Wow! I know there will be some happy GW's to see that pic! Congrats on taking over an old family home and putting your own touches in it. I'm a OTK fan, so what I see so far looks great! Be sure to keep us posted on how it holds up.

It is pretty! Nice to have someone actually install it. Your pics will definetly help others considering it.

I love the Rochdale pulls! I considered them for my kitchen, but wanted polished nickel and they didn't come in that finish. Looking forward to more pics!

Thank you for sharing. We were/perhaps still are considering it. I really want marble perimeter countertops but this might still be in the running. It truly looks beautiful!
Enjoy and kudos for all the hard work!

Thank you! The stone fabricators are a small family-owned operation. They had never dealt with Torquay before, so this was their first time seeing it in person. The installer said they were all impressed with how natural it looked, and that the veining looks surprisingly authentic.

The kitchen is tiny...10' x 10' with 3 doorways and 2 windows. It has been a challenge to make it as functional as possible, but it has been fun. This is the 4th project house DH and I have done, but we're planning on staying in this one. We make a pretty good team. :)

Once the backsplash and crown molding are in, I'll share more pictures!

Wow! So beautiful. Thanks for posting.
I had a sample of Torquay
sitting on my table all summer
as I obsessed over counter choices.
It is great seeing a real installation.
I am sure that we will all want
to see more pictures of your beautiful kitchen

I am going with Torquay as well.

I got 1 square foot samples of four finalist and just layed them on top of my old counters and lived with them for four months or so.

Lemons,red wine,marinara suace etc etc

Wow that looks great. I may have to look into that for the upstairs bath. Was it expensive? Sorry if that's TMI...question. But similar to marble cost? That's a better way to ask... : )))

Thanks all! In my sample of Torquay, the "veins" were pretty speckled...on the actual countertop, it really seems to flow better. I'm not sure whether it's because my eye reads it as smoother because it's larger, or whether it's actually better. I guess I'll never know because I let the installer keep my original sample, since I clearly no longer have a use for it. ;)

I believe I ended up paying about $78 sq/ft...so it's a bit pricey, but IMO, worth it. I actually had them install it in a small vanity area in a bathroom as well. I'm having somewhat of a love affair with it.

deeageaux- That's great to hear that you put it through the ringer and that you decided to go with it in the end. Speaks well for it! I had the sink cut-out finished into a cutting board, so I plan on testing any new cleaners, hot pots, etc on that before I ever let them anywhere near my counter. :)

Love it love it love it. Now I will have to reconsider my choices AGAIN!!! Dang, this countertop thing is killin me!!!!

OP, it looks beautiful. I liked the 3"x3" sample I ordered, but seeing a big expanse of it is impressive.

That is very very pretty! I like it as itself and don't think it needs to pretend to be marble. I think it gives off a mellow vibe and I like how the veining breaks up the expanse of white. It is just lovely as its own thing ;)
I can't wait to see more. I bet they get an uptick of orders today and tomorrow from your posting!

Wow! You've done so much for being busy weekend warriers. It looks amazing so far, and I can't wait to see more.

I've had a lovely 12x12 sample of Torquay sitting here since about August, but I'm pretty sure I've decided to go with something dark. I LOVE your countertops, though, and I'm glad you're enjoying them. Be sure to post more soon!

Plum82 -- your Torquay looks great, congrats, love seeing other pictures.

We've had ours in since December and no issues to report. I have used our 12x12 sample as a landing area for hot things coming out of the oven and can not see any damage (but am nowhere near ready to risk it yet). We had one science experiment which left some food coloring on the surface but all color came out (phew) with a little elbow grease.

For what it's worth -- getting it... was a challenge and took longer than I wanted. I was told I could not get runnels in it (fabricator had not had good experience with runnels and quartzite).

There are variations in Torquay veining. Here's what I have in the pantry vs. kitchen.

Island:

Thank you SO MUCH for this post! I hadn't heard of Torquay before and now I am seriously considering it. I was originally planning to go with Ceasarstone nougat.

The website says "swirls of gray and tan" but I mostly just see swirls of gray in the photos. Is there very much tan? I should probably just order myself a sample.

oldbat2be~ What color is your silgranit sink?

That is beautiful! Love the floors, they go so well with the light cabinets and countertop.

The gray is much more dominant than the tan. If you were just a casual observer, you probably wouldn't even notice...it's just enough to warm it up a little, if that makes sense. It really is beautiful.

Oldbat- Wow, yours has a lot more gray than mine. Mine is much more like your island. It all looks so beautiful in your kitchen! Mine all came from the same slab, so it's very consistent.

I live that Torquay is more white-like compared to Caesarstone's Misty Carrera which is much more gray.

The Torquay is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. Your kitchen is coming together beautifully. I can't wait to see the finished result.

Those floors are gorgeous!

That really is beautiful. I wish it were in my budget. Sigh.

Plum82 -- your floors DO look gorgeous with the white cabinets and the Torquay! Great color combo. (My cabs look yellow in comparison in the picture but fortunately a little less so in real life).

I think sink color is biscuit.

FWIW: What sold me on the Torquay was seeing a slab in person. Highly recommend this. From Cambria main website, find your local showrooms/fabricators and arrange a visit.

JEM here, thanking you for the Torquay pics. Seriously have been searching for them, in hopes it will help me make that difficult decision so many of us have struggled with~marble, granite, quartz, OH MY. I'm wearing down and just want something new before another year passes. I'm not getting any younger! I have a few questions for if you have time to respond.

plum82-is there a slight "reveal" (edge) on your SS sink? If so, do you mind the edge? I worry its just another place to keep clean. What edge did you chose for the Torquay? I have a similar story as we live in my husband's grandparents home (1910) farmhouse. Now I'm afraid MY grandkids will find we were living w/dead mice. Its an ambitious project you are taking on w/young kids, but it looks WONDERFUL & right up my alley.

Oldbat2be: What edge did you chose on Torquay? I want a squarish edge, but the display I saw the "eased edge" looked nearly round & I liked it less than I thought I would. Also,I am considering the white Blanco silgranit sink. Did you consider it or did the color look bad w/Torquay? I can't see the Blanco white sink in our area.

And to those of you GW who care to share an opinion, when trying to go vintage what faucet would you suggest? I like a pull-down spray, but also think a bridge style says OLD, is that out-of-style? Suggestions?

I feel like I know so many of you from reading your posts for the last few months. I enjoy SO MUCH seeing pics. I will post as well, when I finally get going.

Thanks, Friends

OMG! How could I forget Oldbat2be's beautiful kitchen with Torquay!?

Seeing it in both your beautiful kitchens makes me start to consider it for the guest bath that we plan to reno next year....after I recover from remodeling the rest of the house. Oiy.

I'll make sure I see a slab not just the little sample. Thanks!

Thanks Breezy! Can't imagine even thinking about the next project. Also can't imagine you not going with marble again!!

JEM - We went with a half bullnose edge. Had to review my quote to remember what we selected! One of those many decisions over which I agonized and then immediately put out of mind.

You can see the edge a little in this picture:

I had been leaning toward the "buttermilk" Caesarstone, but I think I've got Torquay Fever! It's really handsome. Congrats to those GW members who have used Cambria Torquay to such great effect.

The Torquay is lovely! Great to hear ist's so stain resistent. Plum, your floors take my breath away! I bet your grandmother and the house are so pleased you're giving it a new lease on life! All your hard work is going to be so worth it! I can't wait to see more pics!

OldBat, your kitchen looks lovely! The crystal knobs and your faucets--swoon!

Torquay may be the perfect counter for my mom. I'm definitely going to check it out! Thanks everyone!

I have now seen pictures online of a few kitchens where I really like the Torquay. I got excited about it as a possible counter for my kitchen. I finally got to see a 12x12 sample in a store a few weeks ago and I was very underwhelmed. The sample I saw was too "quiet" and had a lot more tan streaks than gray, and the markings were very pale. I prefer cool tones and want bold gray streaks, more like Carrara.

The pictures posted above look a lot better than the sample I saw. It seems like you need to pick a specific slab of the Torquay much as you would with natural stone, if that is an option.

Here is a link that might be useful: Another Torquay kitchen

JEM - The sink and the opening are almost exactly the same size, so there's not much reveal at all. If anything, the opening is a tiny bit smaller than the sink, leaving a fraction of an overhang. I'm not living in the house yet, so I can't say whether or nor keeping it clean will be an issue, but I don't foresee any problems. We went with the eased edge, and it was a bit more square than I remember the sample being. It's almost a bit beveled. It took a little while to get used to it, but I think I'll be happy with it.

flwrs_in_co - Thank you for your kind words! The floors are a mix of white & red oak. We had them stained with a black walnut Danish oil and then finished with Glitsa. The entire main floor of the house is the same. It's hard to believe it was covered with disgusting carpet and blue linoleum for so many years. :)

If you are considering Torquay, please don't rely on a sample. I suggest you pick your slab just as you would with granite. I've seen multiple slab lots of this (i was considering it for my bathroom) and they do vary in veining quite a bit. If you live too far from the slab house, ask that they send you a picture of the slab so you can approve.

I even picked my slab for the Caesasrtone Blizzard in my kitchen, which is a solid white, but I found that different lots had different tinges, such as one slab that had a slightly green tinge, which I definitely did not like.

What options are there for a white tile backsplash with a Torquay counter - other than white subway tile?

I used Torquay in my bathroom and I'm very happy with it. It definitely is creamy though, which I didn't mind. I paired it with white subway and it looks great. Mine has a lot of gray in it along with a little beige. It works well with my gray cabinet.
I haven't really used the bathroom yet, but I'm sure it will be easy to take care of!

I am going with Torquay too!

Positano - I love the bathroom. I am probably doing beigy grey cabinets on my perimeter so it's nice to see with the grey. What color is that?

Plum - if you're still reading - what color white are your Diamond cabinets? They look great! I hope you'll come back and post your finished kitchen.

Hi Cottonpenny,
I gave the cabinet maker Amazing Gray by Sherwin Williams, but it came out a lot more green than the chip. It all worked out in the end.
It looks more like Mindful Gray by SW than Amazing Gray.It is a green/gray color with a hint of blue . Pictures don't do it justice!

Good luck, can't wait to see your kitchen!

That turned out beautifully, positano! Really like your subway with the Torquay. Great combo of colors.

Plum-love your kitchen!
Am thinking of doing Torquay in our kitchen remodel. Want to do white cabinets w the Torquay. What color white are your cabinets? Also--were you able to view your slab b4 purchase? Thanks!

Hi Plum! Wondering if you could post more pictures of your kitchen. In particular, I would love to see what backsplash you choose for the Torquay as this is one counter that I am considering. Thanks! Looks terrific so far! I'm sure it will be stunning!

Your counter and kitchen are beautiful!

Our Cambria (Canterbury) goes in Monday afternoon (the 16th). I can't wait. And shortly after that we will have a sink and water in the kitchen again. Soon I will be be joining the all but back splash. I do have some tile picked out but won't finalize that until the countertop is in.

It's beautiful! I love your floors, hard to believe they are old. Whoever refinished them did an excellent job.

Positano, I aboslutely adore your bathroom! We start our bath remodel next month, and I just can not wait! i hope it comes out half as pretty as yours. Where did you get your pulls and cabinet hardware? They are just divine. Just perfect.

I know this is an old thread, but can anyone tell me what white cabinet color they used with their Torquay? Did anyone use BM White Dove? I thought that I was going to use that, but it looks a little too yellow on the sample that I have.

Bathroom looks great! If you're still reading this thread, what did you use for the wall molding down by the floor? Is that tile baseboard molding or did you use wood baseboard molding painted white?