If those plate glass mirrors above are glued to the wall, the large cracks on the side of the quartz are because they would not be able to place the quartz due to the mirrors - that is, they aren't able to do the usual tilt into place install with a tighter fit, due to the mirrors in the way of the tilt. They needed to install more straight back into place, so needed to clear more of the trim and mirrors. Normally to clear that door trim they would tilt the counter into place then bring down the high side once the door trim is cleared. But they couldn't do that here due to the mirrors in place - they had to slide the quartz straight back nearly level.

Jillius: hiya! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the time you put in to pulling together those inspiration photos and the collages/mood boards (what do you call those?) While I'm not going to use Bianco Drift, London Grey is very similar to it in colour so your collages are really helpful for getting me started on visualizing what I want for the backsplash. I really like Faith's kitchen. It feels fresh, airy, contemporary, calm, and has a lovely natural feel to it too. She's got gorgeous marble on the counters and backsplash too. It's going into my favourite kitchens folder! Totally agree about the island - it would have looked so great had she kept it wood; but I gotta give her credit for being brave enough to bring in a pop of colour there. I do like having a warm-looking kitchen but I feel like going too warm leads me towards a more traditional look, which isn't what I'd like. The way Faith pulled it off suits me. Love the analysis you did comparing my Shitake collage to the Saint Paul Craftsman photo. I'm getting a better understanding of colour now. Still very mind boggling but I follow when you all help to spell it out for me! Ha ha... You might be expecting too much from the counter selection SO TRUE! I think that's why it's been so challenging. I realize now that I don't really want the counter to shine. It's the backsplash that I'd prefer to stand out. Many months ago, I wrote in my Sweeby Test: "The perfect backsplash will complement the cabinets and work harmoniously with the cabinets to create one well put together look, like they belong together. And possibly provide a pop of colour or visual interest in one section of it. The perfect countertop will be really easy and unfussy. Low maintenance. Just like backsplash, it will complement the cabinets and help connect and tie everything together" I think London Grey will be the right choice to help pull everything together. I do like the Craftsman colour scheme, but not for this kitchen or house. It is too dark and traditional for my 90s home. I was REALLY drawn to the light aqua subway tiles on the bottom right of that collage and the ones that have different shades ranging from light grey to bluey-grey. That just might be how I get in my pop of colour! I'm surprised that blues and greens can look warm - is it because they contrast well with my oak and the floors? I really want to stay away from orange and yellow tones for this reno simply because I don't want it to end up looking too similar to what I currently have.

We ended up going with Pristine, and it's absolutely beautiful. It's been a year, and it looks brand new, no stains or issues. I love it even more than expected. My husband is thrilled and the whole room looks elevated. We used BM Simply White for the cabinets and SuperCore oak natural for the floors. Check my profile for pics in progress (old floors, tho). We've chosen Satori venatino marble subway tiles for the backslash and all these whites are compatible-- no issues with warm/cool undertones fighting. I'll be sealing the marble on all 6 sizes via a dunk in 511 sealer. Can't wait to see it finished-- the marble could've been risky against a marble-look quartz, but it looks absolutely perfect and gorgeous together.

Joseph Corlett, LLC: Thanks - I don't know how much more "Cage Rattlin" I can do. Did the woman in your reference have to go to court to get relief? Cosetino/Silestone's (The main company is in Mexico) customer Service manager Mr. Alejandro has not responded to repeated queries. I thought about having him served with a subpoena to get him into court but I am not sure how these things work - like, do I have to pay him transportation costs and expenses to appear in court? Regarding your question about Lowes - I try to do business with them instead of Home Depot and the only thing I know about them relative to my counter top issue is that they also use this same counter top fabricator. Also- Thanks for the Zodiac reference. In addition to the Zodiac specification that you referenced, I have also found specifications from Silestone, Wilsonart, CeasarStone, Viatera, and Cambria that support my contention that there is an industry standard tolerance. I am expecting the defendant to claim that there is no applicable specification for quartz counter tops just as he did at the first trial. I also filed a complaint with the MHIC and I also filed an appeal in small claims court - I am waiting for those hearings to be scheduled. I have low expectations of success but I will exercise all the available options. Thanks for the comments.