Sharon: I don't know about any other kinds of cutters, but the ruler with all the slits cut in it so you can use a rotary cutter is, IMHO, a waste of time. I used it for my first Peek-a-Boo, but it doesn't cut perfect circles. You have to be awfully careful about where you place it on the fold, since the slits are only for a 1/2 circle. And then the slightest difference in the distance of the cutter from the edges of the slits throws the circle off. I was cutting out all the circles and then trying to sew 1/4" from their edges. Well, first of all, the lining circles and the colored circles wouldn't match up properly. There was no way to be sure my circles were accurate so that they could be joined in rows and the while quilt put together so that the intersections of seams would match up. It was a nightmare. I was so glad when I got the idea of making a template and penciling circles in and stitching on those lines and cutting out afterwards. Now, although it wastes a bit of material, I rip out squares of the right size, pencil the circles for sewing, and trim the seams later. It is heaps faster. Can anyone say if there is some other sort of quilt where having a circle cutter is worth it?

The one thing to check, I think, is if the GC was trying to warn you off. Does he really want to work over the holidays? Do his subs? Are they taking their kids on vacation just when you thought they'd be working? The GC might want the job too much to tell you no-can-do, and figure he can probably make it work out, rather than being eager for your start date. If you're sure he and the subs are on board, go for it! And maybe add an incentive bonus for them to be done, cleaned up and signed off by January 25 (sooner if that's the quote), which gives you a week to get your act together before your party. Plus a penalty if it's not done by February 1. It can be done if everyone's on board. I only worry that less than 2 months over the holidays is awfully tight, if you really want them done in time for the party.

Get a few air horns and bear spray to keep at the doors. I carry both when on hikes and I use the air horn when I see any critters (mostly coyote) to keep them afraid of people. Watching them and taking selfies only makes them bolder and less afraid! The mother bear has just taught her cub to forage right next to humans in broad daylight. Not good.

I would say the installation for the Home Depot hex tiles looks VERY good. The quality of the install doesn't look to be the issue. The "pain" issue looks to be the tile edge. I'm going to bet my eye teeth that the tile you chose does NOT have an eased edge. An eased, or rounded, edge is the edge of choice when thinking about tiles. Go ahead and rub your finger over the edge of one of your left over tiles. If the edge feels "sharp" (like a 90 deg hard angle) then you have your answer. The pain is coming from the sharp edge. Sharp = painful. As for the colour, that is what happens to marble when it is sealed or when it gets wet. I'm with Hallett & Co. A colour enhancing sealer will turn very pale stone a bit darker. It "enhances" the veining (darkens). And to be clear, marble tile NEEDS sealing. It can require 3 or more coats of sealant BEFORE it is installed and then a coat (or more) AFTER it is installed. Each coat of sealant can darken/enhance the colour of the tile. The fact that your installed tiles are SIGNIFICANTLY darker than your raw samples is a good thing (from a technical point of view). The darkening is uniform throughout the floor. Again, from a technical perspective this is a GOOD thing. It means the darkening is from the sealant and not from standing water (tile that darkens after a shower is often "spotty" with some areas becoming quite dark and other areas looking quite light...that can indicate significant issues with the install). I'm sorry you don't like the look/feel of these tiles. As far as I can tell from the photos, the installer did a very good job with the tile presented to him/her. The tile appears sealed, there are no areas where you can "tell" where one sheet ends and another begins. The grout lines appear regular (which isn't always the case even with sheets of tiles). If you want to double check the look of your tiles after sealing, you can go ahead and soak some left over tiles with some water (lay a dripping-wet cloth over the left over sheet of tiles and leave it there for a few hours). When you view the wet tiles, what do you see? Are you seeing the same "dark" colour as what is on your floor? If you are, the depth of colour is coming from the sealant. At this point, this is either a "live with it" floor or it is a "rip it out and start again" type of project. Personally I can handle the depth of colour (sure it isn't the super pale floor you wanted...but it is still very handsome), it is the sharp painful edges that would cause me to rip this out. And the sharp painful edges are a direct result of the quality of tile (eased edges = more work at the factory = more expensive).