My fabricator was super worried about these slabs because he said they are so fragile to cut. He said it was like cutting sugar--had to cut them very slowwwwlllllly. But, now that they are cut and installed with reinforced plywood and rods, they are as strong as any other granite. LOVE them. My cabs look very yellow in these pics but they are actually fairly white (painted BM Simply White). The counters have a grayish/whitish cast to them, and I was worried about them being too "busy" since I am a marble lover. But I think they turned out just right. As mentioned, I especially love the pearlescent look and wish I could capture that in pics!

The perimeters and backsplashes will be next to fabricate!

From Menlo Farmhouse

From Menlo Farmhouse

From Menlo Farmhouse

From Menlo Farmhouse

What is the overhang on the back side of the island? Will you have any kind of seating?

The pearl nature shows up somewhat in the 2nd pic, and the depth in the 4th in the clear veins. I'm happy for you!

Nice vein match on the turn downs - now just make SURE that the holes
get drilled for your faucets and accessories in the right spots!!!

Here's a form that can help:

tht

kevin

My cabinets are made by a company in California called Precision Cabinets and they did a really amazing job despite my many picky details...and they were so much cheaper than hiring someone to custom make them. Ended up very happy with their pricing and their quality.

Azstone: Thanks for the form and for your advice about the faucet/soap/etc holes. Love that form!

Montana: The sink you see in the island is not my main sink, it's the prep sink and it's 19w x 17d and 10h. So almost square. It's a cheapy from a company called Dawn. My main sink is to the right under the window in the picture below. It's a 36" apron front sink by a non-name brand.

jsweenc: The overhang is an area of issue! The slab was not large enough to accommodate the larger overhang that I wanted with keeping to one slab and no seam. So before we even ordered the cabinets, we reduced the size of the island by about 8" on the sides and 4" on the overhang. It is definitely not the size I would have liked, but it's about 10-1/2 inches. Good thing we are small people with small hip to knee lengths!

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From Menlo Farmhouse

Your inset cabs are fabulous. Very classy. Beautiful home. enjoy

Who would have thought a 1950s old decrepit rancher with gold shag carpet had potential?...me !

Thanks again everyone for the pats on the back--seriously, it's nice to have "peers" say nice things, because we often don't get a lot of kudos for our hard work on our homes!

What are your plans for the floor?

We chose a greener quartzite (Mother of Pearl) and it does not etch or stain at all. So far it's been impervious to anything I've had on it.

Firsthouse - congratulations, I like the look of this better than a lot of marbles and it's so unique. Absolutely fabulous!!!!!!!!!

The BM Simply White looks great! What a light and airy space! I can't wait to see the finished pictures.

My fabricator hadn't used this type of quartzite before and he noted how much better this type of quartzite was to work with than others he had seen. Here on gardenweb I've read reports of bullet-proof white quartzites and others that do stain or etch relatively easily.

Each stone, even slab, can be different, I guess you just have to try each different one. In any case, I wouldn't just give up on quartzite as your fabricator suggested - there are some great, very hard quartzites out there and they do make a gorgeous alternative to marble or white granites - as you can see from firsthouse's spectacular island!