I am a fabricator. A plywood underlayment for 2CM is typically complemented by a 4CM drop edge which masks the underlayment on the edge. the plywood is really just a spacer as it does not contribute significantly to the structural integrity of the overhang. For 3CM quartz a "fussy" fab shop will grind the underside of the overhang to remove the printed Logo's from the OEM. If requested the fabricator can polish the underside but the fab shop polish will not be of the same quality as the surface. However, it will be good enough to look finished on the underside. Polishing the underside is NOT an option typically offered by the fabricator. In my business we've learned to ask the question when the layout of the room, and particularly the stairway location, means the underside will be readily visible on a regular basis and not just when someone is on the floor looking up. Another option is to make the overhang "double thick" where 2 pieces of the engineered stone are mated back to back so a factory finish is on both sides. This is an easy option for 4CM assuming corbels are used or the double thickness is extended back over the cabinet. Finally, some natural stones that are crack prone have a fiberglass matting epoxied on to the back of the stone to help it hold together during transport, fabrication, and install. A competent fab shop will remove this backing as a matter of course. I am always annoyed at the poor quality evidenced by a job where the backing can be felt and seen on an island overhang and even on the narrow countertop overhangs. If you really want a great looking underside the best way is to double up the material back to back. It's an expensive way to do it for a variety of reasons.

We have polished Organic White countertops. We also get subtle metal marks that won't come out. These counters are just a few months old. No one else would notice it, but I certainly do. I would recommend getting a sample of the quartz you are considering and testing it yourself. Maybe we're just unlucky? Although, the number of websites that say "quartz doesn't stain" seem to be equalled by the number of websites that say "here's how to get stains out of your quartz". We haven't tried Magic Eraser and it is somewhat discouraged since it is abrasive, but we may try that next.

It looks very fresh and new. You can absolutely tie them together well and it will look fabulous. I know how hard it is to have a vision in your head, and then how sad it is when what you end up with doesn't match the picture in your head. But I'd recommend trying to regain some perspective. No one has died, it's done well, and it's going to be beautiful. There is no way in heck I'd pay money to rip that out and start over. However everyone is different with money and I'm sort-of cheap. I save forever for major projects like this and I've learned one has to be willing to roll with the punches on a major reno. Stuff always takes longer, costs more, and looks a little different than what I saw in my head....

Home Depot doesn't charge for Cambria by the slab but by the square foot. They argue that this saves you money, but it occurred to me that such a policy might also lead a fabricator who didn't have immediate access to a matching slab to take a piece from another slab, one he THOUGHT looked the same to him. We all know opinions vary but THIS LOOKS HORRIBLE TO ME FROM THE GET-GO, obvious NOT a match. It's not a match either because it doesn't come from a matching slab OR the rt. hand one is turned UPSIDE DOWN from the other. There is an interesting post on Viatera Soprano which many of us followed: the customer kept staring at the quartz that she had put on the large backsplash. Something was wrong, Yep: When he cut the slabs for the backsplash, the top and bottom of each piece were opposite of one another.