The CNC machine is not necessary to have perfect cuts. My granite fabricator did not have a CNC machine. He used old-fashioned templates. He also has 30 years of experience which IMHO counts for more than a CNC machine. Having said that, your counter is fine. Everything is so glaring when it’s new. The back wall will look fine once a backsplash is in. I think that stone, which is beautiful, might make choosing a backsplash a bit challenging. I would go for a quite plain tile for the backsplash. Have you chosen your backsplash yet?

Thank you, Shannon! I appreciate that information. Maybe the company I chose just wants to sound like they have the money to afford all of this extremely expensive equipment so that is why people should choose them over anyone else. I completely understand your point and appreciate it. Thank you for the insight and compliment!

In regards to backsplash- I actually posted the other day asking for backsplash suggestions and a few houzzers suggested a cream color or off white subway tile- which I bought a sample of and it just didn’t work for me. I was not a fan to be honest. Most houzzers suggested black- which I also got a sample of and LOVED! So I am leaning towards black but open to any other suggestions. Beth on here always gives wonderful suggestions and I did get a few samples that she suggested too I’m awaiting their arrival. :) here are some photos. If I do choose a black subway tile it will be very plain and not textured like the ones in the photo below. I do not want to compete with my stone!

i like the matte black one on the right. did you look at any basalt tiles?

the cream or white is blah and just disappears. the black complements the stone and enhances the drama.

There’s Beth! :) lol I was just commenting about you. I ordered in some basalt samples but awaiting their arrival! No stores local to me had any unfortunately. We have a very SMALL selection in tiny little DELAWARE... lol. Especially where I live in Delaware. I agree on the white and cream. I wasn’t a fan at all!

@Beth H. :- you bring up a good point. But looking at the OP’s first photo, which shows the granite against the wall, I could not see a gap. I saw an odd seam maybe and filler? It could be that it’s just difficult to see on my phone. The OP needs to take a better photo, from a bit farther away, in order for us to see the gap she mentions.

Shannon, here is the gap. If you zoom into this photo you can see it running along the length of the wall. My dad is in the photo plumbing our sink right after install. Our seam is in a totally different spot! I’ll post a pic of that too. But for now here are the gaps

if the tile is thick enough to span the gap, you should be ok. leave a little 1/16" space between countertop and bottom of tile, and don't use grout there. use a silicone caulk to match the tile grout. or in this case, black would be fine.

Here is my seam. I am pointing to it

Thanks Beth! Every tile sample I have tried seems thick enough to cover the gap alone (without the tile glue or whatever that’s called that glues it to the wall- thinset maybe??) so I think it will cover it up... the one photo I posted in the corner is a bit deceiving because it’s from where our builder chewed into the drywall the fit our original corian countertops. So the gap looks larger because of that but it’s about 1/4 inch from stone to wall. Maybe 1/8 more? Not sure. Hard to get a tape measure in there.

@artistssharonva we are tiling down to the granite, no short backsplash

Black tile backsplash with black grout ...all...day...long! Super nice counter top with seam match, looks gorge.

Furmama,,,,here's the matte black one photo shopped in. (is that from tilebar?? I really like the look of it) and I stuck in some hardware options. (the bottom one are some samples I ordered from AliExpress. I used the blingy knobs on my mirrored cab doors)

the black and gold handles would look really nice w/your granite though! they're a black leather

Stunning granite. Fabulous seam (actually what seam? Can't see it!) Love the mat black backsplash.

No to handles with leather on them.

cp,,lol,,,it was just an option. I like the matte black ones in the picture

Thanks so much guys! I appreciate it. I still don’t know how Beth can photo shop things into the picture. I think that’s so cool lol. Well I guess there’s nothing to complain about then with the granite company it sounds like.

That seam appears to be a french miter and looks dam near perfect. I would be less concerned about the tops in general after seeing the picture of that seam.

Typically you have to specify a tight finish to drywall. Most fabricators I work with assume backsplash (normally required) will cover any gaps.

With their technology, gaps this large and overhangs this off are unacceptable. Maybe not this time, but this is going to bite them someday.

Interesting the disparity in answers from the various experts.

I think your kitchen looks great and I adore your granite. What is it? ( sorry if it's been stated already ).

It is interesting to see different pros opinions. I appreciate everyone’s opinion. The owner of the company who installed it actually said themselves that it was unacceptable and they will be sending a crew out along with the owner out on Halloween to fix it as it was templated and cut correctly- but installed incorrectly. Hopefully this fixes the issues.

They said the same thing as joe - with their technology it’s absolutely not acceptable.

@salonva it’s called “stormy night”. Thank you so much! It’s definitely far from what most people would choose now a days, lol!! :) the farthest thing from “light bright & airy” that people are shooting for now a days

Fun dramatic granite! It is looking great and will be worth it in the end! Hang in there.

The fabricator is correct, that variance in overhang is unacceptable. Plus or minus 1/16" is what my fabricator delivers.

First of all, I think your choice of granite was fantastic! I bet photos don’t do it justice, do they? Second, if you want to measure gaps with ease (and accuracy), get a gap gauge. It’s an indispensable tool for the particular homeowner. Third and final of all, I think I have the same slippers you’re wearing in your first pics. Are they pink? :)

Gorgeous granite, reminds me of the sky in Van Gogh's Starry Night, but in black and gold. Nothing to offer here but had to comment - that seam! Funny, you had to point to it and I still can't see it. Niiiiice!

i don’t know anything about granite installation, but love the comment about the pink slippers.

Thank you so much everyone!!! :) I really appreciate it. I’ve never heard of a gap gauge but I’m definitely going to check that out and buy one! Sounds like something that will come in handy to keep around the house :)

And @sammy yes they are pink slippers! Got them for like $3 at Walmart! Haha.

I would not go with a black backsplash. It will create a black hole in your kitchen. Your counter is already so dark, so you need to go light on the countertop. I would also not go with hardware that had leather on it. No no no.

Furmamma- How many dogs do you have?

I have four dogs, lol! I’m a crazy dog lady with a rescue problem. I want to save every dog out there :(

Acceptable or not, I think you might find the "solution" worse than the current installation. That seam is PERFECT and you might lose it to gain the "perfect" overhang. I would've left it as it was.

Hi, Furmamma17,

I'm impressed with the owner taking responsibility to correct the fabricator's work.

Refreshing to hear.

''The owner of the company who installed it actually said themselves that it was unacceptable and they will be sending a crew out along with the owner out on Halloween to fix it as it was templated and cut correctly- but installed incorrectly. Hopefully this fixes the issues.''

Gorgeous granite, great seam, awesome pink slippers, LOVE that you take in rescue dogs :)

I, too, am impressed with the fabricator stepping up. I'm guessing it just needs to be shoved back a bit? Or will tile cover up the hole?

I definitely wouldn't go with shiny black tile backsplash, however. Just noooo. Looks snazzy in designer/tweaked photos, but can you imagine keeping it clean? Ugh. I'd go with something lighter, with a more matte and ever so slightly mottled finish.

Solid color solid surface backsplash please. No competition.

I really like the flow of your countertop stone. It's beautiful.

I would keep that the star of the show by keeping the backsplash simple.

I am not sure if a black backsplash is the answer.

Usually a back backsplash really makes a room feel smaller. It creates a dark hole like someone else mentioned. It does not look too bad. Not sure.

here's a quick sketch.

I definitely would keep the backsplash under wall cabinets & not do side walls. Especially if dark or a lot of contrast. Avoid this

Whatever tile you chose, i would keep the grout close in color. Your stone has a lot of movement ,so avoid too much linage. It's ok on this because stone is simple. but the lines would compete with your stone.

This one is dark backsplash is ok, if going dark. The space has a lot of sunshine. It does not show as much lineage so the counter gets more visual interest.

I personally like this look when doing dark countertop. tiling all the way down with a light backsplash & subtle grout lines. Elegant & spacious.

The geometry of tile adjacent to that wild stone won't be pleasant.

Also, before choosing backsplash, make sure you have the light bulb hue to your liking. Right now your light bulbs look on the warm side. You might want to try daylight bulbs.

Once get light tone to your favorite ambience then put at least 3 of your favorite tiles on counter for a few days. View in daylight, shadows, & nightlight, your favorite should become obvious over some time looking at it.

Hope that helps ;)

Well said, Joseph Corlett, LLC. I totally agree.

Thank you so much everyone!!! I’m no interior designer... trust me, LOL! I had no idea that bulb color even affected anything! Call me stupid but I just thought they were just for idk.. light? LOL!!! Didn’t even think they would create a certain hue. I will definitely look into changing that as well! Thank you for all of the suggestions. It’s so hard trying to figure out what you want sometimes as a homeowner because usually we only get to do things like this once and want it done/ picked right the first time!! The granite is definitely something I don’t want to take away from at all! I want it to be the focal
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Hi Mary!

So sorry I just now saw your comment. I’m sorry you’re having so much trouble. It’s so frustrating when you’re SO excited for the crown jewel of the kitchen and it isn’t perfect.... or what you were expecting anyway as nothing in life is perfect. Even if the company is committed to fixing it, it’s still frustrating to not be able to enjoy it right away and go through the process all over again. I hope that they resolve it for you and that everything goes perfect and smooth from here on out for you. I’m sure it will be gorgeous when it’s done. Please post a photo!!!

I think for me the biggest reason it bugs me is because the company made False promises. We already went through a horrible granite situation over the summer and ripped out our previous granite countertops to get these and lost $5k doing it and then paid for these to get redone and the company promised everything would be perfect. No wall gaps, all overhangs the same (within 1/16-1/8 inch) because of their technology they use and we also went without countertops while they were being fabricated because I wanted them to laser without any countertops to ensure that everything was measured properly. Then they get installed and things are not what I was told they would be... so although it may not be an issue to someone else- it kind of is a big deal to me because of everything we’ve been through with this kitchen renovation and what we were promised. It’s been one thing after another and nothing has been in our favor!

Just wanted to update... owner came out and basically said that everything he said was “unacceptable” was now “acceptable” and the guys who did the install gave me an attitude and were not nice at all. So- long story short nothing got moved or had anything done to it other than a wasted day of waiting for them to show up.

Aww I am sorry that you were left so disappointed. Just keep staring at the beautiful granite. It makes me feel better just looking at the pix ; I can imagine in person it;s even more heavenly.

(sorry I have no words of wisdom to console you and Mary ).

Fur, it might be helpful to others in your area to know the name of the company you worked with, so where are you located, and what’s the name of the company?

Though this overhang is outside of the desired tolerance it's not the end of the world and they certainly should not have given you attitude as your concern is valid. Could anything have been done to correct this? I'm not sure as there are times when the so called fix ends up being no better or possibly worse than it was before the fix. You have a seam that most would die for so best to focus on that and forget about the overhang.

The installers gave me an attitude because it was almost like “how dare you question my work”!! But the owner was very nice about it. He apologized that they didn’t meet my expectations and offered to give me a free bathroom vanity. I really appreciate that and his apology was very sincere. It just stinks because I wanted my kitchen to be “perfect”.

He said they could move the granite around but like you said- it would make something off on another area and would most likely look worse or not really make much of a difference.

He basically told me that 1 1/2 inch overhang is what they shoot for but it can be plus or minus 1/8 inch. So it could be 1 3/8 in some areas or 1 5/8 in some areas and that’s all within tolerance... that is what he told me. Not sure if that’s true or he was trying to cover the workmanship.

He did tell me the gap at the wall was not acceptable.... but didn’t have a solution for that other than saying that the wall would have to be built out with mortar by whoever does the backsplash (which will be my dad who’s owned his own carpentry business for over 35 years, so I knew he could fix that) it was just a matter of me knowing it was unacceptable.

When I see how good that seam is I don't think this gap issue is related to workmanship. I know on the surface that lasering/digitizing can be interpreted as guaranteed perfection. That's not always the case, providing it's done properly it only tells the fabricator the conditions, good or bad that they need to deal with. The fabricator then reviews the data in an attempt to understand what is going on and how to best cut the stone, where to seam it and how to install it. It's difficult to explain but given the main run and the fact that they had the peninsula wing and the stove wing to deal with I can understand how a 1/8" over the desired tolerance could occur.