Thank you. Do you see the orange area I’m referring to as well referring to

Sorry for typo keyboard is being weird. I’m wondering if that orange area is part of a variation in the wood which I think is kind of odd for rift cause they told me it wouldn’t have a lot of of variation or if you think it’s something wrong with the staining.

Also, would you have them remake it completely with better matching wood for the price or would you allow the cabinet maker to try to stain it so that those two piece pieces much better?

He then explained it’s not solid wood but pieces of solid wood fused together (like 4 or 5), and that they somehow placed heart wood next to sap wood and this is the result.

Something that wide is almost always glued up (not fused) from multiple boards, so it is solid wood. They (the individual boards) should have been matched so that when glued together, they appear as a single wide board, or so it's not obvious there are multiple boards.

I don't understand "they somehow placed heart wood next to sap wood". Who is "they"?

but the cabinet maker said he almost had rejected it and then didn’t

Did your cabinet maker source this from someone else? How could he not reject it?

It's not good, I would have him remake it with two pieces of wood that are matched. Trying to stain it so they match is going to be a nightmare.

Yes my cabinet maker sourced it from another Amish shop I believe .. it is very frustrating he didn’t tell them immediately it needed to be redone

I see what you mean about an orange stain- it looks like something was spilled on the wood and soaked in a little before it could be cleaned off. No way would I accept the mismatched woods in the top, and to be honest, I'm not convinced it's actually white oak. Demand a better matched replacement.

I also see the stained area - it definitely looks like something was spilled on it.

He should have rejected it - you aren't being picky. I wouldn't take the chance on having him try to tone the light wood to match the darker side.

I would have it remade. This isn't acceptable. If he tries to stain it to match and isn't successful, you'll really be stuck. I'm surprised. The Amish usually do very good work.

Thank you all so much for your input, it was really helpful. Not one person has said this is acceptable, so we felt very supported in asking for it to be remade, and our cabinet maker said he will have it redone, and source the wood from another supplier who will better match it…. I hope it’s much improved

Good to know your cabinet maker is addressing your concerns. Good luck!

New wood top arrived, not yet installed. Do you all agree much improved? There is an odd circular mark in the center but it seems to be wood variation and at this point I don’t think I can push back any further…

The raw wood looks good; the finishing will be important

So that is finished

That odd mark is right in the center of course…I’ll have to post a photo of it installed… have to se

It looks good. It looks like that just might be a spot in the wood that didn't take the finish as well.

Does anyone know of how to fix that spot ? It’s been finished so I’m guessing I’m stuck w it

A good furniture restorer can usually work with blending sticks and pigments to make the color blend in better. They have the abilities to make repairs on wood seem invisible. The problem is that then you'll have to have more finish applied over it and if it's not the same finish, it may not wear as well.

Here it is w the cabinets…. Still not full installed but you can see the weird spot … some other odd staining near it looks off as well. Sigh.

Oh, so sorry, I didn't realize that it was a light finish.

The spot is noticeable - now. However, I feel like once you actually start "living" life = using your mudroom cabinets/bench, it will be something that you notice less and less.

I have seen a table (my sister's) that had an issue created due to some nail polish remover - blending sticks were used to "fix" it. The table wasn't refinished = the "fix" wore off after several months - however, it wasn't a big deal to do another "fix." It's been 5-6 years now, I don't think it's been re-fixed very often (other marks have been made on the table due to normal wear and tear - it all just kind of blends together).

The cabinets/bench look very nice!

That is a really good perspective and I hope that is true lol. Thanks