LOL, at least we're not the only ones who hang out our windows. When we DIY'ed our new windows this summer the neighbors each weekend would come by and look at us funny as we were hanging out them to heat gun the old paint of and clean up the rot. I think a few got nervous when we commented which ER we'd like to be taken to (we weren't joking since that one is closest and free ). I couldn't get my husband to DIY our granite... maybe if we did soapstone, but that is too much maintance for me. Your kitchen is absolutely lovely.

Mbarstow- Here's what I'd do NOW... 1. look up ANY documentation that you have that shows WHERE you selected and approved the slab(s) - did you find your slab(s) at a distributor? if so, many provide you with a receipt of the selection and approval - that shows THE SLAB NUMBERS, and BUNDLE NUMBERS - THESE ARE KEY to making sure that "THE" slabs that YOU REALLY WANT - Make it to your home - Their pretty much like serial numbers - remember that no two slabs are identical, and so THIS is why it's SO important for consumers to RECORD these numbers and take full size pictures of the slabs - to document what it is that you want to actually wind up in YOUR HOME!!! Many of these forms are called "OA's" or (Order Authorizations) Arizona Tile here in PHX is like... OBSESSED with making sure that consumers that come to them to select their slabs - get EXACTLY what they have approved. Sure people are human and we ALL make mistakes, but AZT has made quantum leaps in insuring that the slabs selected - are the slabs delivered. I LOVE WORKING WITH ARIZONA TILE, AND HAVE SINCE 1993 2. Presuming that you do have an OA - or some type of documentation that has the Bundle and Slab numbers on it - I'd then call the Fabricator and ask if I could ... "come by to check some shades of color on the slabs that you guys have for me..." If your Fabricator is "Dialed In" / "5x5" / High Speed-Low Drag and "In the Pipe" (these are all adjectives describing someone who has their ACT TOGETHER) They will say something like - sure... when do you want to come over - We'll need a few hours to get your slabs out for you..etc. THEN, I'd have all kinds of warm fuzzies and be thinking happy thoughts the rest of the day..... HOWEVER............................. On the other hand - IF the guy on the other end of the phone says... Uh... Let me "check on that" for you - I'll call you back... (and he never does) - I'd have some concern.. call him back and let him know you are going to be "on him" like white on rice until you get an answer (in a nice way of course) IF he starts hyperventilating when you ask him... (and you hear the phone get muffeled and the guy audibly screaming)........ "Oh My GOD - WHERE are THEIR SLABS... YOU WHAT??? WHEN??? WHO's JOB DID YOU CUT THEM FOR.........." and then they come back to you and say in a very Valium Enhanced voice - Uh... we'll get back to you..." I'd be REALLY concerned.... I'd be P.O.'d !!!! Hopefully - your Fabricator IS dialed in, and your slabs are safe and sound... Get the intel on the slab numbers and bundle numbers and follow up with your Fabricator ASAP - to get this resolved..... For everyone else - PLEAASE DO THIS: when selecting your slabs - take YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA WITH YOU! TAKE close up shots of the numbers on the ends of the slabs, TAKE Wide shots of the WHOLE SLAB - every slab take close ups of interesting areas that you WANT to have installed TAKE close up shots of the features that you'd like your Fabricator to avoid Then...... E-MAIL ALL OF THESE PICS TO YOUR FABRICATOR, AND COPY BACK TO YOURSELF Make sure your Fabricator KNOWS that YOU KNOW - THESE ARE THE SLABS I APPROVED, And these are the slabs I WANT ending up in MY home... Not someone else's...... HTH..... kevin

We have/had a similar situation. Templating was last Friday with the fabrication to take place Monday. Unfortunately, due to other issues surrounding the cabinets (ugh), both DH had I took a huge amount of time off work last week (really bad timing for both of us), and there was absolutely no WAY we were going to be able to take time on Monday to be at fabrication. I will say that we had originally planned on being there. Cabinet guys are running really, really behind resulting in granite guy templating 3 days late. On the bright side, he WAS able to install on schedule so that everything else didn't fall behind. Okay, so it went in yesterday. There were unfortunately more seams than I wanted, mostly because of the length of our counter runs and the size of the slabs. All but one seam were beautiful. That one seam, however, was in a rather prominent place. In addition, it was literally like night and day on either side of the seam. When the templater was here, I did specifically speak about what I wanted in terms of continuity. Well, uh, so yesterday I had one granite running all the way through the kitchen except for one very small 2-foot section on the end of a counter run. It didn't just look like it came from a different slab - it looked like it was a totally different granite! We're dealing with Uba Tuba, which is usually very consistent, but these two slabs were vastly different. So, I commented to the installer about it yesterday. He agreed with me and said he and the rest of the installers had been talking about it and what to do. Well, lo and behold, before I even had a chance to call GC this morning, granite guys were in my kitchen at 8:15 a.m. pulling the odd-colored piece of granite out. His comment: "This is totally unacceptable." So, I don't have a new piece in yet, maybe later this afternoon or first thing tomorrow morning. So, this is my lengthy way of saying that it can and should be fixed! I'm just so grateful that this crew knew it and there was no argument whatsoever from them. Made my day.

That would be great! I just read a post from you in another tread. I'm looking forward to seeing it installed! So we set the templates yesterday using the Taj Mahal on the island and the sueded Black Pearl on the perimeter. Some of the left over Taj Mahal would be used as a new fireplace surround. Then I got home and looked around my kitchen. I just could not see the black pearl on the perimeter. I could only see the Taj Mahal on both surfaces. I approached my husband when he got home, and shockingly!,he agreed wholeheartedly. He feels there is no way we can go wrong putting the beautiful Taj Mahal on both surfaces, but that we might regret using the black pearl over time. We decided to sleep on it and revisit it this morning. I felt the same as yesterday. My husband said he didn't even need to look at the kitchen that his mind was made up that the Taj Mahal is the way to go. I called my fabricator this am to schedule another appt to template out the counter Monday morning. She knew we were not completely set on the black. Now I am the owner of one slab of black pearl. We are wondering if its big enough to replace the current counters in our lake house. Of course this was not a project we ever considered until now. The black pearl would look fabulous at the lake. I need to change my faucet as well. I went with a more traditional design to soften the perimeter. Now I can go a little more modern/industrial. I'm excited for that! I'll look forward to your pics!!