This is the other seam on the other side of the stove

Sorry to say but those seams look terrible. My counters are granite but I do have a seam on each corner by my gas cooktop and the seams are nearly invisible. I think the fabricator is giving you a line of "bull". I am sure more knowledgable people will chim in. But I do think it's a do over.

I think they look bad too. I'd be on 'em about both.

maybe our countertop guy will show up and give his opinion.

Sorry but they do look bad but I'm not sure if it's the tightness of the seam or the way they filled the seam...or maybe it's both.

It also looks like the sealer could have used some color match - don't they used dyed sealer in seams?

Malokd. ..exactly. it looks like the cut the pieces too small. The seams are way too wide and it doesn't look right. Even the way its carried over to the edge. I think it's a do over, sorry.

It ought to be virtually invisible. It looks like he used grout for tile...here is what the cs manual says:

• Use a state-of-the-art seam setter tool to make seams as
  narrow and inconspicuous as possible. Seams should not be
  more than 1⁄16” wide.
• CaesarStone requires the use of colored glue for all seams.
  This can be accomplished by using one of the premixed Integra
  colors available or by manually tinting the glue of your choice.

I have a Bosch induction cooktop and a Ceasarstone countertop. I'll try to remember to take a picture over the weekend. It is much tighter than yours and hasn't been a problem over the nearly 2 years since it was installed.

Sjhockeyfan325---If you could do that I would be so grateful---I need to show my contractor a picture of what it should look like

I thought there is no surface heat with induction. Either way, I would call Bosch and ask them how hot the stove surroundings get and what they say about seams.

Your fabricator is pulling your leg. Have him run a Japanese pull saw through those seams and remake them with a color matched adhesive. If it's still unacceptable, reset the pieces or get a longer piece and install with color matched adhesive.

I would call Bosch and ask them how hot the stove surroundings get

The stove surroundings don't get hot.

In my kitchen those seams would be unacceptable as it sounds like they are in yours. A redo is needed. You deserve a better fit than that.

I'm emailing myself right now to remind myself to take that picture!!

After reading practigal's post above I downloaded the caesarstone installation manual and read through it. It also says that it does not recommend placing a seam above a dishwasher: one of my counter's seams runs right over the dishwasher...What should I do about this? Between this and the seams in front of the stove I am having serious reservations about the quality of the countertop work that was done

Did you hire the fabricator yourself or was he hired through your GC? If through the GC, I'd talk to the GC about it.

He was hired by the GC, unfortunately they are cousins--which makes this discussion a little more difficult

Yes, I can see how it would make for a difficult discussion. Nevertheless, I believe that's the way to handle it. You don't have to say that the cousin is an incompetent boob, but you do want to say that you are unhappy with the work.

Here are two pictures of my seam and cooktop (also Ceasarstone - Organic White). It was installed in January 2014. Now that I look at the closeup, I think I need to "color" the seam, but the seam is very tight, nothing like yours.

"After reading practigal's post above I downloaded the caesarstone installation manual and read through it. It also says that it does not recommend placing a seam above a dishwasher: one of my counter's seams runs right over the dishwasher...What should I do about this?"

malokd:

Fabricators have a different agenda than manufacturers. Manufacturers want to lower the risk of warranty calls so they don't recommend seams over dishwashers to eliminate one more potential problem whether it's realistic or not. Fabricators want to maximize yield, and if that means a seam over a dishwasher, so be it.

I rarely disregard manufacturer's instructions, but if I were a fabricator in this case I would. There is no reasonable reason a seam can't be placed over a dishwasher. To answer your question: Nothing.

P.S.:

Corian started making us cut 45 degree edges (and smooth them) on our seam reinforcements years ago. Some egghead in engineering thought this was a good idea; it wasn't. It did nothing but add work which we had to charge for, making Corian less competitive. They eventually came to their senses and dropped the requirement. Rule-making pencil pushers get the same pay check no matter what; fabricators have to please customers to get paid. That is a huge difference and yet a fine line must be walked between reducing warranty calls and making unnecessary work.

Ours is in CS, placed where sjhockeyfan' s is, and color matched to be almost imperceptible. You are right to be unhappy-- it looks sloppy, plus they used 2 cuts where one would do. The thing about induction heating up the stone is BS.

Thanks you Mr. Corlett-- I appreciate your advice considering your experience. Our contractor has asked Caesarstone to send a representative over to examine our countertops because there is etching in a number of areas. He feels that Caesarstone may need to replace them. If they do, how should I proceed with discussions with the fabricator to make sure problems are not repeated. Specifically:

1) The seams in front of the stove

2) Is the dishwasher such a non-issue that a seam could be placed over it once more if the countertop is re-fabricated.

thanks

malokd:

Post a layout with dimensions and I'll place your seams.

I'll be shocked of the Caesartone rep rules the etching a manufacturing defect.

sjhockeyfan325:

Let a little pool of hydrogen peroxide set on your seam for an hour or so, the stuff from the beauty supply store is best, then dry it and push some color matched nail polish into the seam. Scrape the excess with a razor blade and/or use acetone across the seam. I did this for a customer the other day and it worked great.

Joe, will do - thank you!

Mr. Cortlett, I have enclosed the plans for the kitchen. The only thing that changed was that the peninsula like structure was made with no jut-out into the walkway of the kitchen,as we felt that it would narrow the walkway too much. There is a 14inch overhang for the seating area. Any input you could give me would be appreciated

Thanks

malokd:

You've got a two-sheet job, no matter how you slice it. There is no incentive for yield for your fabricator. Caesarstone apparently doesn't make "jumbos". You can have the seams minimized by placing them through the center of the sink and the center of the cooktop. The Caesarstone Fabrication manual prohibits seams larger than 1/16".

While the Caesarstone Fabrication Manual does not recommend seam placement over dishwashers, they do not prohibit it and give specific instructions as to how it's to be done.

Thank you Mr. Corlett-- I am going to review this with my GC and see what can be done. Would you mind taking a look at the other seams--they look good from a width perspective--what do you think of the color match?

Those seams are not good.

Adhesive manufacturers do all the color match work for fabricators. All you have to do is cross reference your sheet color and look up the adhesive and order it when you order the sheets. They test different colors so we don't have to. It looks to me like your installer had some bright white on the truck and thought he'd save 30 bucks on adhesive.

By the way men are 16 times more likely to be color blind than a woman; it's genetic. If your installer says he just can't see the problem, he may not be lying.

Place a straightedge over your seams. It should not rock nor should there be a dip. If the pieces are installed out of plane, a perfectly square cut end cannot be pulled together tightly. That may be what's happening here. You shouldn't be able to get a piece of paper between those pieces. It looks like a credit card or two would fit between those.

I sometimes immediately notice that with some of the seams people have been posting the actual edges don't seem to line up. That would really bug me. Are there any standards?

The Marble Institute of America and the estone manufacturers have standards, but they're not too high.

nosoccermom--is there really a seam there---I can't even see it!

I have Pure White and the seam is next to my cooktop due to the other side extends all the way in the garden window. Excuse the protective covering on the edge of the cooktop, I have not entirely unpack the kitchen yet so I left those on.

It probably isn't Caesarstone, but here's a do-over from several weeks ago. This is how nice you can make another guy's cuts look with the right tools, knowledge, skills, and color matched adhesive.

The link I posted above has more "where is the seam" pictures. The fabricator is located in Ontario, Canada, though.

Here is my seam on Caesarstone Buttermilk.

The seam is just off center to the left.

I credit the tight seam to this little device.

What's it called?

The device? It's a seam setter. I've seen them referred to here as Gorilla Grips.

Do you see the little black cams sticking up between the white blocks? The vacuum is so powerful on the rods through the blocks that the cams will take the bend out of a sheet of stone or estone. The cams push down while the black adjusters on the right blocks pull the pieces together.

How commonly are these things being used?