Joins in an island worktop

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Anyone got a join in an Island worktop. Anyways round it - do you even notice it? It's this one - with a mirror chip

www.howdens.com/kitchens/kitchen-surfaces/worktops/silestone-19m-x-20mm-chamfered-edge-white-mirror-chip-quartz-island-worktop-woh8204

I’m debating worktops at the minute and joins are totally putting me off.
I can’t imagine paying thousands for a worktop with join lines it. I’m determined to make the island small enough to not need joins.

How big is the island if it means a join in the worktop though?

I would not want a join on an island worktop, and I would not get quartz from a ‘middleman’ like Howdens. You’re better off dealing with a local stone merchant who can give you exactly what you want.

I second this - don't get it from Howdens. A decent independent stonemason will provide better value for money.

We have granite which has a join. It did worry me before I had it put in but now I don't give it a second thought - it became a nonissue. You can hardly see it. However, this is on a work surface. Our Island is 3Mtr long which was the length of the slab we used, so no join. I wouldn't want a join on an Island.

The Howdens product you linked to is 1.9 Mtr which I suspect is why you need a join. Again, a local stonemason should be able to easily supply up to 3Mtr but maybe not in exactly the product Howdens are selling.

OK, I'm being a bit dim probably - but stonemasons will do quartz etc? I'm not sure where to get worktops from...

Where are you? Just Google quartz worktops and your local area. There are about 5 I can think of within a 40 mile radius of us (south east)

We've got exactly this worktop and it's gorgeous. I have a join in my wall worktop and I do notice it. Howdens were unable to supply an island worktop in the correct size so we went direct to a supplier. I wouldn't recommend joins in the island.

Our local Howdens gave us the names of a few suppliers, plus we googled some. The quotes varied quite a bit, so worth ringing around. It was really easy - quote, they did the templating, then did the installation.

I second cakefanatic. With the money you save going to a local stone merchant you could afford a whole piece without joins. Also I'd suggest not using a big brand name such as Silestone. You can find lovely composite in many different styles including the type you are looking at for a far better price. Even if Howdens are doing the kitchen you can tell them you are having someone else to do the tops. We saved £3.5 k from our most expensive Silestone quote to the lesser known brand we eventually went for. They sent someone round to do all the measuring then fitted it.

We have quartz, one run is 5.5m long and there is a join. Then there is another join where it meets a perpendicular bit.

The join on the long side is in front of a window and you (well, I - no one else cares) can see it during the daytime. The other join is really invisible unless you are right over it looking at it.

So my advice is to see what light would be hitting the island because it will show the join.

We were told we could go up to 3m width on our island without needing a join

I hate joins. I know 2 people who have recently installed Howdens quartz worktops (albeit not Silestone) and have joins in several places. Their particular worktop goes up to 2.4m. I think it really kills the look of a very expensive worktop.

I am having a 3m island (wanted 3.2m but expect that will require a join) and a key factor in choosing the worktop will be max possible length.

Max length definitely varies by supplier so definitely shop around.

I know the Dekton tops we're looking at come in a maximum size of 3.2 x 1.44m. They're a slightly different look from quartz though.

2570mm x 950 For the Island and 2750 X 620 for the countertop.

We got our quartz from Mayflower stone. around £1k cheaper than anywhere else, which made me a bit nervous, but they were really easy to deal with, professional and highly competent fitters, and they came back promptly to fix an issue that became apparent after a couple of months. Definitely worth a look.

We were faced with this and our Howdens designer told us to find a local stone mason. We're in SE London and used a company called Geology.

Fab and so glad we went to them. We got an off cut from a huge corporate job they were doing. They did our utility room as well and fitted that for free. The quartz is amazing and was way cheaper as it was an off cut. They were a pleasure to deal with as well.