Granite countertop problems - urgent advice appreciated!

[shudder]

Hi all,

We recently put in a new granite countertop, but we've had some problems with the installation. There are four cracks around the cutout for the undermount sink, and they look like they've been patched up. Is that acceptable?

But there's a bigger issued: the counter is crooked.

How crooked? Well, you may or may not see it if you just quickly glanced. But along one side, the overhang at one end is more than half an inch less than at the other. So pretty crooked.

What do you all think? Has anyone had this happen to them? Does anyone know if they'll be able to take the counter off without damaging the cabinets?

Thanks.

[vedia]

call mike holmes on holmes on homes

[stealth]

sounds f-ed up.
Show pics.

[Frankie3s]

Best thing to do is to call the contractor who had installed it or if it is a self install, call the company who sold it to you and see what they have to say. Doubt there is much that you can do about the cracks.

[zoolander]

Wow, that is a terrible install. For the price you pay for granite, look into their policy. Demand a new slab or small claims depending on how far you want to take it. We have granite in nero black and I would not put up with what you describe, the cracks and crookedness would definitely show in our kitchen. Is it at least level?

[dealhunting]

I hope you haven't paid yet. If you have, good luck getting and service.

[hhong88]

Granite being a natural stone, it may be expected and somewhat reasonable to have some minor cosmetic flaws although I would not expect to see large patched up cracks. Also there is no excuse to have a shoddy installation.

In any work, one should always include contractually a hold back on the final portion or payment for a period after completion to ensure that everything is completed to agreements. Without this, like dealhunting says you may have problems getting appropriate service. Good luck.

[golden]

Did you sign off? The granite company did the installation and asked us to do a full inspection before we sign off and pay in full. I guess you should have found the issue at that time. If you signed off, I doubt if there's much you can get back. But it never hurts to try.

[ontario_flutist]

Yes, you can have the counter removed without damaging the cabinets. People replace their counters all the time, no big deal. However if you have a tile backsplash, it will need at least one row of tiles taken off.

[Si98]

Did you pick out the slab yourself? Was it inspected prior to being cut? From your description I can imagine how horrible your installation was even without photos.

[The Granite Specialist]

Please show some pictures for a better idea about the cracks.

[torontodragon]

I think they have a way to remove your countertop and reinstall again if this is not long ago. Last time our installation is not level and they manage to remove the glue and adjust it again. And it also depends whether your cabinet is level, since the floor is never.

[CustomTouch]

They'll most likely cut the drywall to push one end of the counter in or pull one side out a bit to make the overhangs consistent. Roughly how much did u pay and what was the square footage of your kitchen if u don't mind me asking. What granite colour did u get? Did u do any research on the company you purchased it from?

[The Granite Specialist]

If the countertop is out by a 1/2" on one end, it can be pulled out. If there is a gap due to this, you can get a backsplash in the same material or a tile backsplash. If you do not like the cracks, try and get them to replace the piece. This may become an issue if there is no material left. One lot of material can be a different shade from the other which means you have one piece not matching. If it is a reputable company, they will replace it. Even the entire job if matching material is not available. This is why the best shops are expensive.....simply because issues like this are taken care of properly, not just a band aid fix.