. In any case, enjoy!

It’s beautiful!! It looks just perfect, so warm; everything fits together so cohesively. I especially love that green color on the island, the way the glass cabinetry echos the glass panes of the door, and the plants on the hood!

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC Thank you so much! It has been an absolute labor of love.

We are having an issue with some metal scratches on what was sold as Absolute Black Granite. I asked a question about it in another post and was directed to some articles about granite that is sold as Absolute Black, but is actually another type of stone. I did the lemon juice test on a remnant piece and it etched within a few minutes.

After that I inspected the countertops closely and found a scratch that was made by a small white ceramic pot as well as some etching by the sink and the coffee area. We have only had these installed for about 6 weeks.

This is just heartbreaking as we specifically chose the Absolute Black granite because it is so heard wearing and we knew we'd be babying the marble. I am going to raise the issue with the fabricator, but I have no idea if they will stand behind this product.

Would love to hear from others with a similar experience.

@anna_682 Thank you! We have worked so hard on it, so I really appreciate the your kind comment.

@decorpatti Thank you so much for your sweet compliment. I installed and lived with honed cararra for several years in my previous kitchen and didn't have an issue other than some etching (which I expected). Is your honed Calcutta on your countertops in the bathroom? I'd love to know how it holds up with all the different hair and skincare products it is exposed to.

@chinacatpeekin Thank you so much for your kind comment. I thought about this renovation for 3 years before we started, so I had a lot of time to plan! My next step (and the hardest for me) is to pick out fabric for the stools and window treatment.

The honed marble absolutely is better in your kitchen than polished would have been

I think the delicacy of marble is overstated. My good friend has Calacatta marble in her kitchen for almost 20 years. She even had her kitchen table cut out of it. Her husband is a slob - her kids certainly didn't baby the kitchen table or the counters. The marble still looks great. Her marble was polished so it had some minimal etching in spots but you couldn't really see it unless the sun was shining and you were at the right angle.

@Ann I have honed Jet Mist granite on the beverage bar in my kitchen, with honed Olympian White Danby marble on the other section.

I have had no problems with scratching on the Jet MIst, but there has been some slight etching, but nothing terrible. I'm so sorry that you've had problems with the Absolute Black, and hope that you can get some sort of restitution.

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC Your kitchen sounds amazing. Do you have any pics? I would love to see them.