I had two new cabinet doors scratched and dented by the granite installers. They denied it and said they noticed the scratches prior to installation. I know with 100% certainty they were lying and I told them so. I called the fabricator immediately while the installers were here. He asked if the installers along with me inspected the site prior to install and if they had me sign a form that all was fine before and after. They did not. The fabricator then told me that they would replace the cabinets because his team failed to follow procedure. If the installers noted the scratches prior, they were supposed to also take picture which they did not.

I would call the fabricator ASAP. I think you should have done so immediately. Did you sign off on when the job was completed?

I have a similar granite to yours, but do not have the stain problem. Maybe yours was not sealed properly. You can do it yourself, it's spray on wipe off.

Good luck and keep us posted!

That is an indication of your granite needing to be (re)sealed.

It's up to the GC of the project to protect the floors with some type of rosin paper or hardboard if the floors are already in place and finished. The floors go down, the protection goes on, and it doesn't come off until the absolute last job onsite is completed. That's on you since you were the GC.

A certain amount of wall scuffing is also to be expected when handling large heavy objects. That's in every single contract for stone that I've seen. That's why you should always wait until after it's install to do touchup painting.

For the cabinet damage, a prudent GC waits until the heavy and bulky stuff is in before even putting the doors onto the cabinets. Not every GC is that forward thinking though. And that's why the stone people do carry insurance. Or offer to give you a credit.

A credit for the cost of the new drawer front would be an acceptable solution to the issue. In NO case do you EVER "just deduct" the cost of anything from the bill without first discussing it with the tradesman and them agreeing to it. That can land a lien on your home pretty quick. If you can't come to an agreement, you still pay the bill and then dispute it in small claims. But it should NEVER come to that. A conversation usually does the job, but always refer back to the written contract that you signed with the company first. It usually has a clause in it about the process to use if you aren't happy with the results. Many times that includes a clause about binding arbitration.

As far as the water soaking in, you need to find out if the granite was sealed, and if so, with what product. That is information that you should have received when you were shopping the project around. It's probably also included in the paperwork and you just missed it with all of the other information that you've had to deal with.

Thanks for the answers! It's using my phone to post right now so I will post more specifics later.

OK, I am back with more details. Thanks again for the helpful feedback. We dealt directly with the owner, and he was supposed to come out to our house when the installers were there. In fact, he told us on two separate occasions that he would be there at installation. But in the end, he had an appointment with another client on Saturday, so he did not join them. We talked to him by phone while the crew was here. Due to a measuring error on the owner's part, there was an problem with the overhang in one area. In addition to cutting into the drywall, they had to cut about 3/8" or 1/2" off at one of the seams. So our conversation with the owner was in relation to making sure the cuts were made properly and everything lined up as it should.

So, no we haven't signed off on anything yet. I have had problems with the the owner from the perspective of being on time and responding to inquiries in a timely manner. On the other hand, I think he does good work (he did a friend's kitchen before we hired him), he is very competitive on price, and he has been in business for 10 years. I don't see him having a fit about replacing the drawer front. We had actually put the fronts on for measuring to make sure that we had the desired overhang...I guess we should have taken them off for the installation, but if there was such a high risk of damage, I wish the installers had suggested taking the drawers out.

My biggest fear and concern is about the sealer. It is definitely SUPPOSED to be sealed. I am wondering if they just got in a rush and/or forgot or if it was done in a shoddy fashion. I am glad that we noticed the problem with water before the granite was exposed to anything that could stain it! LWO, I will definitely ask WHAT they used to seal it.

Also, I would not deduct anything from the bill without having the owner agree. I should have said "credit" instead of "deduct."

Thanks!