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Granite countertops seam

4 months ago

last modified: 4 months ago

I'm concerned over the quality of my granite countertops. I have some areas that are very rough like you can feel the individual crystals. The seam in my opinion is poor but I don't know much about it and maybe it's not as bad as I think but they appear to hav over sanded it and it's dull and softer there inches on either side. Not to mention I think it stands out too much. I'd love opinions and honestly I'd love to hear that in wrong . Unfortunately the company has been unhelpful and dodges my question each time also the silicone on the edges is turning yellow and they've sent someone out twice now to clean it but won't tell me what they're cleaning it with so I can continue to do it as needed. I've actually filed a complaint with Lowes and they are settling for a very small cash refund but honestly I'd like my countertop to be ok and worth what I spent

Featured Answer

PRO

Granite City Services

4 months ago

I am a fabricator. It's tight and relatively inconspicious from a couple feet away. Seems to disappear towards the rear of the countertop. The irregular grain is going to make the seam visible in any case. Not horrible and It may be possible to make it a little less visible. To me the bigger complaint would be the minimal round on the edge making the countertop edge much more prone to chipping.

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Comments (11)

BPMBA
4 months ago
Please post photos
Aimee Propst thanked BPMBA
Aimee Propst
Original Author
4 months ago
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In all fairness to the guys that did the stick - perhaps they are not completely finished with the seams.... I know, I know - you were probably mortified at what you saw, HOWEVER - there are many different schools of thought on how seams are done. One technique that I do not use, but many other fabricators use (that pretty much don't know any better) is to allow the excess glue to "shmush" out of the top of the seam, and then they allow that to dry over night. They come back the next day to grind down the excess epoxy or polyester, and then smooth down their "finished seam" to something way better than what yo initially saw. One question for you on all of this - DID your Fabricator make ANY attempt to give you an opportunity to examine the quality of his seams - BEFORE you signed his contract and you gave him a deposit on the work? One thing that way too many guys that are masquerading as fabricators these days do - is NOT give you an opportunity ti actually SEE the quality of their finished work - either in person or via pictures or video - and this can be done so easily to eliminate any problems and establish your level of expectation as a consumer... i just wish more guys would take the time to teach their customers about what EXACTLY it is that they will be providing - quality wise..... Hopefully you can post some pics, and your fabricator will make things right byt you... Ubatuba seams can be done very easily if a guy knows what the heck he's doing... otherwise - it'll look like Ray Charles did the job!!!!! hope that helps - post some pics asap too.... kevin
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" I don't know why they don't do it differently but it probably saves on product and is easier. I was upset that they did it that way at my mom's." They did it that way because they had to. Where else are you going to get pattern matching material? You must make the miter out of the immediately adjacent material to get a match. Look at driftdown's drawing again. Even if you could somehow stop the miter cut before you get to the "should not have been cut" area, from what material are you going to make the small mitered edge for the "SNHBC" return? The matching material to make that small edge has been used to make the "L" miter. It can't be used twice or be in two places at once. Mitering the top from corner to corner doesn't solve anything either, for the same reason. The only thing that could have been done differently and may have looked better is to have run the seam with, instead of against, the grain of the stone, but you're still gonna lose the 2". It is impossible to avoid.
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I am picky too and understand your concern. I am not an expert on granite and had it installed for the first time in March. The seam was a big concern for me as well. My granite is bianco romano. I do not know if seams look better with certain types of stone. I am pleased with my seam as its not very noticeable. I also don't catch my nail on it all. I placed a penny to the left of the seam. From your photo, it appears your seam is kind of eye catching. Sorry. =( But then it might be the lighting. Here is a photo of my seam.
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I am a fabricator. The grain match across the seam is poorly done. It is possible the pieces came from the same slab as many "builder grade" slabs have that much grain and color variation from one end to the other. That said, look at the piece to the left. If it was rotated 180 degrees would the other end match the sink piece better? If yes then it's definitely a fabricator error. If not it's still worth asking for the mismatched piece to be replaced. If it means a sale/no sale to the contractor he will almost certainly lean on the granite guy to fix it.
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Aimee Propst
Original Author
4 months ago
Aimee Propst
Original Author
4 months ago
I contracted for their standard edge....not sure how rounded it was meant to be. But at first the seam was uneven and chipped and they came out a sanded down And now three inches to each side of seam is softer even to touch and very dull...lots of cracks visible throughout slab. Unsure if that's an issue....also I don't like the color of the epoxy used in the seam....in your opinion is this standard?
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
4 months ago
It's not a bad seam, however, they shouldn't have attempted to top polish the seam if they didn't know how to do it. You deserve a consistent finish.
Aimee Propst
Original Author
4 months ago
last modified: 4 months ago
Is there anything that can be done at this point? The last tech that came to look said it could not, once the polish was buffed down that was pretty much it ....... now I'm settling with the company that contracted the installers for A couple hundred but in reality I'd rather have a nice counter but I don't know if it can be fixed and I also have a lot of small cracks throughout rough texturen where certain crystals are. I just am not sure if this is quality work
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
4 months ago
The seam can be properly polished to consistency. Natural stone has many variations as to quality consistency; you're on the lower end.
Aimee Propst
Original Author
4 months ago
What does that mean? Please help because I'm trying to settle this dispute with the company and I know nothing other than I'm not happy and really don't think they did a great job...I'll add additional photos
Aimee Propst
Original Author
4 months ago
Aimee Propst
Original Author
4 months ago
Even if I'm being crazy and this all is normal and within quality standards I'm happy to hear that and will accept it but when I've questioned the company about all the little crack looking things and the seam and the sealant turning yellow in ghosted so honestly who knows

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