That looks horrible and so wrong! I've never seen a Stages cutout where the corners had to be rounded like that. Aliris just had a Stages installed without that. I'm not to the counter install stage quite yet, but I can tell you that I would NOT pay them the balance until that is fixed.

I had a fireplace installed and had a huge problem with the owner/installer. I refused to pay the balance until it was fixed. He wouldn't fix it, but I got him to at least listen a bit to what I had to say because I wouldn't give him the 50% of the balance that was due.

Don't accept those corners. They don't work in the gorgeous, modern kitchen you're creating.

I just posted the almost the same problem (see "sink cut out too big"). Do not pay them!!! They should be able to sand the corners better on site and polish. You shouldn't have rounded edges like that!

0 degree cutouts on stone or pretty much any counter material are to be avoided. They create stress points that can lead to cracks. However that looks like a bigger radius than 1/4". You need to measure it in person. If it's larger than 1/4" then they need to recut it.

PS, the same guideline should have been used with your concrete counters unless you signed a waiver that released them from responsibility for any stress fractures. Perhaps if you signed a similar waiver for your current counters they would cut a smaller than 1/4" radius, but you would have to assume all responsibiity if it cracked.

Good news! They are taking the whole thing back to the shop to re-do. They have been off and on the phone with me all morning trying to figure out what I want. The edges will be straighter all around, but they said that I will have to watch out for chipping. As for the black rock embedded in the counter, they said I have to take that up with Okite. They are going to try to square the corners out more around the sink. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it works.

Breezygirl, thank you! I read your comment and got on the phone with them first thing this AM.

boymomx2, I am going to read your thread. I hope your sink cutout was fixed.

Green designs, maybe there is a slight radius on the concrete counters, but it looks nothing like what the okite counters are. I am guessing it is closer to 1/4" The okite counters are 3/8". I hope they can fix it without doing damage.

Yep, just to add another bit of agreement on the issue.

I just had my Caesarstone counters installed, and we have 3 locations where it was a tight "inside corner". I was asked to sign a waver that since they are less than the manufacturer's recommended 3/8's inch radius to "reduce potential crack propagation as recommended by the manufacturer's fabrication guidelines".

I never heard of such a thing, so a quick search turned up the same facts on Caesarstone's literature. I decided to go with a 3/8's inch radius on the counter top, and allow for a seam by the "zero radius" kitchen sink to keep the tight corner there (sink location allowed for this very easily which may not be the case with your location.)

In your pictures the edging does not look even at all though, and should probably be fixed, but I would expect to get smaller than the 1/4 the kris mentioned, and would be very hard to modify post installation (I would guess). The edging should be easily fixed on-site.

My advice is only worth as much as you pay for it though, since I'm not a fabricator. ;-)

I'll be posting pictures of my sink/cuts in a week or so.

Sorry. No can do on the rounded edges as well. Can you call another fabricator? That doesn't tell you "I can't do?"

"Ummmm, no." would be my answer. Hope they fix it. You are right. It's not good enough.

Ne

Good luck Rocky! Sounds like your guys are in agreement about trying to find a solution. I'm glad of it.

Breezy, I had a silgranit installed recently and a Kraus tight, but not zero-radius sink. My granite guys did seem to follow the curves of these sinks well-enough, but neither is a stages. I was thinking of using a stages long ago.

The trouble my granite guys seemed to have was in filling up space between the sink and the countertop. There was quite a groove left - big gunk catcher; ick. They did come back and re-epoxy one sink and used a different material on the ss; it needed to dry for two days.

This problem wasn't immediately apparent to me. I'd suggest looking carefully at the join of countertop and sink before the guys leave. It should be flush and cleanable!