I think they can go well together as the grey solid one picks up the meduim grey color color of the island stone. I can't comment on the appropriateness or not of your stone choices 'going together' because I don't know what your entire color scheme and style is. But I'm sure it will be stunning. I personally like the darker stones. Regarding your question as to the finish, I have lived with all types of stone countertops with a variety of finishes. And I've been doing quite a few different ones in my own remodel. Polished is generally the easiest to clean and will also show the most brilliant colors, and have the most contrast, against the same stone in honed or leathered. Look at the stone yard for ANY slab that has both a polished and a honed version (or polished and a leathered version).The most brilliant color will be the polished one. Also if there are any crystals (which I love having in a stone!), they will jump right out when polished and really blend in the background if honed or leathered. Polished will really emphasize all of the contrast of colors and textures. Polished is generally easy to keep clean but if a stone is softer and more of a marble than granite, and if prone to etching like classic marble is, a honed surface will be an easier care finish because it will hide the etch marks more than if polished. A sealer can protect from stains but etching is another problem. The honed surfaces, of marbles especially, will have a natural glow and soft sheen rather than a high gloss and might be more appropriate for a vintage look for example. Also the honed will not have the reflection that the polished will (see your picture and the light reflection difference), but that depends on where it will be located. Perimeter polished countertops for example will show the under counter lighting in the reflected surface for example and a honed or leathered will not. Sometimes people don't notice that and it does not bother them at all and sometimes it does. Or can be a trade off (like most things!). Some people love the classic polished. It all depends on what effect you want the entire room to have. Honed surfaces will soften colors and contrasts of the stone and have a less dramatic effect. Also the honed stone surfaces, to me, will be less cold to the touch than the polished (under the exact same conditions and temperatures), or I have thought so in my sample testing, if that is a consideration. Of course, you can always heat the edges if you like (see a recent GW post about that.) Using the thin (1/8" or so) mesh that is typically used for under tile flooring. The leathered finish add a physical texture to the stone and it has the other characteristics of the honed. It is typically more difficult to have a clean seam with leathered but since yours will be an island, you probably should not have a seam. The leathered will have an additional texture that will be seen with grazing light across the surface (think morning or evening light coming in across the counter through a window), but not as much with overhead light. The leathered is much more popular and more available than it used to be (and fabricators with the right equipment and talent can leather most any slab). There are quite a few that are available right from the slab yards. I have seen several striking ones recently that I would have thought would not have looked good, but it was striking. From what I mentioned earlier about a softer look and the matte vs gloss finish, the leathered (or honed for that matter) can have an enhancing sealer applied that will darken it. You may or may not want it that way so BE SURE to know what the sealer the fabricator uses or know what you want it to be, and tell them. Be very cautious on this step. Sealers are an afterthought to many fabricators and some just get on auto pilot and do what they always do, and if its different from what you want, you can get disappointed. (Just look at some recent GW threads). So be sure to know which you want. See if you can find any place that has the same stone in two different finishes. Look at the DIFFERENCES in the stone in texture, color and details. It does not matter if you like the stone or color. For just looks alone, which finish gives you the look you want? Most sealers can help with stain resistance issues (and some stones don't need sealing at all). And if you like the texture and clarity, but want it darker, an enhancing sealer can be applied. And by the way, most enhancing sealers just darken and do not add a shiny finish, do always ask them to do a small sample to show you for approval. And get that in writing too. If you're not sure if you would like it darker or you want to see how dark it would get, just wet with water. It will get that color. This is an important question and don't feel rushed. What is a little extra time in the big scheme of things? Have them wait till you do a little more research. I'm not sure if I've directly answered your question but I hope I've given you some things to check on and some information to help make your decision. Please share your progress.

What you're seeing is what we call a "glue line" - This happens when two pieces of stone are laminated to create a thicker looking edge detail. This is common. The glue lines in laminating - no matter HOW good your guy is (even me - HA!) WILL be able to be seen if you look for them. This is normal. Some glue lines are not as noticeable as others (ie: look at Boxerpups - you can barely see them) ... This is attributable to the stone, and the abilities of your Fabricator, and the kind of glue they use (with or without tints) As far as remedies now - you can use some stone enhancer (Ager Tiger) on the edge and it might help disguise the glue line - but it won't make it go away entirely. As crazy as this sounds too - a black sharpie pen hitting the black areas will also help minimize the visual impact of the glue lines. Those of us making a living doing Slab Countertops have used this little trick of the trade for decades...... ;-) It's always advisable for Fabricators to SHOW you a sample of a laminated edge to alert you to the glue line issue - I always say that the glue lines WILL be there - and no matter how good I can get them - you WILL see them if you look hard enough for them..... hth kevin

The seam looks a little rough to me. Is it polished smooth to the touch? If it's not, I'd ask the fabricator to come back out and smooth it out. It also does not look bullnosed to me. If you specified that, I'd ask them what they can do to fix it. Uba tuba is pretty common, so even if they need to replace the counters, it shouldn't be hard to get a new slab. Or, if you decide you can live with the beveled edge, perhaps you can get a discount due to their mistake. (Any discount they give you would be far cheaper for them than having to buy new stone and remake the counters, so if you decide to live with it, I'd definitely ask for some compensation.) If you live with it as is, then I would use a Sharpie as Jodi above did to blend that seam in a bit, with just little stippled dots.

wow- I so get this one! This is happening so much down here. I am in south florida, and this seems to be a kind of weird thing thats going on right now- its like real estate agents (or owners) are thinking 'this kitchen is a wreck", (oh- those pink and black formica cabinets that were huge down here in the 50's and the laminated white ones with the wooden strip on the bottom? Not exactly Eames.) So they think, lets plop on a granite counter top to fix this, up the price and sell it all as new! More than a little nuts- right? For goodness sakes- give an allowance for the kitchen to be redone (even gutted) and leave it to the buyer to chose if it fits their energy to redo. !*sigh*! Just as an example- my ex had a condo right on the beach that was amazing until you walked into the kitchen. (Shiny marble floors, floor to ceiling windows, a view of the ocean from the living room and a view from the dining room of cruise ships coming and going- total Hollywood glam.) Then- the Kitchen. The cabinets were plastic- really, truly- hard shiny molded plastic! and- ta da! the countertops were a silky gorgeous polished marble. Nuts! Anyway- I have done this ( moved both marble and granite slabs.) The trick is to find someone who knows how to crate it before its moved at all. Even if its not going anywhere but to the back yard, (or the living room) crating it stabilizes the stone. I have two large pieces that I have moved twice now- one of each. It's expensive, but a good moving company should be able to give you quotes to do it. If you love the stone please dont just rip it out and dump it, it drives me crazy (personal opinion) to think that granite has become a design element that can just be replaced if it doesnt fit a new "look", like on the show "flipping out". If you find that it's prohibitive in terms of cost to do this, then do at least put it on Craigs list. You will be surprised at the number of people who will respond to take it out for you. At the beginning of negotiations, adjust your offer accordingly. The problem is that most of the desirable areas down here are older and the kitchens arent antique-y looking, just really horribly dated. Just because folks spent money on kitchen counter tops doesnt make the kitchen updated. I so get that! Good luck to you on your house search... :D