Can you post a picture taken from farther away. It's really hard to tell from the close up what this is.

Outside Close-up

This post was edited by skaun on Mon, May 19, 14 at 12:01

sjhockeyfan,
I'm not sure why the pics are showing up upside down. Here are pics I just took.

This is the inside of the counter - and the green mass is the overspill of whatever they used to level the counter to install the granite. Since I'm getting a backsplash, this side does not matter, but the other 2 sides do.

Front view.

This post was edited by skaun on Mon, May 19, 14 at 11:57

Inside close-up.

This post was edited by skaun on Mon, May 19, 14 at 12:07

if it didn't look like that before they came, that is completely unacceptable.

Yup, it did not. I'm trying to give these guys leeway because sometimes people overreact and want things 100% perfect, but this is getting more and more bizarre. I had not even noticed it until early this morning.

Early this morning, I did not realize how bad it was and I would have been willing to let this slide if it was only on the inside because that side will be covered with backsplash, but what about the other 2 sides?

And to think they actually built up the height with silicon or whatever that material is.

This post was edited by skaun on Mon, May 19, 14 at 12:05

Outside view.

"And to think they actually built up the height with silicon or whatever that material is."

With granite, I would think any shimming would have to be accomplished using mechanical shims - wood or plastic shims.

I would think any silicon would compress and end up simply as a filler/adhesive rather than mechanically raising the granite!

This post was edited by saltidawg on Mon, May 19, 14 at 12:27

I've not yet spoken to them as there were other parts of the job I'm not happy with. I wanted to take the weekend to get a level head before approaching them. Right now, I have 2 very visible seams across both counters, unsupported overhangs because I was not told, and now this.

As I said in another post, I wanted feedback on what's a reasonable request to them and this was just discovered early this morning.

Here's the seam on one counter.

Seam on second counter.

And this is black galaxy... I thought seams were easier to hide.

skaun- i am not an expert by any means but those seams look fine to me. are they wider than you thought or raised? i don't think it's possible for them to be invisible. my seams look very similar but my granite is patterned. it felt somewhat obvious at first but now i don't notice it.

Thanks for posting your pic. I'm not sure if this was your post, but I saw a post with a similar stone where the seam had to be repaired. In the original image, the seam was very noticeable.

In your pic, your seam is barely noticeable. Mine is raised, rough and about 1/16" wide. I'm new to granite installation, but was told it's easy to hide seams in black galaxy. You can see this from any point. I was not expecting this at all.

Seriously, I had someone else at my place and they gave this WTF look.

1/16" of an inch is within MIA guidelines (that doesn't fix the fact that one side is raised, or that the finish is rough, however). They give lippage tolerances here too.

Here is a link that might be useful: MIA - see paragraph 9

From what I can see the sheetrock damage is nothing. Any painter worth his or her salt would be able to repair that before painting.

The seam doesn't look that bad (in fact it looks good) but it's hard to tell from a picture.

>> From what I can see the sheetrock damage is nothing. Any painter worth his
>> or her salt would be able to repair that before painting.

Ditto.

None of those issues are real problems. Good seams are inconspicuous in granite, NOT invisible. Black also can show things much worse than a stone with a bit of movement. Black granite is a mirror, and magnifies things.

Only the support issue is real, and although your fabricators communication stinks, they don't own that issue either. With you getting conflicting information from the idiots, it's an issue that you should have researched more fully yourself to clarify and be sure that you understand. The support should have been installed before they installed the granite. They should have walked away and charged you a trip charge for the wasted trip, then wait until you had taken care of that issue before installing the stone.

I agree with everything GreenDesigns says, except referring to your fabricators as idiots.

These fabricators do own the support issue. As professionals, they have an obligation to specify what/how they want beforehand and explain the consequences of not meeting the specs. To say they gave muddled and conflicting information is being very polite. They've got a well-deserved call back coming.

The green goo is hardened polyester resin. It belongs between the top and substrate, not on the walls.

" They should have walked away and charged you a trip charge for the wasted trip, then wait until you had taken care of that issue before installing the stone."

No, they should have spec'd the job when they did the template etc., noting their requirements before install. Even checking in advance to make sure all was ready to go before scheduling.

That's my problem with these guys. I asked about supports the day he came to measure, and he said they were not needed. A few days before install - I was still concerned because I thought the overhang was 10" - I asked again and was told maybe one is needed. The day before the install, I called and said we may need to reschedule because I can't find that 1 brace they said I may need. He said it's no big deal - not really needed. Fine, he'll ask his guys to bring 2x4 beams so I can have a carpenter install later.

When the installers came, they confirmed I needed 7 supports - not just 1. Additionally, my overhang is 12". I'm annoyed because I kept asking and was given the wrong info. I wanted my counters to look a certain way - had I known I needed 7 supports, I would have hired someone to come in the day of install to set up hidden supports not visible corbels.

I can let the wall damage go because I was going to paint anyway, but this just adds to what I think is shoddy workmanship. If they had said something, fine. Also, I was not expecting a black strip across my counters. It's uneven, rough, and unsightly. I might as well have ordered granite tiles.

skaun:

The good news is that all your problems are fixable.The tops can be removed and proper inconspicuous supports installed; the seams can be top polished to be inconspicuous too; the drywall can be repaired and painted.

Give your fabricator a 2-week window to get all this done, or tell them you'll use the balance you owe them to pay to have it done. They would be right to charge extra for a top polish and the drywall repairs.

"They would be right to charge extra for a top polish and the drywall repairs."

How so? Please explain the logic behind that. I'm not clear on how the drywall managed to get SO damaged. It looks rather careless and wreckless. Why do they get paid extra to install a smooth flat seam? If correcting their sub-par one requires another top polish, that becomes part of the job, not extra.

snookums2:

The drywall isn't that badly damaged. I make it clear I'm responsible for no drywall/wallcovering/paint/tile damage when I do a tear-out. What does the contract say?

The seams appear to meet the MIA specs from the pictures, but the OP still isn't happy. A top polish would make them look great, but again, what does the contract say?

"responsible for no drywall/wallcovering/paint/tile damage when I do a tear-out. "

True. And may be why some of these guys are so wreckless. I thought all was new. The glue supports, however,,are weird and insufficient.

I think a smooth flat seam is a reasonable expectation, and installation guidelines probably cover that, not just width tolerances. With tile it is part of industry standards.

Please explain the logic behind that. I'm not clear on how the drywall managed to get SO damaged. It looks rather careless and wreckless.

Granite is heavy, unwieldy and very difficult to maneuver. So yes sometimes the walls get damaged, but considering what these are doing it's amazing that the damage is so minimal.