It looks reasonable to me. We had soapstone installed a few months ago. My seams are similar. This is a large area to cover with one slab and they were able to match up some of the veining.

It looks beautiful to me.

You don't get seams in soapstone like you can in granite. The slabs aren't cut the same. It's a perfectly wonderful job. Your expectations for your seams are out of line.

First of all that is some seriously beautiful soapstone! I think that seam would drive me crazy personally though, sorry to say. If it were mine I would try to find a way to absorb some cost to make it better - hopefully not the full cost but sharing it somehow with the fabricator as fairly as possible. If it couldn't be done any better or if the cost was too high I'd live with it a bit and maybe do my best to disguise the busy part where your eye is drawn in the middle. The ends are fine for sure. Can you cover it with a potted plant? Or if it was an eating area maybe some well placed place mats? A generous fruit bowl? A pretty walnut cutting board or piece of marble for baking/candy making? A row of candles/vases/cannisters other decorative item(s)? If it still drove me crazy after living with it a while I'd figure out a way to replace it ... after saving my pennies for another 20 years :/

Your soapstone is gorgeous. Here is a pic of my seam for comparison. Mine is a way busier stone. I do wonder if they had the depth available (not sure how how deep your island is) if they could have tried to match up some of the larger veins some. BUt is still is a beautiful stone and teh seam itself is good.

Soapstone looks beautiful, and the seam looks pretty good, however - none of the veins match and I think that is what is distracting! My seams are pretty invisible, and had they made it in a more quiet area of the stone, I think it would have came out nicer. It would drive me crazy and I would address it with them.

I think it looks fine. Put a large oval basket of fruit over the part that bugs you :) I'm kidding, but seriously, it you put something nice near that end no one is going to see the seam.

Hi Muskokascp,
Your soapstone is beautiful.

Maybe there was a lack of communication with what you
wanted. I have to agree with your fabricator on 2 or 3
slabs to create a book match seam. I am not positive on
the measurement of your island. But if it is large than
three slabs would need to be used. Your counter really is
beautiful. I had to scroll up three times to just
look at it.

GORGEOUS!!!

What does he recommend? The seam itself looks perfect,
so you really will have a hard time getting your money
back. The fact you posted her means it bothers you.

Why don't you pay a little extra to have the seams match?
Have them come out and redo the island. This will make
you enjoy your island. I know for me, I was thrilled when
my fabricator matched my seams to create an invisible line.
I would pay extra in a heartbeat. For me it matters
and I think if you talk about this with your installer
he might give you a little break on the the entire project.
He probably wouldn't do it for free but maybe if you paid
for the slabs and the work at a discount it would not
be so expensive.

I know you have been working on your kitchen for a long
time, I hope it all works out to the way you want.
~boxerpups

Okay, I'm going to be the contrary one - this would bother me as much as it bothers you.

I had a similar issue, a large island with a low ceiling and two posts on either end that couldn't be removed to allow granite to be installed in one piece. We decided to go with a wood top (granite on the perimeters) because we didn't want a seam in the stone and we could install the wood in two pieces and the seam would fall naturally along the planks. Problem solved, right?

Well, the wood island top came in and they forgot to measure for the overhang. How this occurs is beyond me, but there you have it. They took the top off and went to remake it and when they came back with the new piece, it didn't match. My contractor assured me I wouldn't notice once the piece was stained and varnished - the original piece had six narrow planks and the overhang, which should have had four had only two very wide planks, which looked to me like an afterthought, or an add on, which is what it was.

Does it bother me? Yes. Did I make an issue? No. Did I pay less? I should have, but didn't. If it really bothers you, I say get it done properly. Since the larger piece is beautiful, would you consider putting butcher block at the smaller end? There is a thread here about mixed stone and wood tops and they are very nice, and also functional - and no one would guess you hadn't planned it that way.

Not sure how to do that 'here is a link that might be useful' but it's called 'Granite and Butcherblock Islands.' Take a look.

Good luck!

I have a similar issue with my soapstone. It really bothered me at first, but,honestly, it is a non-issue now. I'd say live with it a while and see how you feel later.

It would bother me. It's too bad they didn't turn it around and seam it on the other side. It could be a reasonable solution to turn the piece around. If that does work, the fabricator should do it for nothing.

I had a similar seam but I had more veining line up forming a V. It bothered me at first, but after living with it, it looks fine now.

The seam is not acceptable. It is very noticeable, and you will see it every single day. Since your fabricator assured you that the seam would be invisible, he should bear the cost of making it right. How long is your island? 115" is the longest piece I've been able to find. Even if you can't find a piece long enough, a better job can be done with matching the veining. At the very least, the veins should be running the same direction!

"I have the Kohler stages sink but the cut out is not large enough to allow the cutting boards to sit properly."

So, not only do the veins not match at all, but the fabricator
didn't even do the cut-out for the Stages sink properly! Won't
you be frustrated and annoyed (not exactly the words I'd really
choose), every time you try to use the cutting board in the sink?
Isn't the cutting board part of the allure of that (not inexpensive)
sink?

For that alone, I'd say the fabricator has to redo the countertop.
On top of that, those mis-matched veins would drive me crazy!

They will fix the sink cut out - I am not worried about that.

I spoke with a soapstone supplier today and they said it should be easy to get 2 slabs that are the same - just ask for 2 back to back slabs from the same lot. This way they will almost be identical. In looking at the 2 pieces used for my island I have to wonder if these slabs are from 2 different lots or not back to back. The veins are not the same. Beautiful yes, but not ideal for matching.

I sent an email off to the fabricator to touch base with him again. He is very willing to get this right - he knows this is not what I expected and has admitted to fault on his part for not contacting me with choices. I don't think he needs 3 slabs to do this right though - wouldn't 2 identical slabs with one turned around effectively match the veins (in an inverted bookmatched sort of way) or am I totally off on imagining this would work?

I will wait to see what he has to say.

I dunno.

I'd at least want the veins running the same direction! Sounds like your fabricator is going to improve it with a good attitude. If he pulls it off, you owe him a basket of muffins or something. Good luck (and don't give in)!

Your soapstone is Beautiful (with a capital B)! Can you share what type it is, please? I think if there's is a way to match up the seam better, then it's definitely worth trying (as long as it's not too $$). Don't wait too long though - fix it while the fabricator is willing to work it out!

"The fabricator assured me that with soapstone the seam would be invisible. "

That seam is NOT invisible. Why should you have to bear any of the cost to fix it?

If the fabricator said it wouldn't show, he should make it right. And making 2 seams instead of one isn't going to help. Then you'd just have 2 seams that show!

You could always switch to Corian and then the seams really can be invisible.

Stone is a natural product.

Even two consecutive slabs are not identical.

Wood cutting boards can be shrunk to size, and it may be best to do so, because it's less time less work and less risk than enlarging an opening in a stone.

This can be a good strategy, if you keep the counter and get compensation instead of having new slabs made.

david-the cutting board is a huge thick beautiful piece of wood plus there are acrylic type boards that also fit in the space. The fabricator said it was not a difficult task to correct the cut out.

The fabricator responded to my email saying he is away until the 12th. I remain hopeful we can work this out.

The fabricator sounds like a stand-up guy, and that all will be
right in the end.

Looking forward to seeing the changed out slabs in place, and
hearing that you're happy.

:-)

the cutting board is a huge thick beautiful piece of wood and it will still be this after a little sanding on one side. Same for the acrylic type boards that also fit in the space. If you do not believe me, ask for others to corroborate.

I'm so glad it sounds like you're going to be able to have it fixed! It would be such a shame to dislike such a stunning soapstone countertop simply because of a less than ideal seam. Keep us posted on how it goes!

The mechanics of the seam look great. It's the veining that looks off. It looks like it kinda matches on the side furthest from the camera but on the near side it fails to match at all. This would bug the hell out of me. I'd have to have it fixed, however, and I'm not being critical of you here, I made sure to look at my slab and place my cuts myself (I could do that 'cause we DIY'd the countertop fabrication). It's a shame you didn't have that option and that might make it tougher for you to rectify this. He sounds like a standup fellow so hopefully you can come to a middle of the road settlement. I don't think the alignment of the veins is up to par and it seems to be common sense that you would not find that acceptable as a fabricator but not everyone even agrees in this forum on how out of whack the issue is so I guess it's not so common. Different people have different priorities. I hope you get what you want in the end.

Lovely stone that'll only be more lovely if the veins all match better.

Ne

No, you can't take a piece and "turn it around." The veins would be opposite each other.

You need two pieces that are sliced, like bread, and then opened like a book. That's called Book Matching. They do it with the grain of wood in furniture making and stone.

I'm surprised your guy actually installed it.
Do you think you'll be able to get something with as much character? It's really beautiful.

If I were close, I'd take it off your hands. Or his, which ever the case would be! :)

Christine

Seams in soapstone can be pretty much invisible. The longer the seam the harder it is to get a God made product to match perfectly. . . unless you book match the island. Soapstone (slabs) typically do not come book matched, so it is many times up to the fabricator to flip the slab and refinish the backside to create the perfect match. . . If your fabricator can do this or not is the question. If he can get slabs that are cut out next to each other is also key to getting a good match. Looks like he wants to do a good job and is willing to work with the situation. . .that says alot!

joshua,
I appreciate your comments as you are THE soapstone guy around here. Fancy a visit to Halifax? How hard would it be to refinish the backside - I understand this would be the best way to get book matched slabs. Does he need special equipment to do this or is it a function of time and sanding the correct way?

In speaking with the soapstone supplier, they indicated getting 2 slabs that are back to back in the same lot is not difficult. Theoretically then, one could get slabs that could be book matched with refinishing the other side of one slab.

Joshua, could you give me your opinion on where in this island you would place the seam? If you had book matched slabs would you do it in the middle of the island or would it depend on the pattern of the stone? Ideally in a quiet area?

I don't expect every little vein to match. As someone noted, the veins at the top of the seam are a pretty good match but that only covers about a quarter of the seam and the majority of the seam is not well matched. This is on the side of the island where you sit (and hence look at a lot) and where people first come up to the island when they enter the kitchen. My kitchen is also very bright with a great amount of natural light - to the immediate left of this end of the island is a glass slider. The veins and seam in the stone are bathed in light most of the day.

I fully expected to ok the soapstone before the install. With the quartzite counters I held up the fabrication for 3 days because I couldn't get there to see the planned cuts.
I was as surprised as anyone when he said it was all done and ready to be installed! I didn't even know it had arrived. I thought he would let me know when it arrived and then I would arrange a time to go out and see it. He is a good hour from me. Apparently he does not routinely allow people to see the planned cuts. In fact his words were - this is unheard of...guess he hasn't been dealing with too many tko people :)

At the end of the day the world will not come crashing down and I am sure over time I will become accustomed to it. The perfectionist in me cringes when I look at it though.

Well, as incredibly beautiful as it is, I understand why it bothers you. It's just not quite right how it's pieced together - the veining... sigh. Glad your contractor is willing to work with you on it. But in the end, if the decision is to leave it, I do think it's beautiful no matter what - just not "perfection" I guess. Can you post photos of the rest of your kitchen? What quartzite did you choose and how does it look?

I think the closeups call out the differences more than the shot of the whole area. It looks OK there. Good luck working with the fabricator.

I agree that the result is disappointing and I think that should have been obvious to the installer.

Your soapstone appears to be PA or Pinheiros Altos. This stone typically has minimal to dramatic veining.
The problem appears to be the fabricator did not discuss with you what options you would have with a 10' island. This PA soapotne usually averages around 108" in lenth.So a 120" island should have been discussed prior to fabrication.
Typically when we fabricate this soapstone, PA, for an island of this size we offer our customers a mirror image and seam the slabs usually down the middle. What this means is there is typically, in a bundle, 2 slabs that are alike but opposite or as others referenced above, you flip the slab to matche the veining. The unfinished side can be finished, not that difficult. Your fabrticator should have the pads and equipment to do this.
Unfortunitly your job is complete. If your fabricator is offering to fix this you may want to take this up with them or not.
We would never have installed a job like this as this is our reputation and embarrising to any expert fabricator of soapstone.
Sorry I will tell it like it is.

Good luck

I have to agree that the seam is obvious, at least as seen in the photos. Because veined stone is irregularly patterned and perhaps therefore hard to match, especially at this point, would it be possible for the contractor to separate the two pieces and then insert a strip of a different material, e.g. wood, dull metal, slightly roughened concrete, to disguise the discontinuity of the vein lines?

i'm a bit OCD and that seam would drive me nuts...my eye is immediately drawn to *any* perceived imperfection...i have granite, and the seam is practically invisible to the naked eye, it is only because i know exactly where it is that i can 'see' it....i wish i had a solution for you, i'm not all that familiar with soapstone ('cept to say it is LOVELY!), but if you are anything like me at all, talk to the installer about any possible remedies right away.....for me this would *not* get better with the passage of time