No, I would not accept that. It looks like they aren't finished?

it's home depot. they have a year warranty on fabrication and installation. mine had an issue due to the fabricator not cutting on corner the same way. a few later that were here and fixed it. 6 months in the sink silicon began to separate. called them and a week later, they were out and fixed it (one on the sink straps was missed).

the mistakes in this fabrication and install are ABNORMAL at best. even the worst installers will line things up and verify no chips are in your stone. they also silicone between the stone and any additional surface so it's clean edge to edge.

You are certainly NOT overreacting. $1500 more for a superior fabricator is not chump change to end up with an install with so many issues. I would encourage you to reach back out with your concerns and respectfully request that the issues be corrected. Sorry you're dealing with this- what a headache!

Thanks for your comments. Ive been told they are willing to try to fill the chips again, which have already been filled with epoxy twice. Beyond that they are not willing to go any further, the fabricator will not redo the counters in any way and said they will "walk" before they redo them.

Jesse - we did not go with home depot, although we wish we had now. We went with a preferred vendor to the GC. The chips were noted by me to the installer when they were test fitting and was told they will fill. Not knowing enough about these things I assumed it would be somewhat seamless but the more I learn it seems that white is the hardest to epoxy after the fact.

I do think fabrication wise was done well. We had the fabricator who did the cuts come out to try to damage control and told us they were not chipped from the shop, but the owner of the company did come out today and told us these things happen and discounted the installation problems.

We obviously don't want to be without counters for another 6 weeks going with another vendor so I am a bit conflicted in that regard. With that said, they are not willing to rectify the issue with the counter against the wall in any way, just try to refill the chips.

What would you do in this instance? For reference, this cost us almost 7 grand.

For reference, this is the other side of the waterfall. Cuts are clean and no chips, so we know it is possible...they just refuse to take ownership. If only this side was the side you see when you first walk in!

JuneKnow - You are correct in that respect.

The GC did not install the legs or level the wall cabinets before the template was done or before the installation of the stone so the blame is not solely on the fabricator. We know the wall is not plumb, but we did have the stone against the wall when test fitting and it looked much better than after it was siliconed in.

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Ive learned much on this forum from @Joseph Corlett, LLC and would love to get his take on this scenario.

All things aside, the decision ultimately comes down to 3 things -

-The offset on the wall counter, which we were not planning to do much with aside from a splash guard so the wall seam will be exposed. In addition, the cooktop is offset 3/8 depth wise given the inner wall is flush with the counter and the outer is 3/8 off.

-Multiple chips upon delivery that were not color matched and in a prominent location of the kitchen.

-Ragged lower edge of waterfall pieces, which we were told to scribe. We are not interested as it will lose the general look we were going for with trim on the bottom.

The vendor has made it clear that they have no intention of redoing any part of this installation so its either live with it or send it all back.

Any thoughts Joe? Thank you for your time, you seem to be the straight shooter around these parts.

I never let customers see these types of chips. It's like an animal cruelty video in that you can never un-see them. Idiots. Maybe re-profile the edges?

Thanks for weighing in Joe. We’ve decided to let them try to make it right even though they’ve already profiled the edge and refilled once. Definitely a tough decision after the slack we received for requesting a resolution but we’re trying to swallow our pride.

Is that cooktop installed too closely to a combustible wall? Check the manufacturer's installation instructions please.

Those chips and any chips with a new install are not acceptable.

Hey Joe - we will be tiling behind the cooktop itself so it will no longer be combustible at that point, correct? We weren’t planning on doing the full wall but will do enough to meet suggested manufacturer distance.

@kculbers agreed. The fabricator has pulled rank with “industry standard acceptability” on the chips which I find to be a bit of a stretch. I did read up on the MIA industry standards and it specifies the repair must be the same color, texture, and feel as surrounding material which...it’s not. So much for the industry standard argument.

"we will be tiling behind the cooktop itself so it will no longer be combustible at that point, correct"

Tile does not make a combustible wall surface non-combustible.

@Granite City Services Thank you for weighing in. They have been out once already to fix what they could as the initial install was much worse. Pinky sized hole at the wall on one end, sharp epoxy residue over the entirety of the miter cuts. They did grind down the edge and tried to color match the chips but since clear epoxy was originally used it still is showing through. I am trying to be civil as both my GC and the fabricator are insistent that my expectations are too high which I am trying to curb. With that said, after the more recent comments I am questioning if that is true.

Ive made the argument that if you buy a car and it shows up with multiple dents that weren't there when you originally viewed the vehicle, you don't take it right?

@millworkman Ive checked the manufacturers recommended distances and since it is an induction cooktop, I think we are good in that respect. It doesn't specify combustable/non-combustable and allows for 1" minimum gap between wall and top.

"my GC and the fabricator are insistent that my expectations are too high" you should be able to find plenty of pictures on line of similar island, even close ups of the mitred joint, that do not have the defects.

@Granite City Services I should add that the wall seam distance isn't the issue, its the fact that it is flush on one end and 1/4+ off the wall on the other. If the seam was congruent throughout I could live with it but the offset seam is what creates the appearance of the cooktop misalignment. I should also note that their previous fix was to use epoxy to caulk, so I'm not sure how they will go about removing that without damaging the wall or stone.

Here is what I requested as the scope for the repair -

-Miter chips not detectable from 3' distance, smooth.

-Equal seam on wall countertop, 1/8" througout (per MIA industry standard)

Since he kept saying it was within industry standard spec, I'm going to hold him to it.