These are my pics of my countertops placed Friday June 22, 2018. I cried looking at these seams. It looks so cheap. Fabricator explains that's the way it comes. I explained that I shouldn't be able to see the seams so clearly. It looks so unprofessional. They ended up taking them back to their warehouse. In hopes they say if it is quality control will try and fix it just to make it look better. Otherwise I will have to pay an additional fee for them to come out again to install. I just don't know what to do and if still looks the same. This is the first time I've replaced my counters in 24 years. I don't and can't live with it. looking at this for another 24 years. It looks so cheap and it really was not it's a lot of money to me. I hope fingers crossed that they will fix this problem. They never told me that there would be such seams. I thought the edges were done by a machine and it would be all one piece. I have read up on this and now understand there are seams. But now I do know that they should not look like this. If they are good fabricator you shouldn't be able to see them so clearly. I will find out next week what happens.

Thought some more about this overnight. My dad was a dentist. Also built his own dental office. Corian everywhere. I have health issues, including a couple of surgeries. When you go to the doctor, or the hospital, Corian everywhere. Until I read this thread, I never really thought about why. I worked in a hospital 40 years ago, if I recall correctly, stainless steel was the thing then. It's all about keeping things clean. We have hard water, as do most people in the USA. Did not realize that hard water affects stone. I have never cut directly on a countertop, it will ruin your knives. I have never put a hot pot on a countertop and have no desire to do so. We do put hot pots in the sink, pour boiling water in the sink, so I am going to need a steel or enamel sink. Want a farmhouse sink anyway. This has been a very thought provoking discussion. Learned a lot.

Love all your choices. My only suggestion would be to do a different backsplash behind the range because the grooves design will trap the splatters from the cooktop. A stainless steel panel backsplash behind the cooktop which meets the hood will add sparkle and shine, is practical for that area, and is very reasonably-priced. There are also stainless steel backsplashes for behind the range that come in patterns - quilted (for that diner look), tile pattern, all sorts of looks - just google "stainless steel backsplash". Or just do the standard stainless steel panel for simplicity and a clean look. You could also use your soapstone as a panel behind the cooktop. That will look sharp, but add $$$.

We are getting a new countertop, granite. Sink... stainless single bowl, about 32" (that's as large as I can fit) about 9/10" deep undermount The counter area the sink will live is pretty much in the middle of a 9' 2" long, about 40" deep spot and then the leg starts to head toward the stove, like an "L", but that is only about 14", then the stove, then an 18" counter spot and the end. Faucet... Type we are getting- a touchless type --high arc --pull down --one handle --no plate Material/Finish... My other half originally wanted, badly, ORB. But it seemed like it would not match well with the stainless sink. Not 100% on the finish yet. We could use some input here as well. I have always been a non chrome person. But...Our cabinets are a very dark, rich black/brown, one with glass doors, stainless range hood above the stove, appliances are black. There is a 7' wall of off white cabinets across from the dark ones and we are undicided if we should do the same color pulls on it or do brushed nickle, stainless or polished pewterish type. Our island pendants are dark cylinders like the dark cabinets. Our DR light is an open swirly thing with chrome. Our kitchen light is also funky and stainless (there is very little metal showing with theses. So, I am pretty sure we are going with oil rubbed bronze pulls on the dark cabinets (reduces eye clutter and I just love how they disappear). But putting ORB pulls on the off white cabs, for me gives it a countryish look, which is I like that look, but not sure if it will look fantastic with everything. Hopefully the pics help. We are standing in the LV looking into the kit. The pics have the DR light and the kit lights I was talking about.