I'm not certain about the warranty aspect, but it might be true in some cases. I know that Miele will double the warranty on most kitchen appliances if an authorized technician or dealer does the installation. I'm not sure about other brands. That being said, I'd tend to prefer having the dealer do the installation. That way, if there are any initial problems, you only have to contact the dealer. If something doesn't work right, or needs adjustment, the dealer can't say your contractor did something wrong, and vice-versa. In my kitchen, the contractor installed the range hood because it needed some unusual fitting because of the deeper than usual upper cabinets in my kitchen. Also, the plumber installed the garbage disposer. The Gaggenau cooktop, the Miele dishwasher, ovens and warming drawer and the Sub-Zero refrigerator and wine cooler were all installed by the dealer. While everything worked perfectly, if there had been any problems, I would have been able to rely on the dealer to get things right.

Epoxy does have advantages in challenging environments. But I also understand people wanting, or preferring, the more "bulletproof" epoxy versus cementitious grout in residential construction. For him to shift gears like that without first having a clear conversation with you, it's a bit of a bold move in my book. One concern is grout removal. Even in the best of cases, tile edges can be dinged up. But if you're going to remove grout, it's best to do it sooner rather than later. Cement-based grout gets harder over time, the steepest curve being over the first month after installation. So I really can't advise you which path to take. If really you want epoxy grout for specific reasons, have him install epoxy grout. If your shower has a topical membrane (Hydroban, Kerdi, RedGard, etc) then your cementitious grout is in a less demanding environment to begin with, so to speak. If you use lotions and potions and color your hair in the shower, than epoxy would be the better choice.

waime that sounds goofy. Your cab people should be doing that as part of their install (the top for instance). THey are probably holding back on that because they want to sell you some granite ;( My cabinet company uses a specific installer for the product we ordered. They will prep the cabinets for install of the countertops (stainless and granite) and they do sell granite...but that's not where I purchased it. They had no problem with that aside from asking for specs on the stainless install. I was very fortunate. My entire remodel has been a disaster from the beginning with a once lovely, turns out, not so good contractor. My cabinet company (after I spent a lot of cash LOL) loaned me their installer (GC) to use to finish the job, which includes not only cabinet install but other finish work as well.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Thank you again Joseph for all that information. Before I throw threats at the salesman could I get one more opinion.. So looks like they did use "Silicone Caulk like required from "Endura manufacturer's installation instructions". Spoke to salesman and he told us silicone takes longer to settle.. only when it gets lots of sun, he claimed the silicone caulk was not settled the 1st day it rained Well it rained again today and this time didn't see any water get inside. Does that mean everything is fixed? Still worried about the little light peaking out at center/bottom (by weatherstrip) of door and sides. etc He said wait 1 more week to see if we get any more leaks and if we do he would send someone from door manufacturer to take a look at it. What do you recommend we should do here? 1) Wait 1 week to see if we do get any more leaks, if not that means our doors are fixed? 2) Still tell the salesman to bring someone asap to fix all those open light spots or we will inform division of inspection of his delinquent license, etc