What would you do? Counter guys cut around the door trim

15 years ago

We just moved into our recently renovated home and I noticed that the installers of our quartz countertops put a notch near the right side of the back edge of the counter to have it fit around the backband and casement trim for the pocket door between the kitchen and the dining room.

I didn't notice it a first because they were pretty careful to follow the contour of the door trim and I'm sure you won't really notice it once you caulk the gap, but I can't figure out for the life of me why the installer would chose to cut into our expensive countertops for the sake of having it fit around a few dollars worth of door trim. I think it happened because the door trim guys had installed the trim before the countertops were put in. Our GC acknowledges that this is not how he would have instructed them to do it if asked but he clearly thinks that we are making a big deal out of what should not really be an issue from a practical perspective. I should mention that this cut was done on a section of the countertop that is only 18-20 inches long because it has a rangetop on left side and borders the doorway on the right side.

By contrast, one of the bathrooms has a quartz countertop that meets the door trim. In that case, the trim was installed after the countertops and the door trim was notched to accomodate the countertop (rather than the other way around).

I want to ask the GC to replace the offending section of the kitchen countertop. What do others think?

Featured Answer

sweeby

15 years ago

I also ran this past DH, who is a professional remodeler. His response was that it is right for several reasons:

1) As Casey said, to allow for movement.
2) The countertop installers would not have had the right tools with them to properly cut the wood in place, nor to patch any tears or slivers in the finish if they were to occur.
3) And also that trying to remove the trim piece without splintering it would be very difficult to do.

So a few more reasons...

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

sweeby
15 years ago
I've never seen a contract so specific as to stipulate whether it was the door trim or countertop that would be notched, so frankly, I don't think you have legitimate grounds to ask for a redo.

Your countertop installers took a lot of time and trouble to notch your quartz around your door trim. If they did a good job, then there's nothing wrong with what they did, and you can bet that the person who did the work is feeling pretty proud of himself for having done it well. Being married to the kind of guy who does work like this, I can tell you he'd be plenty hurt and angry if you were to ask for a redo, done the easy (in his book, wrong) way.

Let it go -- And try to appreciate that your installers put forth this much effort to do a superior job.
pharaoh
15 years ago
Frankly, it does not matter. once could argue either way as to what should be cut. easier to cut the wood trim than to cut granite so they did the harder thing.

Let it go, i dont see what the problem is?
Related Discussions
Do you ever feel like the 'counter top' police?
Q
Comments (29)
I think perhaps by definition we TKO are disproportionately fussbudgety. What's it all for anyway? You can't take those perfectly unscratched cabinets with you. Maybe have yourself buried with them like pharaohs? Nah..... Dings Happen. And as for dh's who can't refrain from cutting on granite - well, that's why we just need to teach (or have taught) our children well.... :) And in the absence of that, this is why we have MIL jokes... ;) FWIW -- I drive around in a minivan that has a cracked bumper; you can see its innards, the metal "I-beam"-like thingymabob in there. It is very out of place in LA where so much is just-so. I attract a lot of attention. But it is not worth it to me to spend the money (thousands; more than the car's worth) to fix it. And in all honesty, I don't care, though I recognize it gives many the willies. Thing is, it reminds me of an interlude in French Canada where the ding was inflicted by a snowplow. They have a very different relationship with snowplows, snow removal and those who perform said operations there. The previous winter there had been several individuals killed by errant snowplows. But subsequent inquiries had determined the individuals were simply "in the wrong place at the wrong time" -- like my car and its bumper (parked, on the side of the road with many others just like it). Things happen, and just about all that changes is our reactions to it. Seems a life's lesson I rather value leaving visible on my bumper. But of course that's way too long a story to explain to the guys trolling parking lots looking to "fix" it (not) for a few $$.
...See More
What do you put on your new granite counter tops?
Q
Comments (15)
We just had our template done yesterday so I won't have granite for another 2 weeks or so but I'll probably do something similar to what I've done in the past. I have a clear glass bowl that I keep lemons and limes in (I use lemons a lot in cooking) I also have a paper towel holder and my my coffee pot out and usually a small potted plant on the sunny part of my counter. I cannot live without having my cookbook out so I have a decorative plate stand that I use for it (see link below). The majority of my cookbooks are stored over my range in the cupboard and I have to drag a chair over...so instead I've compiled my most frequently used recipes into one book and it sits on the counter. Here is a link that might be useful: plate stand similar to the one I use for my cookbook
...See More
What would you do? Countertop damage...
Q
Comments (9)
Warranties almost always exclude consequential damages (something else being damaged because the product malfunctions). Also, you didn't ask for service when you first noticed there was a problem and it might not have needed a repair because the swelling might have gone down when the problem was resolve; you waited until the damage had gotten worse. On Bosch dishwashers, I have mixed feelings at the moment. Our Bosch dishwasher stopped with a warning code that indicated a leak had been detected. It happened after the initial warranty expired but it was still covered by a parts warranty. On the positive side: When the first repair didn't work, we didn't have to pay labor for the subsequent visits. When multiple repairs didn't fix the problem, Bosch gave us a replacement dishwasher. Our model was no longer available and the one they gave us is slightly better. The old dishwasher was quiet and the new one is even quieter - I only notice it running when I stand near and listen for it. The need for repair may have been partly because we should have been using its water softener and weren't so some things got clogged with hard water deposit (we never had a problem with that with our older less fancy dishwasher). The dishwasher cleans very well and we find that the trays including the flatware tray make it very easy to load. On the negative side: Between waits for parts on multiple repair attempts and then several weeks wait to get the replacement approved, it was well over a month between the initial failure and installation of the replacement. Fortunately the service technician was able to tighten things enough to allow the old dishwasher to work on the short cycle while we waited. The low salt warning keeps coming on on the new dishwasher even though salt is loaded - the repairman is scheduled to come out again today.
...See More
What would you do with 12” of cabinet/countertop space?
Q
Comments (24)
What kitchens are the other homes in this neighborhood doing? Are they also doing a 40K appliance budget? If so, how are they handling the issues that pop up with using that level of cabinets? Can you view a couple of those homes and their kitchens? Future neighbors perhaps? If they are doing the standard builder 6K appliance package, and the same entry level cabinets that you are, are you comfortable with the choice to upgrade well beyond what the neighborhood supports? If so, then do as exactly as cpartist suggests. You’ll get a better end product, with less expense.
...See More
sombreuil_mongrel
15 years ago
In one way, it's safer to notch the countertop- the trim can't catch the counters as the floor settles. The cabs/top can move on their own as a unit. A tight scribe of the wood could make a ledge of fixed height that wouldn't move relative to the floor. It wouldn't take more than 1/8" of settling of the floor to overstress the tops past their breaking point.
Casey
natesgramma
15 years ago
They did it on our trim to our pocket door too but I don't find it offending or had any problems with it. I was actually impressed with their work.
rosie
15 years ago
It sounds like they did a good careful custom job. It's not a matter of which material is more expensive (although too often it just has to be), but rather which lines look better.
natesgramma
15 years ago
Oops! I take it back. I was telling my DH about your counter and he informed me that he was the one who did the good job and cut the trim to fit around the granite after the counter was installed. Hopefully you'll like yours better once it's caulked.

What would you do? Counter guys cut around the door trim

sweeby

Comments (7)

sweeby

pharaoh

Related Discussions

sombreuil_mongrel

natesgramma

rosie

natesgramma

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US