r/CounterTops

EDIT/UPDATE: Thanks everyone — really appreciate all the responses and validation. A couple of clarifications/updates below.

The material is a large-format porcelain worktop - 20mm XTONE Taj Mahal Silk — rather than natural quartzite/granite. I chose that deliberately and am happy with it as it looks better than the engineered quartz options I saw and quartzite was too expensive for me.

The bigger issue is that this is actually the SECOND attempt at this worktop.

The first seam was placed in the middle of the island, at its most visible point, without consulting me. It was huge, misaligned and had an obvious valley through the joint (pics below), so I rejected it and the entire island worktop was remade.

For the replacement, I reviewed and approved the cut sheets (pics below). The new seam location is deliberate: it keeps almost the entire 3.15m island as one uninterrupted piece, with only a ~30cm section beside the booth separated.

My issue is that, after remaking the island once already, the replacement seam is still too wide, uneven, poorly finished and untidy at the front edge.

The Kitchen company agree this needs fixing again, but at this point what would you consider fair compensation on top of rectification?

This is an expensive bespoke kitchen, the worktop has now failed twice, the issues have delayed the project by over a month, and other subcontractors have also caused problems requiring remedial work. At this point I feel a meaningful price reduction is justified — particularly given how much of the QA I’ve effectively had to do myself. What % of the overall kitchen contract would you consider reasonable?

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Hi all

Had a new countertop installed and I’m unsure whether I’m being too picky about the seam. Would appreciate opinions from people who know countertop fabrication/installation.

Main things I’m concerned about:

- The seam looks quite wide and visually prominent to me rather than a tight hairline joint.

- The width seems inconsistent along its length.
Some of the filler/epoxy looks rough or slightly ragged along the edges rather than perfectly straight.

- From a lower angle, parts of the seam appear slightly raised/proud of the countertop, and it catches the light.

- The point where the seam meets the front finished edge looks particularly untidy.

- The filler is very light/white, which seems to make the seam stand out against the warmer countertop

- I actually think the two pieces themselves are reasonably well matched, so my concern is mainly the quality of the seam finishing rather than the slab/tile match.

Is this within the normal standard you’d expect from a professional installation, or should I ask the fabricator to come back and improve it?

Just a note: this was a very expensive bespoke kitchen install, and the cost is far greater than competitors locally in the UK. As a result I may have higher expectations than usual but want to gauge how reasonable I am being.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Counters went in yesterday and we absolutely love them

If you’ve been looking for a Taj Mahal that is more beige/tan this is definitely what you want to look for. We spent weeks looking at different Taj selections and they always seemed too grey.

ETA: that is not a seam next to the sink, it’s a reflection of the under cabinet lights

This is an addendum to my other posting, as I couldn’t figure out how to post a picture to it. I’m trying to match a countertop to the existing cabinets. I had leathered black granite in my last kitchen with white cabinets. These Rustic Cherry are a difficult color. All the leathered black granite slabs I’ve looked at are too gray. I’m leaning towards Wilsonart Aluma Marble laminate now because I’m exhausted from looking at stone. I considered Dekton and Quartzite too but can’t wrap my head around paying that much if it isn’t exactly right!

idk why it was cut this way im just the installer but i do what i can with what i got

Hello design experts. Thanks to the community we narrowed down on Taj quartzite and HD amagansett tiles for backsplash.
However we are now confused on which color for the tiles to go with ( sand dune cream or gin white ) and countertop ( white or beige )
Individually we really liked the cream tiles and white Taj, however they seem to clash?
We had finalized creamy upper cabinets, but now open to pure white or Rosemary green. For lower we will have Rosemary green.

Adding the photo of our existing floor tiles, which we wont be able to change atleast in the next 2-3 years. We dont really like them but have accepted to live with them for a few years.

Attaching chatgpt rendition with creamy tiles and the beige Taj and another with all green cabinets.

Note that our kitchen gets minimal natural light. We have recessed lights which are temperature adjustable and will also be adding cabinet underlights.
The kitchen is not big and also has a peninsula next to this.

Leathered quartzite. Not yet cut or installed, went to see my slab today and under the inside lights I noticed this yellow stuff, I hadn’t noticed it under the natural light outside where the slab was when I chose it initially.

Update: the yellow is only in the deeper crevices and it definitely doesn’t look like part of the stone. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like I can add more photos for reference.

I just had Carrara marble installed in my kitchen and I'm fully aware of etching with acid, vinegar, etc., However, there are water rings coming up really quickly after a cup is set down for 3-5 mins. They do go away and dry out, but this seems strange and I haven't noticed this on other marble kitchens I've been in. Doesn't sealing typically help with this?

I don't know if this is the right sub for this, but couldn't think of a better one -open to suggestions if this is not the place.

My mom is visiting me and she put the very hot Moka Pot on the counter top and it left this visible ring on it. She panicked before I got home (because I rent, so this is not my apartment!) and tried cleaning it with baking soda for some reason 🥲 and as you can see made it worse (the expanded white cloud is the result). Any idea how to solve this, or at least what material is the counter top? I thought it was stone originally, but clearly this burn wouldn't have happened if that was the case.

Any advice for what to do or where to post is welcome. My mom and I thank you!

The previous home owner installed this vanity. Can someone tell me what material is, and if it can be repaired. If not savable, what material do you recommend as a replacement? I would want to reuse the vanity base and keep the shape of the existing vanity top.

New homeowner. It's been a few weeks since we moved in and I'm noticing marks and scratches on our marble countertops.

I am not sure if it was like this before we moved in or not. It's not that noticeable unless you're fixated on it.

Hi, we have Valbella Gold Quartz from Arizona tile and noticed what could be described as an “orange peel” style finish when direct light hits our countertop.

You can’t see it from 10ft, but under direct light or angles, it’s really apparent.

It is everywhere. Countertop, backsplash, waterfall… everywhere.

Counters look good otherwise. Is this normal?

Our installer said that’s just how Quartz looks.

We are picking counters for our kitchen - the floors are terra cotta and cabinets are white so I am looking for something that pulls more warm/taupe. These are the two I liked best based on showroom slab and samples. Any feedback as far as quality or which leans more taupe/less gray in person? Or any other options to consider for the same feel?