Well, I should have added we didn't just squint our eyes and pick a number for what the remodel should cost. We first provided detailed drawings of existing vs expected finished, complete with materials list, drawings of cabinets, the works to my best friend's father and he priced for us (he's a life long contractor who does this sort of work, just not in our area) He would do the work for us, but would have to charge so much for travel as to be prohibitive. I also consulted with the man who did work for me in the city we used to live in. He's retired, but up until his health problems a year ago did this sort of work, in our area, and he agreed with the price best friend's dad gave us. Honestly I'm trying to figure out what might put us on the do not bid list. From talking around it has become apparent there is a LOT of new construction in our area, and of course that's easier/more profitable work than our teeny remodel, so we think that's probably big in this whole thing. We made it clear from the very start, this is what we have, this is what we want, we have cash in hand, we do want to start asap, but understand we must get in line with the varous subs required for the work. The remodel has in fact turned out to be a giant nightmare. The guy will tell us oh the sub will be here on X day to do Y, and on that day....nada. And he's unavailable by phone. From day one, he hides out from us. Something is wrong, and we say to sub UM...this is incorrect. Oh, we were told this is the way to do it. Um, that isn't even code. The only reason we haven't been graced with two red tags is we called up the inspector, who is a friend of ours, before he came by to inspect and inquired yes, is this ok...let me email you pictures. No, ok skip the inspection slated for X time, we will call to reschedule after it's fixed. Now we hear he's telling people we are "high maintenance". Whatever. Also we found out he was red tagged for some of the same stuff on some houses our neighbor has him working on for him. If it is high maintenance to expect the GC to 1)tell the subs to do things correctly, providing drawings where necessary - not one sub had seen our drawings to date 2) check on the subs occassionally as they work 3) call us if a show stopper is hit, not hide out til you want money 4) Know the code! I guess we'll call that our badge of honor. Our biggest issue to date is we asked how to handle a water heater in a pantry and were told no enclosure needed. I thought it was wrong and kick myself for not checking. Now I have a 5'x4' pantry that is basically a closet for the water heater enclosure. Mind you, this would not be so if he built it 2'x2' which my architect ex assures me is industry standard. He laughed and say why in the heck does the guy think the standard pans they sell for water heater enclosures are designed to fit in a 2'x2'? All I can tell you is we will NEVER hire anything else done for us. NEVER. Not worth the aggravations. If we had known it would be completely up to us to monitor the subs, inspect the work daily, etc, we'd have never hired a GC to begin with.

Wow! Glad to know I am not alone. I have had delays but no disasters and for that I am grateful. The kitchen is looking wonderful! The addition of the appliances really changed everything and then last Friday, they installed the soapstone and now it is really beginning to look like how I imagined. I would take photos but the guys had to cover the stone so as not to scratch it and I was not able to take any photos prior to that. I am hoping that the kitchen is done in the next 10 days. Popmom2- Yes, it is only a kitchen-- but it is also my baby. I have never spent this much time or money planning anything (I mean next in line was my wedding!). Northcarolina- Still too early-- since my kitchen is not yet up and running. The fridge is super close to my prep sink and close my main sink so that is not the problem. I did not have much prep space before-- so I am not sure if the new set up will be too tight. I like to prep near the sink and a U-shape kitchen was not possible--so my layout was the next best thing. I am looking forward to being out of the way of the main sink/dw when I am prepping/cooking. I will post more once I am able to try out the space. Swimmmer- At least you knew what you wanted. I would probably have stuck it out until it was too late too change it. Luv2laf- I hear ya! Everyone has been telling me to take progress photos and I kept thinking-- photos of what?! Walls? Floors? New copper pipes? I mean all are very nice and much needed but do not exactly make for the most exciting of photos.

My cat is kinda like that. He's strictly indoor only but is constantly looking for an opportunity to slip past someone at the door. He hangs out right at my front door when I come home and I have to use my purse (or grocery bags) to push him out of the way so that I can come in, lol. He's escaped a few times when I wasn't paying enough attention and he gets even worse for a few days after his "adventure." He gets even more determined to go back outside.

Well first I'd like to say, sorry this has happened to you and that I have seen sealers change the appearance of stones, so I can empathize. Usually it's subtle or very little (depending on the type and brand) but It is more obvious with honed or leathered ones and less for polished. And yes sometimes just a casual glance it would not be obvious to some, unless you had an original unsealed (or just one coat) sample side by side with your 3x sealed countertop for comparison. But any person like you making all the detailed color coordination decisions day in and day out, would sure notice right away! I sure would! Oh and I also have to add here that some men are color blind or what I call 'tint blind' so don't let anyone tell you that you are crazy!! As ravencajun stated, maybe it does just need to dry a bit more? And I would contact your fabricator and let them know about your experience. I'd also ask them if they are familiar with that sealer and have been using it for long or is it a newer one for them? They might be experienced with it and can reassure you that yes indeed it will go back to normal. Or something else helpful about it. Typically you test a sealer's effectiveness (fully cured by the way and not before) by putting a single drop of water on the surface. Properly sealed, it should bead up like it would on a freshly waxed car with firm edges and quite a good high and round bubble. Even on a honed or leatherd surface (or grout if it were tile). Needing more sealer would react with loose wavy edges and a flatter bubble. Little to no sealer would react by soaking in entirely (immediately or soon after) or water sitting very flat on the surface. And usually anything but the first high bubble will result in some varying darkening to the stone from the water absorption. In fact, the test to see if you need additional sealer or not, IS this bubble test. Whether initially or several years later. Some stones need no sealing at all and so if they are unnecessarily sealed, will have the sealer sit on top and create this funny sheen, wet look or haze because it's not being absorbed. This type of stone should have a firm bubble, unsealed. Did you happen to do any testing of your stones before hand? So if you do this bubble test now, after your three coats, is there a good bubble or is it less? Actually, check the cure rate for the sealer. It may just be too soon now or was possibly too soon for your 2nd or 3rd coat. So then this water bubble test would be premature. Might need more time to cure. Check the label for instructions. If it's ok and cured, any water still soaking in? Is water soaking in AND it still looks "wet", both? Sounds like a sheen issue of that sealer. Or possibly just be a curing issue. A properly sealed stone should repel water and not be absorbing it and so won't need "drying out". An already sealed stone only accepts more sealer if it needs it and keeps absorbing it. Oh and wiping down the surrounding sink area from splashed water is a separate issue. Those thin microfiber cloth or thin sponges are great for that by the way. A few quick swipes and you're done! The yellow tint issue might be from their particular formula. This is immediate and not an issue of "yellowing" over time and UV exposure like typical white oil based paint yellowing. This is something different. Maybe this is a new formula for them? I'd have to research on that. I'm sure you followed manufacturer directions and timing of the additional coats. But I also know from my own experience, that honed and leathered surfaces take the sealer differently than polished. I had seen problems before so I did testing on my own surfaces (before installation) before choosing which one to use. Had several unexpected results. I'm familiar with Dupont StoneTech but not Latictete's. In a standard regular penetrating sealer, in my experience, no it is not normal for it to look "wet" after 48 hours. You said specifically that this was NOT the enhancing sealer. That usually darkens it dramatically. (Like wetting a dry stone and it darkening a lot, but then after drying again, lightens. If you want that darker look, the enhancing sealer will do it). But a wet look is a different issue. Enhancers sometimes include a "wet look" formula. And they typically label it right up front as such. It is unusual for a standard penetrating sealer to include this "wet look" but I've seen it once before. I forget the brand but remember the labeling was not up front about it. This was a few years ago so this may not be a current issue. In my tests of my own sealers with my honed and leathered stones, the most unexpected result from several of them was the sheen increase. I think I tested four or five and a few were especially bad. They all did darken to varying degrees too. I was surprised at the varying results from the different brands of standard "penetrating sealer". I did each test tile in overlapping strips so I could compare each section later after fully curing of non sealed with one coat, then two then three. The 3x sealer (or even 2x) on several were unacceptable for what I wanted to be a matte surface. I ultimately chose the one that had the least added sheen. (I also tested for water repellency, stains, etching, etc) I didn't notice a big color difference although they did all get varying shades darker, but with my buttercream honed and then leathered limestone tiles, I would not have noticed a yellow cast if there had been one. So maybe this added sheen is what you are seeing? Or if really extreme, maybe you could either have a sealer that has added a "wet look" to their formula (check the fine print) or possibly your stone has absorbed all it needs and extra sealer is sitting on top as mentioned before? Do you have any original samples of your stone before sealing? Do you have the sink and/or cooktop cutout from fabrication? If so, I'd use those to test any removal product or procedure on that instead. Or an inconspicuous area of your actual countertop. You might search out GW's resident Stone guru 'karin_mt' (for her famous Countertop Geology / Rocks 101 posts and more) for her knowledge on your actual stone and it's porosity. Some stones don't need a sealer or may react an odd way with sealers. I'm trying to remember if your stone has some unusual properties that would be an issue. Maybe someone else can add to this point. I have seen sealers be removed by either acetone or other cleaners, and sometimes the best removal product is from the same sealer company. If that's the route you need to go but I'd check on all these others first. And with all of this information, if anything like stripping does need to be done, I'm not recommending any DIY sealer removal or experimenting on your own countertop (except for samples), till it is determined by the mfg and your fabricator their liabity and responsibility for this. I'm just trying to inform you of these things to assist in finding out what might have gone wrong. Ideally, fabricators specifically and contractors in general are fantastic and stand behind you 100% till everything is to your complete satisfaction. Unfortunately the reality can be and usually is a lot less than that, with varying degrees of success, as this forum and others can attest to. And you have probably already paid everything in full, but if you haven't yet, I'd wait and withhold final payment till this job is completed to your satisfaction. Sealer and all. And with your fabricator knowing which sealer that was used, I'd put them in a higher category than typical so I have high hopes for you and fingers crossed! I didn't mean for this to be so long but I'm trying to be thorough. Sealers are frequently a total afterthought and I've experienced problems myself and had to experiment and research for my successes so wanted to pass that along. So seems like you might have multiple issues that need sorting out to know which will the correct problem to address. After contacting your fabricator, I'd also contact Latictete's technical support to ask about their sealer, multiple coats for drying time, a yellow tint issue, and what they would suggest for a solution or removal if needed, etc. Maybe you need one of their Reps to come out to look at your situation. I'd still work WITH your fabricator. Unless Laticrete takes over and determines something else is going on. They could suggest using your fabricator for labor to solve the problem. Whatever you do, I'd personally want to know all about things because that's just me. You may be totally different. I've been burned a lot and I get comfort in knowing that what I've researched from the manufacturing company of the product, will be the same recommended methodology used by the person doing the repair or the original work by the contractor. I'd feel most comfortable doing what the manufacturer suggests works with their product in case your fabricator has not been using this sealer very long. Some fabricators change sealers all the time and could not even tell you the name (much less any directions or specs) and even keep it in an unlabeled jar or a different sealer in another sealer's container with a convenient handle they like to reuse. (Ask me how I know). But yours did know so that's great! In any case, I know it's frustrating to have problems at a time when you hoped to celebrate a milestone such as countertops installed and to move forward. So hope you can figure out everything and get a good resolution to your problem! (edited for clarification)