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juniemay

Quartz Countertop Dilemma - Help!

12 years ago
We ordered new quartz countertops for our kitchen, except the 'new' arrived with a bullnose edge instead of the eased (square) edge I specified. Finger-pointing aside, I am now faced with the following options.

Expensive option: Place a new order to get what I want, and suffer the disruption, delay, and inevitable debate about who bears what additional cost.

Suggested option: Re-fabricate the new counters and create the eased edge I want. However, this will reduce the depth of the counter and necessitate installation of a quartz backsplash to fill the gap. This will change my tile design (subway tile to abut countertop) and complicate or eliminate tile placement under two windows. And it's only a partial solution - an entirely new cut of quartz will be required for the island.

Quickest and cheapest option: Accept the bullnose countertops (for a negotiated discount?) and keep the subway tile design as originally planned. I have read that some people prefer the softer edge of bullnose in the kitchen and that it is less prone to chipping. Aesthetically I prefer eased edge, but perhaps bullnose edging would be less obtrusive than a quartz backsplash.

Voila, my kitchen (below) in its current state of disrepair. The selected quartz and subway tile are also shown; paint colour is BM 'Thunder'.

Please weigh in - all opinions and recommendations welcome!

Comments (16)

  • 12 years ago
    Unless you absolutely can't stand the bullnose edge, go with it so you can get your kitchen finished.

    I love the bullnose edge we went with when we replaced our countertop last winter.
    juniemay thanked hayleydaniels
  • 12 years ago
    The good news: very few people will notice the edge of your countertop.
    The bad news: YOU will notice the edge of your countertop.

    Of your choices, a quartz backsplash with reground countertops seems the least attractive.

    Is your island staying with its eased edge? I do think the edges of the island and the rest of your countetops should be the same.

    You will use your kitchen daily and be in your kitchen more than any other room in your home. In the long run, any current inconvenience will be inconsequential if the counter edge is particularly important to YOU.

    Bummer.
    juniemay thanked doctornancy
  • 12 years ago
    The key is if you specified the eased edge in writing. If so, no problem-it must be redone at their expense. I would not accept the backsplash option under those conditions.
    juniemay thanked User
  • 12 years ago
    I agree that if the countertops are the same everywhere, you might just live with it, though I'm not a fan of bullnose either. However, try to find the paperwork to see if you actually ordered the edge you want. If so, they should replace it for free. Stick to your guns and you'll be happier in the long run. Good luck!!
    juniemay thanked Terry Degrow
  • 12 years ago
    I think I'd live with the bullnose if it is well done otherwise. It's an honest mistake on their part and it does look very nice. I chose eased too, but I think bullnose was an additional cost, so you kind of got an upgrade for a price they'll discount because of their error. Very, very nice kitchen.
    juniemay thanked Ann
  • 12 years ago
    Thanks, everyone. Your comments have helped ease the hand-wringing. I have ruled out the quartz backsplash option because it so significantly impacts subway tile placement and the backsplash design I had in mind.

    To clarify, the installer measured and drew up a diagram which explicitly identified an eased edge finish, and submitted the diagram to the fabricator, so the instruction was in writing. However, the fabricator changed the drawing and adjusted the measures, and did so without calling anyone to verify, because he thought he remembered me saying that I wanted bullnose. I didn't of course, but his claim makes the matter contentious.

    It is unlike me to relent on such a strong design preference, however at this point, I am leaning toward accepting the bullnose.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    Glad you could figure it out and hope they can offer you at least something as a courtesy of what went wrong on fabricator's behalf. I think the bullnose edging will be fine too:-)
    juniemay thanked Design Your Kitchen and Bath
  • 12 years ago
    I am sorry you have the added stress of a major mistake on top of the normal chaos that is a kitchen remodel. May I ask you what size your recessed lights are? They look smaller than 6 inch. Perhaps 5? Thank you and good luck.
    juniemay thanked alex4444
  • 12 years ago
    It looks great. I think you're heading in the right direction. I'd be hand-wringing too, but especially if it could become contentious, there's no good reason to take it there. At this point, I'd enjoy the bullnose and figure if all else goes well, that's a small change from the plan, but not worth a fight and the resulting stress. I think it's quite rare that remodeling goes EXACTLY as planned. It looks like you've made fantastic choices and the outcome is going to be beautiful. If it were me, I'd just decide to love the high end look of the bullnose. Please post pics when it's all done. I'd love to see it!
    juniemay thanked Ann
  • 12 years ago
    Alex, the lights are large (6 inch) cans. They were installed 20 years ago when we build the addition that houses this kitchen/great room. If I were choosing today, I would select smaller lights, but the project at hand is a modest facelift, albeit one that has grown slightly beyond its original scope. The cabinets and pine island, for example, were installed 20 years ago; the appliances are new, the hardwood original but newly refinished, etc.

    Ann, I took your 'honest mistake' comment to heart. I am trying hard to conquer my perfectionist tendencies - they're so burdensome! Either that, or I'm just getting soft!
  • 11 years ago
    juniemay, I see by the posting dates that this dilemma has most likely been absolved by now. It sounds like the fabricator was 'sticking to his story.' I'd probably sit down with him (or his boss) and ask, "how can we make this a win-win?" I hope you feel OK with the outcome. On another note, I'm curious about your island countertop; is it granite or quartz? Is it rectangular or does it have a radius on one side? Thanks for your feedback.
    juniemay thanked 955reber
  • 11 years ago
    Keep the bull nose. Save the stress. It's not worth it in the long run.
  • 11 years ago
    Didn't know this post was so old. Hope you solved yr problem.
    juniemay thanked Nancy Travisinteriors
  • 11 years ago
    Yes, the project is complete and we did achieve a "win-win", albeit in an odd way. In short, we agreed to accept the bullnose edge countertop. However, on install day, it was discovered that one section had been cut too short. There was no choice but to start all over again with a new order. Six weeks later, we took delivery of beautiful counters finished as originally specified. The materials we chose on the second go-around (Caesarstone quartz, Walker Zanger tile) cost slightly more, but we did not incur any additional labour charges.

    955, the previous island countertop (photo above) was granite and it had a radius on one side. The new island countertop is rectangular.

    The final aspect of the kitchen update was painting the knotty pine island. It was a huge undertaking, but I am very pleased with how it turned out. (I used BM Advance and the colour is 3X Thunder.)
  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago
    I was just going to add my voice to sticking it out for what you ordered if possible but i see you got lucky lol.
    Congrats, your kitchen looks awesome and i love the look of the eased edge, the bullnose would have been such a pity.
    juniemay thanked magada