superwhite quartzite install issues

6 years ago

Hello
I had my super white quartzite counters tops installed today and I’m not pleased. I attached a photo of the one seems - it’s terrible. The idea of going through the install again is not pleasing especially since it took them 9 hours today and I’m sure they won’t pay for replacement...I refused to sign off on the install. Last night the fabricator called saying that they were worried about the integrity of the slab and if we could use an over mount sink as opposed to under mount sink- I declined. She then told me that person who was going to cut the sink said he was 100 percent sure it would break. Then she said well maybe he is over reacting and they were going to cut.. I was at the fabricator when the cut the two slabs for the sink area (center seam in middle of sink) I looked carefully at the slabs I know that the material has fissures by nature but I didn’t feel a crack- now after in stall I see a obvious crack that was repaired- you can see where the epoxy changes the reflection on surface of the stone . Shouldn’t we have been told that they had made the repair? I don’t know what to do- I’m looking for advice - I feel like we were taken advantage of this was a hack job...thank you

Featured Answer

Rita / Bring Back Sophie 4 Real

6 years ago

If the fabricator is asking you to accept an over mount sink, then you have a serious problem. I hope one of the pros here comes along and helps out with how best to handle this. I am sorry you have to deal with this.

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Comments (16)

millworkman
6 years ago
Where are you speaking of? I don't see it.
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kfaragalli
Original Author
6 years ago
First photo is the sink seem
Second and third show the crack - it’s hard to see the surface in the photo
Last photo is the terrible seam
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@joseph_corlett and @just_janni Thank you for your help. I truly mean that. That's exactly what I was hoping for, a little perspective and grounding. I'm an artist, not a stone fabricator. I know what is reasonable and what I and others should strive for in many media but stone work is not one of them. When as many $$$ are on the line as in a kitchen like we're putting together, ( @just_janni You've seen full pictures in another thread I have going about the vent hood ) emotions run high when you care so much. The stone guy is here installing returns and is taking care of some of the color mis-matches and polishing out the seams.
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We just experienced this similar issue. The salesman led us to believe for months that the quartzite slab we wanted was long enough (over 126") and even taped it off and marked it with masking tape, and labled it sink. The unmatched colors and lines are disappointing, just to the right of the sink, and whoever is cooking sees it immediately. We signed off on the 'last minute seam job' as we were told the unmatched piece was used for a different counter, but the photo they showed us did not represent how bad it would look. I think they may have broken the full piece in fabricating and last minute substituted the other piece. Problem is we're on a tight schedule to tile and stone the walls and they do not have any more of the same quartzite material. We have another issue with another counter (see below photo) where the backsplash was to run left to right at eye level and then make a 90 deg turn to the right. Unfortunately, someone made the decision to instead, extend the counter up the wall and it doesn't flow with the backsplash! Thirdly we have a 3 tiered Dekton center island and the single plane photo they had us approve looked nothing like the final product! When over 75% of the job is flawed we don't want these folks back in our home and the time to replace eveything is not possible with paid contractors lined up to finish the job. We have all documentation of the faulty job. They offered to pay us a consolement fee of $1,000 and two granite 'cutting boards' (which will destroy our fine knives) to hide one of the seams! How do we fairly compute the damages on a $24,000 job to discount the job respectfully?
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Boxerpal
6 years ago
Wow, I am so sorry you are going through this. How did you hear about this installer ? Did you want the pattern to be book matched? Because I think those seams are considered standard for the industry. I think if they had been bookmarked it might be less obvious and perhaps the pattern would be more soothing to the eye.

Crack in the sink? Shocked! I still don't understand how an over mount sink would make it easier after the counter install? Wasn't the granite cut to fit and undermount sink before it was even delivered to you? Are they going to put the a new sink in the same cut hole for the other sink? Will they need a new sink that would be larger for the hole that has been cut? What about the faucet holes? How will that measure where the opening is? Do you have to buy the new sink? Are they willing to give you a discount?

Can you share if you are in the South East of the US? I am so paranoid about having a terrible install... I am wishing these people are not in Georgia, SC or north Florida.

I hope that the Stone Gurus chime in to help you.

~boxer
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kfaragalli
Original Author
6 years ago
The undermount sink is in and hopefully secure. The sink was cute at the warehouse - the cooktop and faucet were cut in my house and that left a huge mess which they did not broom clean...I don’t know why they wanted to use an over mount-a previous comment said that its a sign of huge problem- I didn’t know - they said they were worried about the stone breaking. And it looks like it did ..
They are in Cleveland Ohio , cabinet and granite direct . My husband like the fact that they had precise measurements and did a large volume- it was a huge mistake
They have a big operation but they clearly are unfamiliar with quartzite.
Boxerpal
6 years ago
Kfaragall,

I am not a stone guru but my template and sinks were cut long before they arrived at my house. I had to provide my undermount sink weeks before to the stone fabricator so they could plan how to support the sink with clips and cut the sink hole. Measure twice cut once.

I can only imagine how dusty it must have been to have the cutting done in your home. Did they use a water saw?

I am sure the gurus will chime in sometime later this weekend, Wishing you peace on your counters.

I do think the color of your counters is really pretty.

~boxer
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tiggerlgh
6 years ago
If you were there when they cut the sink, were you also there when they laid out the seam and how it would look?
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kfaragalli
Original Author
6 years ago
Sorry I guess I wasn’t clear- I was not there when they cut the sink. I was there when they cut the pieces that would eventually hold the sink. I gave the sink weeks before and they cut the hole after I was there for perimeter of the counter- timeline us as follow- sink delivered to fabricator , I go to fabricator to review of seaming and layout we did this twice actually fabricator cuts counter out of slabs) no cracks at this point - then I have to leave the shop - they assure me everything is fine - they then go to cut the two holes in each side of the counters tops to hold the sink- (seam at center of sink) that’s when said they wanted to use an over mount sink bc they thought it would break ....the day before install

then they install at my house- does that clear it up?

As for the seams - we spent a lot of time on the seam where the sink is. That was a huge concern and while it’s not perfect I wasn’t expecting perfection . We talked briefly about about the other seam - focusing on the pattern through the seam. What’s bothersome is the color - they were to cut it to remove the dark portion of the section and still have the pattern match .
That seam is a main concern and the massive crack which was poorly repaired and we were never told about that major issue.

Why do you ask?
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
kfaragalli:

When you say "... you can see where the epoxy changes the reflection on surface of the stone..." do you mean that the light reflects differently on each side of the supposed repair, or so you mean that the epoxy repair itself does not reflect the light the same as the stone? The former is much more serious than the latter. Can you feel it?

A drop-in sink puts more, not less, pressure on a countertop than a strapped undermount. A properly strapped undermounted sink turns into a 9" deep steel truss which supports the countertop. It is telling that these guys don't know this.

Your seams are never going to be inconspicuous even if the adhesive were better color matched. Set a straightedge over the seams and alleged repair. Does it rock, or is there a dip? Are the tops level?
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kfaragalli
Original Author
6 years ago
Hi so I guess the best way to describe it is this- the stone is shiny- then someone took a finger covered in glue and followed the line of the crack then they glue dried more matte compared the polished gloss if the stone
The whole sink thing is so confusing- I can’t get a straight answer on why they even asked that question . The undermount sink seems sturdy now
kfaragalli
Original Author
6 years ago
They do appear to be level. I know they wanted to use shins under the cooktop but it would have been to risky when they cut after install . The level was almost perfectly level without the shims
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User
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Super White is a marble, not a quartzite. Your gloss variances May be a result of that issue. Not fabrication.
kfaragalli
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you! I wish I had a better photo to show - superwhite is a “combination” of marble and quartzite —- dolomite- it’s not 100 percent marble. This is how it was explained to us when we purchased the slabs. The variation is obviously man made and wasn’t in the slab after the first set of cuts.
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PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
kafarigalli:

The adhesive needs polishing. Most will get as glossy or glossier than the stone. I've had to knock adhesive gloss down to match stone on occasion. In fact, this is why seams start showing up on gloss solid surface seams. The adhesive is glossier than the top and there is no way to knock it down.

I wouldn't worry too much about this. You've purchased an etch factory anyway. Keep a stoner on speed dial, buy the equipment and learn to do it yourself, Stoneguard it, learn to live with it, or replace it. Those are your choices.
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kfaragalli
Original Author
6 years ago
Joseph thank you for your advice- I’m assuming the stoneguard is the same as the sealant they installers provided- instructions are to wait 24 hours after installation

Also I would assume that polishing the adhesive should happen before I apply the sealant?

We knew that the super white would be more temperamental then a traditional granite. I would have thought the fabricator would have told us that the slab had broken and was repaired.

And yes those are my options, I thought we had done a lot of research on this before we made the decision to use the super white and this fabricator . Always more to learn ...
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
No, Stoneguard is a film applied by authorized applicators.
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superwhite quartzite install issues

Rita / Bring Back Sophie 4 Real

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