Well I have the same cracks/ fractures that occurred right after the faucet holes were drilled. NO FAUCET YET. It is Quartzite, beautiful expensive Quartzite. The holes were drilled with very little water and not a s slow as I would have thought it should have been considering the strength of this product. So what do I do? They want to warranty it for a year but the biggest issue is that there is only ONE slab left that matches what we have. We've been in this situation where we bought the same "named granite" a year later and it couldn't have been further from the original. I wasn't stupid, I knew there would be differences, but!!. Now here we are, what do I do to get the fabricator to replace the whole stone rather than fill and grind the fractures around the faucet , a faucet that has a goose neck and will stress the hole.

bwithers17, of course. I don't think you will be unhappy with either of your choices! Taj Mahal is a beautiful stone. Maybe one goes better with your cabinets and you can use that to be the deciding factor! I did have help from a great gal who knows stone and tile and she was very good at the stone yards. The people working there knew her well and had no problem moving slabs for her. Our fabricator was awesome too. We were with him for what seemed like forever while he played with the templates to get everything flowing in the right directions, right down to the little piece in the windowsill. In the end, when it was installed, I really saw why he was so particular in his template. He did a beautiful job. Also, we've had no issues with staining, etc. Everything seems to clean up really easily. We've been using our kitchen for about 10 months and had no issues with the stone. I'd pick it again without hesitation.

@Mark Scheibelhut Thanks! yes the designer and countertop place all said wow you are taking this exceptionally well. It hurt my heart because I had spent so much time picking "those slabs" but in the big scheme of things I went to my default "it could always be worse". Also now look I get another bite at the apple to perfect anything I didn't know about in the first round. I was also very thankful they offered to replace it all and not just the perimeter where the broken piece was to go, they are replacing the island and other detached areas so it all matches. I was also surprised they did not charge more for Ogee I had heard many did but if they had I would have paid it no problem, logically it cost more to fabricate I get that. If I understand correctly, it cost more to do Ogee in fabrication but then also ogee is more prone to chipping as well due to the sharp edge at the top? Originally the only feedback I had found was that it is more to clean due to the valley that gets created but that didn't bother me so finishing my education on these edges I apparently missed. Thanks!

Box stores are good for off the shelf items. But custom ordered things like cabinets and tops can be problematic. Excuse my rant below. I admit. I buy materials at box stores sometimes too. I'm not ANTI-box store. They CAN be fine for countertops too...but at what cost? I have done some comparison shopping with HD top prices and I'll tell you what I found. Their pricing is all over the place. On some colors, they beat my price by a lot! on other colors we were the same...and then on some they were a LOT more. I'm all good with capitalism....but I also am good with small business support and good customer service. Let's say the color you pick out, home depot beats me (a delaler) by $400. Will you be able to call your salesperson if you have a question? How long will it take to get a hold of that person. Do they give you their cell number to text for quick questions? How much deposit do you have to put down? What? Box stores don't do deposits? You have to pay in full at time of order? With small biz, you only put down a deposit...the rest is paid after install. Is good customer service a value at all these days? Is it always about saving a dollar? What if that kitchen designer specialist advised you to check your cabinets for levelness before the template? She could have save you $200 trip charge. What if she advises you on the right sink that will fit your cabinet? What if she helps you pick out the perfect color that goes with your walls,floors, cabinets... What if Home Depot tells you that you need a seam in your main work area....but your specialist thinks outside the box because they know how to design to avoid seams. There are many more like this that gives value to the professional. I've had a small business for 40 years so I'm somewhat jaded. Don't complain to me when all small businesses are gone....and customer service is virtually gone I've already seen it decline in many other industries. I don't blame the public for wanting to save some money. I do it too! I blame the vendors. In some cases, they've made it difficult to complete. And to #$%& with Cambria. As far as I'm concerned they can come pick up their samples! To me the future looks bleak! Imagine a world of no customer service and where carpenters, plumbers and electricians are a rare commodity. Remodeling will be expensive and NOT fun....because you'll only be able to stand in line at home depot to get your materials and you'll be lucky to find someone to do the work. Rant over. Sorry I was all over the place. Carry on.