How deep are the scratches? Are they very noticeable?

shame on them. Did they cover the counters with paper while working on the backsplash? This just tics me off if they didn't.

I'm very angry at all the contractors that ignore the fact that there is carpeting in my house and they don't want to remove their shoes or put on booties.

I'm very angry at the plumber who thinks it's a good idea to put his weight on his arms and raise himself up while pushing down on my quartzite counters.

I'm just angry at the the disrespect in general that people show when in my house that I am paying for.

And that they are being paid to be in my house to do work.

Sorry to vent. But I'd be pretty pi$$ed if they ruined my counters. They need to do their job correctly and their job is not to just lay tile. Their job is laying tile correctly and not damaging the home they are in.

Ditto beekeeperswife! We shouldn't have to teach professionals how to do their job!

I'm no expert on quartz, but my installers and contractor all spoke of using a clear resin (silicone?) to patch scratches. Since you can't file it down or patch it with a matching product, I've been told to patch it with something clear (to minimize its presence) to prevent the scratch from continuing to chip away.

We've recently discovered a chip on the edge of our island caused by who knows who or what...we never hang out with sharp or heavy objects there. We think it was a chip that occurred upon cutting or install that gradually gave way to gravity. We'll be looking for a clear gel to plug / patch it to prevent further erosion.

Sorry I don't know the name of the product, but I'd ask your installer. We'll be asking the same here soon.

Thank you ladies for your sympathetic words! It's amazing how many careless mistakes have occurred during our renovation. I never thought I'd have to stand over them with a watchful eye. The scratches are not deep - they're actually very superficial. I can only actually feel one of them with my fingers - it's a slight chip where the scratch starts. And they actually did use paper on the countertops so I'm not sure what happened. I wipe down the counters several times each day so I know the scratches were not there before the tile install. I left messages with both the contractors and fabricators so I'm hoping we'll have some sort of fix. I'm often reminded of a previous post titled, "Letting go of Perfect." So true!! Thank you :)

That's a shame and they should be held accountable for the damage, it's that simple. Can the scratches be repaired?

Our floor refinishers damaged beyond repair an end run finished panel of our cabinetry. Immediately took pics and sent email to GC and the flooring company. Flooring company owned up immediately and it's being replaced on their dime.

Yeah, you know nothing stays perfect but you feel like you and your family should be the ones to make the first scratch, ding, gouge, or stain!

Not your contractors.

Doesn't Marcolo have a great screaming rant somewhere about the hapless contractor who set down a wet paint bucket (or was it a dirty orbital sander) on his new velvet chair?

I had cabinet installers goof on setting cabinets, requiring they be reset. Had originally had the $7k Jerusalem Stone tile floor meticulously cleaned after it was installed and sealed, covered it with butcher paper and then 1/4" particle board duct-taped at the seams to protect during construction. Cabinet installers told me (when I asked specifically) that they would not need to disturb floor covering to re-set cabinets, then when they did the work, apparently decided they did need to take up the floor covering (I was not present as this is a vacation house, and assumed (bad assumption!) they would be okay on their own, and I did not need to make a special trip to the jobsite). They decided to use a box-cutter to cut the tape between all the floor covering boards!! My entire floor had score marks wherever the joins were. I had to bring in a refinishing company, who had to refinish the entire floor in place and reseal it. I took photos to document the damage, and cabinet company paid.

Had a painter put "clear" stain on a tongue and groove ceiling, that turned green. He "fixed" it by putting what looked like brown paint on--also forgetting to mask 20 lighting cans in the ceiling before spraying. Entire wood ceiling and exposed trusses had to be sanded (huge mess), guy walked off mid way through, and had to hire someone else to finish sanding and put on clear finish originally planned and clean light fixtures (fortunately trims were not in yet).

Also had my countertop installer forget my sink cabinet bumped-out 3", and drilled a hole through the cabinet on the bump reveal when installing the sink, and cabinet installers also drilled a 1/4" hole through the cabinet face (this on dark stained cherry, so the holes showed the lighter unstained wood on the inside). I fretted alot about those holes at the time, and about getting some sort of specialist to fill them--there are people that can do that--but due to the remote location, just ended up putting some stain in them from the cabinet touch-up kit. Now I never notice them.

Bottom line is--some contractors have no regard for already installed finishes, (never assume they do), and, everything is fixable. When damages first happen, it is so disapointing and stressful, but by the time your project is done, you either will not notice or think about those things so much, or you will have had them repaired, and the only memory will be the inconvienience of having to do an unanticipated repair.

Hope all goes well--try not to stress too much, and do not be afraid to ask those that do damage to take responsibility. Contractors working in your home should have use a reasonable standard of care. It is really astonishing how often they do not!

This is how my electrician cut into my brand new island. He also destroyed two panels that he has to pay to replace. I asked him if he let my 7 year old son make the cut while I wasn't looking?!?! Because of this kind of stuff, I do feel like I have to hover and watch everything. Sad.

Cubs mom--good lord, what did he use-- a butcher knife!

On the other hand--your kitchen is looking awesome. Love the lights with the dark cabinetry and the backsplash.

Hopefully your _former_ electrician!

cbusmomof3 - Wow, that's awful! I'll bet your 7 year old could have done a better job! And vickyw, sounds like you had a few things gone wrong! Glad you can look back with some perspective. I'm already getting over the scratches. It would have been nice if it was one of us that did the damage rather than a contractor in its first few weeks of life. Oh well! Thanks again for your good advice!

Right?!? When I first saw it, I just turned around and walked out of the house.

My Caesarstone countertop is only a few weeks old and I found two tiny scratches on my window sill that sound like the ones you have. I don't have any idea of how they came about: I probably missed them during the renovation or caused them myself. In any event, I went to my colored Sharpie markers and just filled them in (just like I do when I have scratches on my shoes) - then dabbed it a bit with a paper towel. Gone. I have no idea if this is acceptable but the scratches were so immaterial - and, it worked! In retrospect, I should have consulted GW first...

Actually, circus, it was a rag soaked with some solvent--sitting on top of an open razor blade. The velvet chair had been in my house less than two weeks. I apparently walked into the room and found the disaster only seconds after it occurred, so no damage yet. I still came to him with thunder and with earthquake, and he was sore afraid. If you told me he still woke up with nightmares about me I would believe you.

Brooklyngalley - I'll have to remember the sharpie trick! My Caesarstone is Raven...would I use a black sharpie and then wipe it quickly? I don't recall seeing any gray sharpies :(

you feel like you and your family should be the ones to make the first scratch, ding, gouge, or stain!

Ain't that the truth!

It still bugs me how cavalier my GC was when I pointed out all of the plaster splatters on the existing woodwork and doors just outside the kitchen (the plaster splatters left by the plasterers). I asked "what about cleaning that up?" GC: "Oh, that'll come right up." Well, it had been sitting on the stained wood door for two weeks by then, and the water in the plaster soaked into the wood and left a noticeable patch. Luckily the painter was able to fix it so it's not so noticeable. And the worst part is that I would have cleaned it up *myself* if DH hadn't kept saying "that's what we're paying the GC for--to take care of everything." HA! The blessing is that DH knows better now not to prevent me from taking care of things when I've got a mind to do it.

This is one reason we became DIY'ers. If it's going to get screwed up, atleast we didn't pay for it.

atomics - I did a quick google search and saw that there is a "slate gray" Sharpie at Office Depot... black might also work. With a lot of dabbing, all of it will come off (I made sure when I was testing mine) so if it doesn't work for you, you would be back to square one. Again, this is not an "approved" method - but it certainly worked for me.

brooklyngalley ~ That was so nice of you to look for the gray sharpie! We have an Office Depot nearby so I'll stop there this weekend. Since the scratch is so small, I'm not worried that it's not an approved method :) I'll keep you posted!