Go to adifferent shop, usually stone yards charge by the slab but big box often prices by the sq ft. at least that is what i have found. I usually try to use the same counter in all the bathrooms if I have to buy a slab and a kitchen very often takes 2 slabs anyway.I really dislike quartz so honestly have very little experience with how it is sold . I woudl however check out this with another place .

If you don’t want to buy whole slabs, pick the stocked on site material options that do get sold by the square foot. If they have to bring it in, or it is a little used specialty pattern, of course you buy the whole slab. No one wants to get saddled with a bunch of expensive remnants that no one will buy.

It’s not Cambria, it’s the local fabricator that is stocking the leftover. Cambria only sells whole slabs. A busy shop will keep partial slabs on hand of popular colors.

Thanks Hallett. That’s kind of what I suspected, but couldn’t get confirmed locally.

I've only heard of major manufacturers requiring the purchase of slabs from big box stores. Even though the fabricator may have a perfectly matched remnant that would complete a job without the purchase of an additional slab, the manufacturer prohibits its use.

This is a terribly short-sighted policy. A fabricator could see all his profits from a job leaning in a rack. If the slab isn't a popular color or is discontinued, he's screwed. I'd lie and say the island was switched to butcher block.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC It is very confusing, because she did say that it was the policy for some designs, but wouldn't tell me which designs. The problem is that I am in a rural area, and this company seems to do all the fabrication and installment of Cambria in this area. All the cabinet makers, interior designers, and I was told that even Home Depot farms out their Cambria orders to this company (not sure if that is true). I tried going directly to the company so that I could budget accordingly, and they basically acted like if I had to ask I couldn't afford it. My guess is that it is their company policy for slabs in the luxury line, as there probably isn't a huge market for them here, and they don't want to be stuck with half a slab that they can't use. Possibly?

My issue is I am wanting to use one of the luxury designs, and by my estimation, I will need 2-1/4 slabs, but the other 3/4 slab isn't enough to use where I would want to use it- and paying a luxury price just to use up a luxury slab in a hidden area such as a pantry isn't a good use of funds, imo. I would choose something else, but how can I without knowing which ones require me to buy 3 slabs?

Angie I agree it’s odd they won’t just tell you ‘we stock Brittanica gold, Inverness frost, and black galaxy by the foot, the rest are slab only’

Check your closest major city where competition is more pronounced.. I'm using a local company that is willing to go to my build site in another state, and they do not require full slab purchases. You might be able to find the same.

I needed a "relatively" small piece of quartz for my guest bath countertop. I went to the shop and asked to see their remnants that I could use. They showed me several. I purchased Cambria Montgomery for the guest bathroom. Love those sparkles. But look out for clumps of grey./brown. Sometimes the swirls create a large splatch of grey/brown. My remnant has one, but I put the soap dish over it! I got it at a great price.

Reading between the lines, it sounds to me that they won't tell what particular designs are slab vs by the foot is because they don't know. It depends on what they have sitting around in inventory--what the guy in front of you purchased and how much of his slab is left over.

Can you make something else out of the remaining 3/4 of slab?

Did you get a price from Home Depot vs direct through this fabricator? That is where I would start. Forget about who is doing what or handling things in a certain manor. Home Depot works out " deals" with its installers.

Every fabricator is different. I am lucky that the fabricator I deal with has a vanity top program so he cuts the most popular colors into smaller pieces without the customers having to pay a huge premium or purchasing a whole slab.

Good luck