"I would definitely complain to your fabricator. This doesn't appear to be something that can easily be "fixed." Don't worry about being a problem client. You paid $$ and didn't get what you should have gotten and what you expected. This is their problem, not yours. Good luck!!" Thanks chris45ny~ That's what I was thinking too, however they sent out someone I have never even seen or spoken to before to look at the counters and she was poo pooing the whole thing and saying "Well this is a natural product it is in the nature of the stone to have these variances..." I said , "Well Absolute black is pretty uniform in every piece I have seen and I don't think the person laying out the template did it correctly, they should have avoided the gray area and not placed it front and center of my sink." She was trying to see "What I wanted to get." I said "I want it to look right, period." She was then going to go back and talk to the boss and let me know what would happen... Meanwhile they wanted me to sign a paper that said everything had been delivered and was in fine condition which I said I would not sign. I am sitting now with a sink that is not hooked up, a dishwasher that is not hooked up all because I am waiting for them to decide what they are going to do! Since last Friday... Any more advice??? Thanks again

If you didn't find anything yet.... I researched this awhile back as I was thinking of doing the same thing. Please see the link below for ideas. Over the years, I've seen people on some of the forums here ask that question, which is what got me interested. Here is a link that might be useful: Painting counter tops

People are likely to tell you to do a search--which is a good idea. There have been several threads on this in here and I definitely found them helpful. In the meantime, I can tell you that I have carrara on my perimeter countertops. My GC and KD both said "NO WAY" in the beginning, but I forged ahead! Mine have been in for about six weeks and I love them. The biggest cons you'll hear are staining and etching. I haven't had any staining issues at all. My husband left a lid from a margarita mix container on one counter and it did etch (acidic). But I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who can find it. What you'll generally hear on here is that if you're willing to live with some "patina" meaning some etching and possibly staining (though there are poultice recipes that people seem to have great success with), then marble is a great choice. If you want a completely blemish-free surface, it may not be for you. Definitely do a search on here, though--and good luck!

I suggest doing your research on fantasy brown if you are considering it. It sounds to me like a marble. (Super white is another that is often billed as quartzite but is is actually usually marble.). Not that there is anything wrong with marble--I chose it for the ktichen in our last house, but I did so knowing what I was getting. Those countertop geology threads are really informative.