So sorry you had a bad experience with your granite installation. I think a professional, a real countertop professional should be able to remove and replace your granite without harming your cabinets. Hope it works out for you.

I concur :) You shouldn't have to live with something you hate. Life's too short, and most of us spend too much time in our kitchens.

Have you thoroughly investigated that possibility Sue? Of having a really good stone guy come in and try to fix the problems with your install? I would think the scratches could be polished out, and the gaps along the wall should disappear when you put in a backsplash. Depending on your sink placement, you may be able to fix the seam and even out the overhangs at the same time.

It may not be possible, but if it's not, you will at least know it and can move forward from there...

I've been leary of contacting another stone place because I know they will want to know who did it and why THEY aren't the ones coming back to fix it. Contractors can be a chummy group and I know the granite installer will have nothing good to say about me.

The initial install was horrible and they lied about my cabinets not being level before the install. I went to their offices and showed them pictures with a level on the counters, pictures of the scratches (which I pointed out to the workers the day of the install). The owner was actually screaming at me in their offices, with other customers in the next room. He later got into it with my finish carpenter who didn't appreciate their shoddy job being balmed on his cabinets (the cabinets were perfect, I was there the day they were installed). I learned they never templated the counters, as agreed. They promised to come back and fix it all and they basically just removed a few shims. They also scratched my kitchen sink and they didn't install it where agreed (front to back). I never paid the final invoice and they never rebilled me for it. The way I left it was if they fixed the scratches and seam they would get paid. Never heard from them again, and that was over 2 years ago. They also did my bathroom counters, but the issues with those are less obvious because there are no seams. I am pretty sure they honed my marble on site (it's more scratched than honed).

I agree the scratches could probably be improved. But the seam is a mess. The two pieces don't blend at all and I think they overpolished the seam already. It's possible they didn't line the two pieces up correctly and then tried to polish down the ridge at the seam. They also chipped the edge (it's filled, but obvious) and there are tiny chips along the sink edge.

The only person who has every commented was my father, a very fussy person.

Does anyone know what the approximate per SF price of calcutta is on the east coast?

Sue, who was it that did the install? Was it someone from down your way, or up toward Portland?

I was just down your way yesterday giving someone an estimate! (In Wells)

I have nothing to add except your mention of wells makes me ache for the beach especially in this cold weather. (we go to ogunquit) ahh...soon..summer...

sorry for going OT.

Bill,
I don't want to put the name of the installer on a public forum in case someone here knows them. They were from down this way. We are so close to Portsmouth that we usually head south rather than north.

So, yes, I am still without a backsplash. Sigh.... The kitchen just never seems to get done. Money go towards site work, a sick cat, filling the oil tank...

Next time to come to the Kittery Trading Post on a weekend you should stop by. I'll email you in case you lost mine.

Buffetgirl, DH and I go to the beach all winter. No swimming, of course, but it is beautiful all year. We are not far south of Ogunquit.

Sue, I wouldn't be so leery of bringing in another contractor. Don't underestimate them. They have probably heard stories about this competitor before. They might well have other horror stories to share with you.

You are acting like it's all your fault. It isn't.

I agree. Think about coming up into Westbrook. Talk to the people over at Blue Rock.

As for next time I'm down that way, I'll do that. :-)

sue - yeah, we go to the beach all winter long too - weekend here and a weekend there. Someday I hope we have a house there. The beach is beautiful all year - the entire maine/nh coast is beautiful all year though. It's the most beautiful place in the world - Nubble on a stormy day with the water crashing up? The giant mansions that line the coast in Rye? (we used to "pick" out those houses as kids, which were mine, which were my brothers) But I'm a summer beach girl at heart and to walk around with sand between my toes and the sun out, and a good outside shower at the end of the day...ahhhh...and the smell of the marsh at night and the sound of the waves...

Sue, it sounds to me that you've made genuine progress toward that BS by recognizing that the granite's the issue. That's good! I agree with other posters that the next step is to explore repairing it. You may be pleasantly surprised. Good luck!

Buffettgirl,
DH and I go to the Nubble and park with the windows down and just smell the ocean. Mmmm, I love it. It can be a little scary sometimes, when there is a storm (DH's favorite time). I actually get seasick on land.

Someday I hope we have a house there.

When that happens let me know-- I know a good tile guy...

:-)

I've done plenty of work down in Ogunquit, including the roman tub everyone seems to notice. Also done a couple of homes down in Rye. :-)

don't make me jealous...though I'm afraid that if and when I ever save enough money to buy my beach house we'll be so dirt poor that we'll be living in whatever condition we find the place, for a LONG time. hahaha... I don't care. I'd live with pink bathroom tile if I had to.