We bought 5 slabs from the same bundle that ran sequentially.

Interesting. This is the first time I have seen a live edge on a waterfall.

IMO, signing on for a waterfall countertop is just begging for trouble. Which you got, in spades.

My goodness that was a dull blade or a very chippy stone.

There will be color-matched adhesive oozing from that miter which will fill the voids and chips and will be removed when the edge is profiled and polished.

Your floor and countertop aren't on the same plane, hence the gap. That isn't at eye level and will be inconspicuous when filled with color matched silicone.

Let's give them a chance to finish please.

Joe I like your optimism. Hopefully the op will update us!

I accidentally left out the picture of the other side of the waterfall.  Here it is

The fabricator has decided to replace the whole island due to the chipping.  See the last picture.  

They are trying to get slabs from the same bundle.  I'm just hoping it'll be a close match to the rest of the countertops.  Taj Mahal quartzite can vary greatly in color.

Joe, I understand they can fill and polish.  I just wasn't sure if it would work on such a large chipped area..see my last pic posted under comments.  Plus one side of the waterfall will be higher than the other from the floor.  Installer is saying they can install it and let me see it before taking it all out.  My husband says to replace it and I'm just worried the new slabs will be totally different in color, everything..  What would you do if it was your house?

That last photo is awful. I would want it replaced.

Did they think you wouldn't notice?

I would scrap the waterfall idea anyway. Loads of expense and complicates future changes without really looking all that great

I need to see the whole kitceh IMO waterfall coun ters only look awesome in very contemporary kitchens they also impede seating and I think the mess was not good but why would you purchase 5 slabs and the fabrcator is now looking for more slabs .

Patricia, We purchased 5 slabs because we have different areas in the kitchen and we also did our powder room counter...same slabs.  Here are some pics

The installer is saying they could possibly try to match & replace  just the one side of the waterfall.  They would end to match the veining to look like a waterfall...I think it'll be hard
  Replacing the whole island means I may end up with slabs that ate busy like that waterfall side right now.  I'm thinking maybe I bite the bullet....I like the top...the chips not so much

@lucky998877 Thank you.   The windows (and the whole house) are Frank Lloyd Wright inspired.  That's how the architect designed it in the 80s.  We're trying to give it a face-lift!

I do not understand fabricators who let the customers watch the sausage getting made.

I've broken tops and when I did, I put a piece of tape over it so no way was the customer ever going to see it. I fixed it and it couldn't be felt. I could hardly see it but they never did and never will.

If they couldn't have gotten the miters completed on the day they brought them in, they should never have been taken off the truck. Way to never collect you idiots.

I like the waterfall. beautiful kitchen.

is the fabricator not adept at cutting quartzite? what's the deal?

the veining on that one piece really isn't bad. unless you have bookmatched slabs, you'll be hard pressed to get an exact match up. just depends how much of one slab they use for the top.

this is book matched slabs on an island. the two slabs meet in the middle

non-book matched. but if there is enough to carry down the side, they can match it up like shown above

Exactly what Beth said ! If they are going to redo it and you want the veins to travel over the edge and down the sides, you will need 2 slabs and a seam in your sink. I didn't think the veining looked horrible at all, but what was the discussion? matching or just coordinated?

Good luck - I hope you get a resolve.

Thanks Beth H. and Debbie Washburn.  The main issue is fixing all the chips and the big gap at the bottom of the waterfall.  Right now there's a 1/4" gap but once they push it up to set in place, it'll have a slightly larger gap and 1/8" gap on the other end of the waterfall (which is standard). 

As for the veining, I think it doesn't match but from a distance you can't really tell because it's all going in the same direction.

The middle is going to be a cooktop.  The top piece is one piece....no seams.

the gap at the bottom will be difficult unless they scribe it w/a laser or form of some type. Your floor isn't exactly level and flat (the tile has highs and lows). They need an exact scribe to transfer onto the waterfall piece they're cutting.

I understand what you have, I'm just telling you if you want EXACT veining to line up, you'll have to do a bookmatched pair. The island is too big to do one slab and carry the piece over the side to get the match up. get it?

@Beth H. yes I know.  We originally got 5 slabs that had the continous veining.  A-B-C-D-E from the same lot.  Ideally you want to use A B and C for the island or any consecutive slabs to get that effect and use the remnants for the other smaller counters.  Here's a picture of the chipped waterfall it didn't get posted.

you said you had subsequent slabs, not bookmatched.

in either case, they can match up the veining close enough so that it looks good.

and yes, I did see that chipping. I can't believe they would install something like that. They should have sharpened the blade. they did the top piece ok.

So to update everyone....fabricator redid the whole island and it looks great!!  We're very happy.  We were lucky to be able to get slabs from the same bundle and sequence that we got for the rest of the project.  Turned out beautiful.  Now onto selecting cabinet stains.  Does anyone have ideas/suggestions?

looks like red, rift sawn? (why wasn't it done prior to the countertop install??)

red oak is naturally pink, so you don't want a red stain that enhances it. choose an ashy stain or go w/a bona natural. (i'm just going by the one raw door in the pic. maybe it's just the photo that makes it look pink)

And, like verbo said, every part of that wood will need to be stripped and sanded before applying a new stain. That's why I'm wondering why it wasn't done first. everything should be removed and taken back to the shop. the base cabs are done on site, obviously.

It's a huge job. expensive too (if done correctly)

I'd prob paint this part since you're surrounded by a diff wood.

lets see all of the cabinets.

maybe paint the perimeter and stain the island, or vice versa.

lets see the other wood too (beams and such)

@Beth H.  Thanks Beth!  I was thinking of going with our natural unstained shiplap red oak which is redder than some of the other red oak cabinet doors our cabinet guy installed.  I figured that red oak will release natural acids and turn in color over time.  But hubby wants to go darker and Im not a fan of dark. 

Not crazy about the honey oak color currently there though it adds nice warmth an not so dark but also looks dated considering everything else got a face-lift.

@Verbo I have a cabinet refinisher that will strip the color down to the raw wood then stain whatever color I want. He creates his own colors... he did my master bathroom cabinets that were completely dried out from humidity and created a color from our slab we had put on to the wall of our shower. He mixed 5 colors.  You wouldn't even know they are original cabinets!

@Beth H.  Cabinet refinished refused to stain prior to countertop install citing that they would nick, scratch the stain.  He takes one whole day or 2 just to mask off.  He'll take the faces off and doors to the shop, everything else will be done onsite.  He's a craftsman...hard to find nowadays.

 Just having a real hard time picking a color with all the wood in the house...beams, windows, counters, etc.

I'm sure he could mix up a stain that coordinates w/the beams/windows? why not have him do a few colors (light to dark) and see what you like best?

I wouldn't go to dark. try and pick something a bit neutral/natural that has the same tonal range of the stone.

But I'd still paint that one lower bar section. you have a ton of wood. painting those cabinets wouldn't be a bad thing. go dark, or pick an actual accent color. a soft sage would look amazing w/the foilage outside the window

has to be a grayish green, not an overly yellow/green.

some neutrals

I would be very concerned that anyone affordable enough to do that amount of work, would not be doing it correctly! What stain brand does he use? What clear coat?

@Beth Thanks for your input.  I had him run some samples already...one was a shade darker then the current orange color, another had a pink tone to pick up on the softness of the beams and another was very light creamy with subtle grayish streaks.  I didn't think any of them went well with the house.

I like the French Press on the list but seems dark.  River Reflections and Warm Winter are nice also.  Or I might just go all natural either the cabinet panel/under microwave drawer color or red oak shiplap color.....more of a clean look.  There's so much already going on with the house.  Here's the shiplap picture

Have a conversation with your refinisher. This is his area so he should have suggestions on how to get the shade you want.

I do like Beth’s idea to paint one area just to break up the wood look. Your house and view are fantastic!

How are you venting that gas cooktop that is actually too close to the opposite side of the island. I just hope no one stands on the opposite side?

Bijal:

I'm not seeing any of the code-required duplex receptacles on your island. This is an issure that should be addressed before any other.

Joseph, it looks like there is one of those pop-up receptacles on the countertop--upper right from the cooktop.

On second look, you're apparently correct.

Charlie the waterfall is completed so why the negative comment?

if that oak shiplap is staying as is, then I think you should just match that, or go for one shade lighter/more neutral. You could also do one shade slightly darker, but the same tone.

you don't want 6 diff wood tones in the room.

@Beth H.  Thank you!  We decided to go with the attached color sample.  It's called Husk Suede with the suede finish throughout for the cabinetry.  I think it picks up on the softness of the beams and it's a little more muted.

 But now my husband doesn't like the grey floors and he picked out the stone look ceramic tile in matte that he saw at Home Depot.  The idea is to put it right on top of the grey floors.  They'll need to level with the mortar.  Maybe it'll be easier to maintain/clean the new floor-not sure.  Most importantly I'm not too sure about the outdoor looking tile inside.  ᾑ4

https://www.homedepot.com/p/MSI-Quartzo-Natural-24-in-x-24-in-Matte-Ceramic-Floor-and-Wall-Tile-28-sq-ft-case-NPRQUANAT24X24/304000835

Here's the picture of the sample small cabinet sample and tile

whoa. I would not do a tile that looks like that. too busy looking. Plus, it's a cheap ceramic tile that is meant to replicate a flagstone type of surface. for outside.

You want this tile on the inside of your home??

if you want a terrazzo looking floor tile, I would recommend the Rizo Cenare. (Home Depot does carry it under the IvyHill line).

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ivy-Hill-Tile-Rizzo-2-0-Earth-4-in-x-0-35-in-Matte-Porcelain-Floor-and-Wall-Tile-Sample-EXT3RD106517/316524531

Tilebar has it.

I've used this tile on a project and it's very nice.

24x24 and comes in 8 colors?

you can get a sample here:

https://www.tilebar.com/rizo-2-0-earth-matte-24x24-porcelain-tile.html

This is the Earth color which has your warmer tones to it.

here's a larger shot of the dark gray so you can see how it looks installed. it still has that stone look, but not as busy as that other one.

This is porcelain tile. much better than ceramic

Earth and Torturo colors. check out the others too

Aaack! tell him no! let your beautiful countertop be the star. with this everyone will be too busy staring at the floor to notice anything else. i agree with something smooth but needs to be subtle.

@Beth H.  wow thank you.   I'll check it out.   Frankly, I was fine with the grey floor but hubby threw a curveball at the near end of our project.  The flagstone look wasn't even on my radar and I'm not crazy about ceramic due to strength/quality but he wants a Frank Lloyd Wright outdoor in element.  Will keep you posted.

the current gray tile is fine. are you leaving that carpet ?

@lharpie. I agree.  I think it'll take away from the countertops, stained glass and the ocean.  Instead of melting into the outdoor it'll close off the space.  Subtle and smooth would be nice

@Beth H.  The current gray tile is actually pink stone tile that we couldn't identify but had it diamond ground *because it's so hard), steamed cleaned then painted and sealed.  I like the uneven look and the cool feeling of the stone under my feet that you can't get from porcelain or ceramic.  Initially, we were going to replace it but it sits on 2 inches of floated cement and nothing is really level in this house and chose not to go that route hence if we replace it would need to go on top of the current floor and/or repaint.

The carpet is inset but if we were to replace the floor then we would fill it in.

Could be a Basalt tile. basalt comes in that shade of gray. I thought Slate, but slate is very soft. Basalt is cooled lava, so , it's hard.

and yes, to take it all up would be a nightmare.

Honestly, I'd leave it. I'd think about doing a wood plank where the carpet is, or leave the carpet, or do something lighter.

maybe find some matching basalt tile, remove the carpet, and lay it in a herringbone design

comes in flamed, honed, polished, all shades of grays and blacks, all shapes and sizes.

Might have been a good idea to have waited to redo that waterfall counter till after you raised the floor up with a new layer of tile!

You seem to be making rash decisions on the fly ... some of which you will regret. Please do not use that ugly and cheap looking floor tile. I would suggest that you visit local tile stores with a wider selection and not just big box stores.

@Beth H.  Hmm I don't think it's basalt because the original color is pink.  It's definitely not slate but looked like it.   We got it painted light grey.

I like your idea of putting wooden planks where the carpet is although not sure which kind. The basalt grey tiles would work too.

It has a slate texture to it. Slate will always feel normal room temperature on bare feet.

was it like any of these?

Indian slate

it's a gauged Red slate

Chocolate slate.

@Beth H.  It looked like the Indian slate...the first pic you posted.