post some pics so we can see what you see.........

It's hard to say for sure without pics. Some sound like simple fixes, others not so much.

I'd suggest you speak to the installer -- and fast. What does he/she think? I've gone through natural stone installations and deal with its maintenance quite a bit in my homes. 9 times out of 10 when I thought something looked funky, it was. The installer should definitely clean-up what you want or provide you a convincing/satisfactory reason otherwise.

Oops! Sorry for the double post.

I wish I could figure out how to post pictures from my phone but I can't!

Some other comments that may be able to be answered without pics...
The counter overhang was supposed to be 3/4". In actuality, it varies from 1/2" to a full 1". OK? Am I being too picky? I'm not even sure what could be done about it now.

Also, the marble slab we picked out was in rough shape so they had to do quite a bit to clean it up. (We chose it because it was one of the whiter ones and it was hard to find the thickness that we wanted.). They cleaned the top of it very well. But the bottom is still dirty, with what look to be rust spots. This is only noticeable if you are literally bending under the island overhang and looking at the bottom of the slab. Still, I feel like we bought a slab and the entire slab should look pretty good when it's delivered to the customer. Again, is this unreasonable?

I really do appreciate any opinions. The installer is coming back to fix things. I'd like to feel comfortable that what we're asking is within reason.

Thanks!

It's quite common for the surface under the overhang not to be finished (ours wasn't). As you noted, it is not really visible. I personally would be more concerned about the counter overhang. I can understand a variance of 1/4" but what you describe indicates there is a problem either with how the granite was cut or how it was installed over the cabinets.

This is a situation where it is worth the time to get the pictures posted here. People here have helped me a lot with picking granite, details of how it is fabricated etc. They can help you more by looking at the photos.

Options:
1. Read the post called New to Kitchens? Posting Pics? I have bumped it to the top just now.
2. If you have a smart phone, then open Photobucket on it. I would think photobucket would find and upload your photos. Details are on the post above from that point.
3. Find a savvy teenager to help you post them. If all else fails create a new, public facebook account and post the photos there. Teenagers will know how to do that. Then post the link.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: New to Kitchens?

Please ignore my spelling errors in earlier posts. I really can spell but typos become impossible to fix when you're using an ipad!

Colorfast,
Thank you for reminding me about those instructions. I think I've finally figured it out!

There are no pictures of the streaky marble; it just doesn't show up in pictures. It basically looks like someone wiped the marble down with a dirty rag and left it to dry. The installer said that can be fixed so I'm hoping he's right.

The attached pictures are of the splotchy granite (absolute black honed), the glue around the undermount sink, and the irregular seam.

The "streaky" granite looks as if there are small spots or streaks of oil on it. That's the best way to describe it. The installer suggested over the phone that I try to clean it with Windex. I tried a small spot and it still looks exactly the same.

With the seam, the first inch or so from the edge is very tight and very dark, so it blends in very well with the granite (you can't see this in the picture). Then it gets worse, which is the part that's in the photo. I'm wondering why the entire length of the seam couldn't have a tight fit and whether or not it can actually be fixed now.

Thank you all again!

bumping...

I'm not sure about the other stuff, but the glue around the sink cut-out definitely looks sloppy - I just looked at mine and I can't see any glue at all - I would definitely make them fix that!

Regarding the marble and the streakiness, that is the sealer and is an easy remedy. We sealed our marble backsplash ourselves, and I have the bottle. It says that if there is streakiness, you can take the sealer and apply again, this time wiping off immediately. The sealer actually REMOVES the sealer. I didn't read further about having to reapply or not.

In the grand scheme of things, this is the least of your worries.

The seam on your granite looks very wide ... I would complain about that. The caulking around the sink cut out is also an easy fix...they can remove it and reapply, this time taking more care to do it neatly.

Our contractor also thought the seam looked rough - not a clean cut, and that it should've been fit tighter. He was not at all involved in the granite purchase or installation.

That being said, is there anything to be done to fix the rough edge on the seam? I'm already assuming they will choose the easiest remedy, which will be to tell us nothing can be done now that it's installed. Is this true? Is it possible to pull that piece up and set it again or is that just asking for other potential problems?

Thanks.

As a follow up to anyone else who reads this and has had problems with their granite installation...just about everything was fixed.

The seam is now much less noticeable. It matches the granite better because they darkened it. It's acceptable now.

They redid the glue around the sink. And scratched the sink in the process.

So everything could be fixed but I will say that they came in saying that "that's just the way seams look in this granite." If I hadn't read all the posts on GW I would have believed them, or been too intimidated to keep arguing the point. My husband and I basically hovered over them making
sure that everything was fixed to our satisfaction. The marble has to be rehoned so hopefully that will also look good as new.

It's very frustrating to have poor quality work done and the installer thought it was perfectly fine.

Thank you for your earlier comments.

Be sure to Angie's list them and to yahoo critique them.
Let others know they are not up to par with installations.
Save someone else from the hassle of poor quality
installers.

I adore my granite people. They are trus artists.
~boxerpups

the installer thought it was perfectly fine

because he was lazy and didn't care because it was not his home

Just goes to show ya...don't mess with a GWer!!!

I'm glad it worked out for you.

My SS guys too BP, we are truly lucky :)