Problem with quartz is that industry is not telling the truth. Quartz is hardest material, harder than granite but the so called quartz slabs are not pure quartz, most of the quartz slabs has less than 60% quartz rest is all sort of industrial waste like granite/marble powder from quarry, glass and concrete and biggest culprit is the resin. Most manufacture states percentage of quartz vs resin by weight, this is just the marketing tactics, stone is heavier than plastic resin, if you look at volume most slab has 15-30% resin. Resin is biggest culprit when it comes to quartz staining and dull marks, resin is very soft material and it reacts with any household product like lemon juice, vinegar, wine, soap, tomato juice etc. and when you spill any kind of acidic/alkaline on quartz it creates etch mark, which looks like stain but it is a chemical reaction with resin, which you cannot get out unless you re-polish surface by professional guy. Even regular use abrasive object like magic eraser, or scotchbrite will create a dull mark when you rub quartz countertop with it for cleaning, it is cutting though soft resin and destroying fine finish. Quartz need to be treated like a baby, it is good for display in galley but not for daily use in kitchen. Egypt pyramid has granite which has withstand 3000-4000 year of abuse but todays quartz cannot withstand normal use and tear of daily kitchen activity. I made mistake of installing quartz, but I will never go back to quartz natural stone/granite is best option for me.

it is not just one panel it is multi places around the kitchen and the doors have not even been installed yet. If the custom cabinet maker did not sand it properly or stained it in a way to ruin the wood grain, why would they not have to replace it? It looks like it has car tread all over it. Also there are issues with other things. We chose them based on being a top custom cabinet maker rated on Houzz and receiving the "Best of Houzz" ranking multiple years in a row. We were sold on the claim of top quality material, install and finishes. But these have been the results.

I don’t have personal experience with that like I do Schluter, but I bet one of the industry pros has. Do you have pictures of the start to finish build? I hate to second guess an unknown professional’s work, but why would they want to mix systems? Because there is now no manufacturer’s warranty, except what the tile guy gives you. How long is that? 1 year? How long has he been business? How long had his references had showers done? Years? Plus, the interface between two different systems is the weak point, and there is no accepted written protocol ever to mix systems. It could be fine. Frankenshowers often are fine. But they rest soley on the shoulders of the installer. Everything is about the installer, rather than the manufacturer’s system and installer. At least verify that they followed the installation instructions of this part of their self created system. https://www.jameshardie.com/JamesHardieNorthAmerica/media/Products/Hydro/HydroDefense_Install_Instructions_English.pdf

Did you seal the marble x2 before beint installed? Did you seal it again afterwards? Unsanded grout? Did you know that marble is a mixture of minerals? Many forms of minerals cause different colours when they start to come in contact with water/dampness. Iron is the MOST COMMON form of stain-producing material inside marble tiles. Iron rusts. Rust is a deep orange. The FIRST level of orange is 'yellow'. As the yellow gets darker it moves towards orange. And orange is associated with iron rust. It is entirely possible the iron has been activated by the moisture inherent with a tile install. First things first - did you seal your tiles x2 (or even x3) prior to install? Did you seal them one final time before grouting? The install ITSELF looks very good. The work is very nice. Can we assume all the water testing was done before the tile was installed? And since?