Finally: the teal quartzite counters have been installed! I absolutely LOVE the stone I chose – and am grateful the local stone yard agreed to bring it in for me – but when cutting it for my kitchen, they MESSED IT UP. The stone was cut wrong. I’m annoyed. Please scroll through and just tell me it’s not that big of a deal. Not in the context of the world imploding around us, but in the context of stone counters.
HOW THEY MESSED UP THE MEASUREMENTS
A few days before installation, they came out and did the templates. In my mind, I envisioned more measuring, but they literally came with sheets of cardboard and marked off the shape. It was more…low tech than I envisioned. The sink was not installed at the point, but it was positioned and centred on the cabinet/window. At some point, they must have bumped it (giving them the benefit of the doubt here – they may have just mis-measured completely) because when they returned with the counters and set the cut pieces in place, I was shown that it was too short to the left of the sink (where the counter meets the wall). We, of course, were blamed because now the sink was installed. The stone cutter complained (bitterly) that had we left it uninstalled, he would have “play” – to which I repeatedly said, “ummm, no, because then the sink would be installed off centre from the cabinet and the window”! We went back and forth about this a few times, which really irritated me. But he knew the sink was uninstalled when he did the measurements – we pointed it out because we weren’t sure what gets installed first – sink or counters. You think he’d have double checked that he didn’t bump it while measuring. Anyways, the gap at the wall is about 1/2″ – which doesn’t really make a big difference by the wall, but would really show if the sink was moved over that much, because the sink lines up perfectly with the cabinet, which is perfectly centered on the window. After lugging the stone inside, and heaving it into place, they asked me if I was okay with the gap:
I had a sample of tile backsplash, and we figured out it would mostly hide that gap, so I said it was okay. I mean, what was their plan to make it longer? The BEST areas of the stone slab had already been cut (the stone yard only brought one slab in and it had sold out from the supplier since my ordering). So it’s not like they could re-cut it. They proceeded with the installation. Once everything was installed, we were asked to look it over and we noticed two things: the mistake in measuring actually affected more than just the gap. The mistake meant that every piece of stone had a different overhang – which wasn’t explained to us when only the one piece was installed and they were drawing my attention to the gap. Worse: the hole for the faucet – which was drilled in place – was drilled off-centre. Measuring was not their strong suit. My faucet hasn’t arrived yet, so I’m not sure if there will be enough play to hide this error. Frustratingly, this was a totally avoidable error, as there is a LINE DRAWN ON MY WALL that marks the centre (leftover from the cabinet installers). Plus, the sink is divided, so it’s easily visible from that perspective as well. Argh!
While I am very happy with the stone I chose, and am pleased with how they placed the templates (to their credit, they did their best to maximize as much of the colored veining as possible), I am a little disappointed with the end result – especially if there isn’t enough wiggle room for the faucet and I’m forced to install it just slightly off centre. Below is a reminder of the slab. It wasn’t easy to capture all of the color because it ran right through the middle.
The fabricator wanted most of the counters cut out of two halves of a U-shape (except for the piece beside the stove) with a seam by the faucet, but I wanted to get as much of the veining, which means the peninsula area has veining that doesn’t match the direction of the rest. He hated that, lol. But, to his credit, he did what I wanted because I cared less about the direction of the veining changing than I did getting as much of the color. That is, after all, what I paid for with this particular slab of Portomare quartzite!
I invited my Mom over and didn’t tell her the mistakes. She noticed the overhang differences, but she said it’s not that noticeable if you’re not looking for it. I guess we could have asked them to take it back and re-cut a bit to fix that, but I didn’t trust that they wouldn’t break it during transit. Or cut it wrong again. Plus it was already all glued in place. Honestly, I would have been even sadder had they damaged it and I was back to the drawing board again. Check out the photos below to see the mistakes, but also ogle the gorgeous teals and blues. The stone is more muted in my home than in the bright sunlight of the stone yard, but still just as beautiful. In these photos, it’s not as vibrant, but in real life it sparkles and shimmers and there are endless shades of rich teals and blues, warmed up with coppery and amber colored bits.
I just love this Portomare Quartzite so much! But let me show you the mistakes I outlined above (I share all of this with the hope that it helps prevent someone else from having these same issues): to the left and right of the stove, the overhang is deeper (over 1″) and actually hides the top drawer/cabinet pull if you’re standing and looking down at the counters:
Along the window wall, the overhang is slightly less deep:
Then, on the peninsula, the overhang is very short (less than 1/2″) and you can see almost all of the cabinet pulls:
I’m disappointed, but happy that there wasn’t a worse calamity with this stone. It’s so beautiful and so special – and so out of stock, lol, so there was only one shot to get it right!
What is Portomare Quartzite?
Portomare Quartzite is a quartzite mined in Brazil. It can be very colorful – with with even richer, teal veining than my slab. Sometimes the rusty veining is really intense. My slab, even though it’s so beautiful and colorful, is actually quite neutral compared to other Portomare slabs I’ve seen online.
I have honestly been staring at the new counters for hours. There are so many sparkly quartz deposits and richly varied colors. It sparkles from every direction, and also has these charcoal little flecks. It has so much visual interest – I’m just fascinated!
Backsplash Tile Choice:
With the counters installed, I also decided on a tile! I’m going with “Sea Mist” from Mercury Mosaics – which boasts a beautiful, glossy teal glaze, with lots of variation.
Next up: hopefully a missing cabinet door materializes! Then we have to order and install the backsplash, trim out the fridge, install the floor transition and faucet and then… we’re done! I also want to make some solid walnut stools with hubby and his woodworker dad – although our old turquoise stools actually look good! I worried the color would be too much, but it works. But hubby’s dad makes stunning wood stools and I think it will be such a treasure to have a piece of furniture (technically a pair) he made, in our home.
Progress slowed a bit, so if you’re just tuning in to my kitchen renovation here’s what we tackled so far…
Kitchen Reno Progress to Date:
- My Kitchen Design Plan
- Drywall & Tile Samples
- Subfloor Installed
- Cabinets Installed & New Appliances
- New Flooring & Sink Progress
- How to Install Plywood Underlayment for LVT
- How to Install Luxury Vinyl Tile
- Kitchen Light Installed & Counter Update
Our stone contractor messed up our stone as well AND they used the fancy laser measurement. They redid the marble vanity for our bathroom and still had it wrong the second time. The sink cutout is totally off centre. I don’t notice it at all anymore but still can’t understand how they could do such a poor job on an expensive material. Your kitchen is gorgeous. I hope you can start to become blind to the flaws.
Author
Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry to hear that! When we had our bathroom stone counter done (different company), they messed up too but luckily it was fixable. What is it with these companies? The material itself is so expensive, how can they waste it? I am happy to hear you don’t notice it anymore. I figure that’s what will happen for us too.
Oof def disappointing they did it wrong and fought you on it. But like you said recutting it prob would’ve made things worse. It is so worth the slight niggles cause wow it’s stunning!
Author
Thank you 🙂 I love the stone itself. It’s so unreal how gorgeous the veining is. I am just happy it made it here in one piece and no major calamities happened. Fingers crossed the faucet has enough play to hide the hole. That is the one thing that could drive me bonkers over time, lol
Beautiful, gorgeous, stunning!
Author
Thank you so much 🙂
So glad the stone itself is as good or better than you hoped, after the suspense of picking it out on line and then the long wait for it to come. I think I would have been grinding my teeth over the mistakes in cutting, but as you say, best not to tempt fate by turning the materials over to the same team for any more iffy finagling. You have my complete sympathy. I refused to let one contractor back in the bathroom we were having remodeled after he messed up a job I could have done myself. So frustrating! On the bright side: The tile you’ve chosen for backsplash is gorgeous. When you’ve got it installed, the temptation to focus on counter edges will not be so strong. Fingers crossed for the faucet installation… Forge ahead, keeping muffin recipes handy in case of crisis!
Author
I am just dazzled by this stone and am really grateful the local stone yard agreed to work with a supplier that was unknown to them to make it happen. They took a risk for me and I am appreciative. Fingers crossed the faucet hides the off centre hole – if so, I think over time I won’t even notice the overhangs, like you say. It’s frustrating to hear how many people shared similar stories in my IG DMs. I’m sorry you had such a bad experience with your bathroom! We really save up and spend so much $$$ to make our homes beautiful and sometimes these professionals don’t take the time to be careful and it’s so frustrating. I think it’s why DIY has become so popular!
WOW! They look incredible!!!!
Author
Awww thank you so much Cassie!! I really appreciate it!
If I was the one paying for the renovation, I’d be annoyed that they didn’t do perfect work. Of course. But if I was just buying a house with these counters already installed, I would think: beautiful stone. That’s really it. It’s really frustrating that they messed up, but these are quirks, definitely not worth ripping it out. It’s next to impossible to find tradespeople who can execute things perfectly in this labor shortage.
Author
Thank you for saying that! That’s a good perspective and I probably wouldn’t notice either, if I was just walking into the house seeing it for the first time. I definitely don’t want to chance them damaging it more by ripping out so I’m going to live with it. I’m just so grateful it wasn’t a worse calamity. I’d be heartbroken if the stone had been dropped or cracked.
Sorry to hear of your difficulties. I live in NH and our fabricator did a wonderful job several years ago. The previous owner had an island with a beautiful granite (we live in the Granite State!) countertop—–but the sink and counters across from it were an inexpensive beige laminate! I picked out a slab which I THOUGHT matched the granite but when a little elderly man with a very rich Italien accent showed up to take measurements, he immediately told me I had
chosen a similar pattern to what I already had and then called the company to have them reorder the correct one! He spent over 2 hours measuring with his lazer gizmo and double checked with me about the sink position, faucet, hot water dispenser, etc. I was nervous (excited?) on installation day. . . but everything fit perfectly—sink, faucet, electrical outlets, etc. In little NH, no less. I am surprised to hear how your company measured (on cardboard templates?!). Your colors are very nice and flowing. I’m sure no one is going to scrutinize the workmanship—-they will be too engrossed to find out what you are going to serve them for dinner!
Author
This is the experience I expected, to be honest! I’m honestly so happy for you that you experienced such detailed measuring and excellent customer service. With such a big expense, that should be the standard!
I love the countertops! They are some of the loveliest I have ever seen! Seems to me you could drill the hole (extending/enlarging it enough so that the faucet could be centered) and find a larger escatcheon/faucet baseplate to cover the mistake. A good plumber should be able to figure it out. It might not be easy to find but I would try the company that makes your faucet to try and get a great match. Good luck! Would love to see your solution next month!!!
Author
Thank you! I love the stone itself, it’s so amazing. I appreciate the idea about the baseplate. I happened to pick a very slim faucet without a faceplate because I really don’t like the look of them – still waiting for it to get delivered to see how it fits. Hopefully there’s enough play. I am annoyed I may have to go with another faucet or hack something, because this was totally avoidable… It’s a good suggestion though, so thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂 I’ll be sure to share an update!
The countertop is gorgeous and I love the tile you have chosed! It’s so frustrating when contractors mess up – they’re supposed to be pros! I don’t think their mistakes will be glaringly obvious once everything is in place, though. In my experience, you don’t even notice them after you live with it for awhile. I hope that’s the case for you!
Author
Thank you! I think you’re right – it’s so new, I’m focused on this one element right now. And I keep saying to myself it could have been a lot worse!
Tanya, I love your counter and kitchen renovation. You have put so much thought into every little detail. No matter the small problems, I’m glad you didn’t reorder with the hopes of finding another piece with such dramatic veining. As the comments previously said, you’ll not notice the small things. Unfortunately I’m like you and if the faucet can’t be centred it would drive me bonkers. If you look at the kitchen as a whole it is drop dead gorgeous. I love your choice of backsplash. When all is said and done, all will be well.
Author
Thank you! I’m very pleased with my design choices so far, so it’s so nice to hear you like them too. If that faucet can get centred, I can forgive the other problems haha. I’ll know soon enough once it’s delivered. I’m almost too nervous to try lol.
Its stunning. Don’t sweat the installation issues (although that’s easy for me to say). The only focus will be on the counters themselves and once you get all your countertop items back – cutting board, cannisters, etc. it won’t matter and no one will even notice. So far everything is looking just lovely.
Author
Thank you for saying that Cathie! I appreciate it! And I think you’re right – when it’s done and decorated, I think there will be a lot to look at and these little issues will blend into the background.
This is absolutely my favorite stone. I work in the granite department and I install granite countertops. My favorite job was this color so much that I’m doing it in my house. In my trade I am surprised how many people do not know how to read a tape measure, which probably explains the cardboard template. The overhang difference is probably the result of the cardboard templates. It could have gotten wet or bent up, and that would cause your seam cut to not be correct and have more overhang on one end than the other. Now the hole for the faucet is unacceptable. I don’t know how you messed that up. I tell people all the time these people are paying a lot of money for their countertops so of course they are going to be picky. If you pay $30,000 for a brand new vehicle and the tires flat are you going to be mad and want it fixed? Whatever it is you do take pride in it. This product draws you in though so you will definitely become blind to some things. Love the kitchen!
Author
Oh wow, the stones you must see! I’d honestly love to work in the field. I bet the stone you install in your house will be incredible.
Luckily, I got my stone counters replaced and they look stunning. The update is here.
I had a different company get it in and they did everything so perfectly. It took, like a year, but it’s been such a relief because this situation stressed me out more and more lol.
Thanks so much for your comment – so nice to hear from someone in the trade!
Beautiful. Where did you buy the teal and white countertops? I love them.
Author
Unfortunately the supplier is sold out of this stone. But if you Google “”Portomare Quartzite” you might find a supplier close to you with stock. It can sometimes be very densely colored, so you may be surprised at how much if varies from block to block!