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Mismatch in the seams and color of quartzite on kitchen wall

last year

We are getting the quartzite backsplash all around the window and when the GC installed them , there are too many seams and too many smaller stones to fill up the space. Since it’s already installed , is there anything to do to minimize the eye sore ?

Featured Answer

J Sk

last year

last modified: last year

Maybe it is true that more slabs were needed to make the job nice but somebody should tell that with 2 slabs you going to have plenty of pieces on your wall, which is not going to look good. I really can't understand why is so hard to present for the customer honest situation so the customer can make some decisions, either to get more slabs or give up stone on the wall.

Comments (20)

J Sk
last year
last modified: last year
O my gosh, did you discuss/ approve layout before the job? I am sorry it happend to you. It is one of the worst jobs I saw on houzz :-(
madhavip3
Original Author
last year
We were out for two days and this happened . Not sure what our options are
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I'm worried I'm gonna sign off on something that isn't ok, just out of fatigue. Call me biased, but don't settle just because you feel worn down. Our quartzite counters were installed last December, and we're in the middle of small claims litigation. However, one of the few things this company DID do correctly was the one seam to the left of our sink -- for reference, this is a 12" section of seam: From the Marble Institutes of America's Homeowner's Guide to Countertop Installation: Joint (seam) widths between two stone units should equal 1/16" (1.5 mm), with a tolerance of ±1/64" (±0.4 mm). ETA: Your seam doesn't do your beautiful kitchen justice. Good luck. As so many supportive GWers have told me: hang in there.
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Thank you, Joseph and chispa. I really think something happened to the second stone that I purchased and that’s why they needed 3 more days before installing. (To get another slab brought in) Agree that if the dark colors would have been matched up, it would have been okay. However, what is so upsetting is that they aren’t communicating with us at all. We are towards the end of a major whole house remodel and need the countertops installed before sink and gas stove can be set. This is holding up our move in. How do I get them to remove and replace?
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Interesting, it probably varies. I just think that these days everything can be and needs to be looked up. I recently bought a new phone, they're so expensive so I researched it for a couple hours. Or I just had a repair on my car, and I looked up everything about it before telling the dealership to go ahead (the price was competitive even though it was the dealership). I did my first kitchen reno in 2003, and at that time I looked up on what was called Gardenweb (pre-Houzz), and saw posts even then telling me to go to the template layout. Maybe you were on yourself @palimpsest way back. There was also another forum I visited all about tile and stone, and a man named Maurizio Bertoli was the absolute expert and highly respected in the industry (I understand he has passed away) and advised going to the template layout. So I asked the fabricator (again, this was 2003) if I could do that and his response was a big grin and "yes, I wish all my clients would come to the layout". So this is not a new thing that would be obscure so that no one would know about it. I reiterate that it is unfortunate that the onus has to be on the homeowner to be informed, but that is how it is about every kind of purchase these days.
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"is there anything we can do at this point to make the line less noticeable?" No. Your fabricator failed to color match his adhesive. I'm betting he used clear which always shows up as the medium gray you have. With the poor quality and thickness of the seam line, it appears he pulled the mesh off the back and laminated without any prep work whatsoever. "Should we demand new stone and new fabrication (the stone is from a different place)?" I would. You're actually doing him a favor by making him eat this. He will get away with such poor work as long as he can. A customer has to make him stop sooner or later.
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J Sk
last year
Did you approve the layout of the stone for fabrication? How many slabs did they use?
madhavip3
Original Author
last year
No they didn’t show us any layout. They used 2 stones
PRO
Frank and Frank
last year
last modified: last year
Did you buy the extra full slab of stone needed to cover that whole wall in stone? Because it looks like there wasn’t enough to do the job, and they had to use whatever was left from cutting the counters. The typical kitchen needs two slabs, just for the counters. And you’d need a third bookmatched one, just for that wall. Plus fourth if there’s more kitchen that we can’t see.
chispa
last year
Did they tell you they would be piecing the backsplash together with a patchwork of small slab remnants? You probably needed twice as many slabs for a "seamless" backsplash.
madhavip3
Original Author
last year
They did say they are running a little low on the slabs, but I didn’t know it was going to be this low. Now that’s done, what can be done to make it not look as bad as it is now
madhavip3
Original Author
last year
Yes agree! I would have not opted for the full wall if the stones were less. Is it too much work to have the stones removed?
darbuka
last year
“No they didn’t show us any layout.”

Discussing the layout is something you should have insisted on. You decide how you want the stone templated, not the fabricator.

You said they used two slabs. Looks like you needed a third slab to get a clean job.
J Sk
last year
last modified: last year
Bumping up for You, maybe some Pro can help
PRO
Frank and Frank
last year
last modified: last year
Buy another slab and replace it. Or remove it and replace it with tile. Those are the only real options. You will still need a seam. Because you cannot install that without one, due to logistics. But it will just be the seam where they cut the piece in two and then glue it back together. Virtually invisible.
dan1888
last year
last modified: last year
Get a local pro of your own to advise you on removal. Matching slab stone backsplash is a high-end option. It has to be done correctly. Removing, cleaning and also likely replacing the drywall is an option that may give you some pieces to match with new stone. But you need a person with artistic capabilities to do this important part.
Julie R.
last year
I genuinely feel for you, but… this is a bad outcome. if it were me, I would pull what’s on the wall and replace with tile.
PRO
Kristin Petro Interiors, Inc.
last year
Matching slab stone backsplash is a high-end option.

I wish this was more understood. Stone slab backsplashes are trending now due to some spectacular high-end (and crazy expensive) installations making the rounds on design sites, but this look cannot be recreated on a budget and without experienced professionals working together to make sure every detail is specified before any stone is cut.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
I can't understand doing this without getting rid of the drywall bump-out on the upper left.
Irina Y.
last year
last modified: last year
If you stop backsplash in the middle of the window heights and put nice open shelves on both sides it will be looking better
J Sk
last year
@madhavip3, so what did you decide to do?
madhavip3
Original Author
last year
We decided to keep it half way and remove the rest. Since we have the box on the top left to cover the pipe , a single slab is not possible. Thank you everyone for your thoughts!
J Sk
last year
@madhavip3, glad to hear you found the solution for your problem! It is going to look great!. Pls, post some pictures, when it is done :-)

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