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sparklekitty_gw

Bad Stone Counter Seam - What to do?

sparklekitty
13 years ago

We had Pietra del Cardoso counters put in this week and they are beautiful except for the seam. Only one seam and in my opinion poor. One edge was clean, but the other edge had a bunch of small chips up to 1/8th of an inch that I didn't notice before they did the install. After they put it in I pointed it out and the installer said he would "fix it." I had to leave the house before he finished and when I returned I saw no difference - you could visually see and feel the chips when I ran my finger along the seam.

They came back today to fix it and did a nice job with the epoxy, you cannot feel the seem when you run your finger along it, but is you can still see the rough edge though not as much. Far from the nearly seamless look I expected and see on the edge of the counter, just not the surface.

The only good part of this story is that I have not paid the balance (1/2 of the price.) Is the only option to request that they replace it and have to make the effort to relay out new slabs? Those in the profession -- if this happens on your install what is the right course of action to take for the client? This is a reputable company.

If we kept the counters, how long would I expect this type of epoxy fix to hold? Should they be willing to extend the warranty to be responsible for the seam for additional years into the future - 10 years or more?

I know Pietra is more brittle than granite, is this what to expect from this stone? Or should I assume that they either didn't handle it properly or had some issue in fabrication that wasn't noticed by their alleged quality control.

I will post a photo tomorrow.

Comments (21)

  • sparklekitty
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Here are some photos, not great quality. I would really appreciate some feedback. Every gray blob along the seam is a chip that has been filled by epoxy.


    In this photo, there are three gray blobs that are the chips filled with epoxy.


    A close up of the jagged edge on the right and another shot of the one of the chips, the gray blob of epoxy.


    A photo of the entire seam - it is hard to see from this. The blob towards the bottom of the photo is the same as the chip in the 2nd photo.

    I think I should take another photo with a ruler to show the scale of the photo.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Link to all photos of seam

  • jb1176
    13 years ago

    I would suggest posting the above iquiry on stoneadvice.com. Click on "ask the experts" and then on "stone advice" and post your question and pictures. That site is monitored by professional fabricators who can give you quality advice.

    I don't feel qualified to help you myself, but I do notice the problem areas you picture and they would bother me too. Hopefully either someone here can help or the fabricators on stoneadvice.com can help you.

  • vrjames
    13 years ago

    That is quite an amateur seam. I would stand firm on requiring a fix.

  • sparklekitty
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Bump with a few more photos. I would really appreciate someone who works with stone to provide some feedback. I fear if I let it go without some industry insight I might always be unhappy. If I knew that this was not a fantastic but OK(not sub-par) seam for this stone I may be able to get over it. My husband is pretty unhappy.


    Some scale - the epoxy filled chip is 3/8"


    More of the seam


    Another close up.

  • weissman
    13 years ago

    vrjames is an expert in the industry - if he says it's a bad seam, you can take it to the bank!

  • riverspots
    13 years ago

    Yup, that's a bad seam. I used a stone that is harder to work with and have some spots of resin fill, but it is color matched or clear so not very noticeable. On a seam, the epoxy was hand mixed to the adjacent stone color and was changed as the stone colors changed. Ideally, your stone pieces should have been mirror images of each other, but better color matched epoxy will make the seam practically disappear. Whether your fabricator is capable of a good seam is a different matter.

  • sparklekitty
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the feedback and photos of better quality seams. All seem to think it is a poor seem, but if others don't please speak up. Boxerpups, thanks for pointing me to the two links and general insight of what to expect from fabricators. Sometimes I just can't seem to do the right searching to get relevant older posts (or have time to scan through the tons of returns to my search.) One of them clearly has some different perspectives on seams, which is helpful.

    At this point I am trying to clarify - do people think this can/should be remedied with redoing the epoxy (better match) or is it back to the drawing board (i.e. warehouse to find and layout a new slab) due to the chipped edges?

  • aleighjc
    13 years ago

    I have no idea on the seem part - if it's bad or good. However, I would NOT be okay with epoxy or anything added to the stone.

  • azstoneconsulting
    13 years ago

    The seam is CA-CA!!!! It needs to be re-done by someone OTHER than
    Ray Charles or Steve Wonder (IMHO)

    This is a seam that was done by a rank amateur with NO experience using an
    Accu-Seam, Seam Phantom and Gorilla Grips.

    Sadly - this seam could have been done WAAAAAAAY better - but it CAN be fixed..

    hth

    kevin

    Here is a link that might be useful: Accu-Seam

  • sparklekitty
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Kevin - when you say "it can be fixed", based on reading up on the products you listed I am assuming they remove the epoxy, clean it up, rework the edges with the seam phantom and they use the gorilla grips to help connect and minimize the seam. Am I right? I suspect this is negligible, but what about any gap that is created with the wall (I have a basksplash so it probably doesn't matter)? If I cannot get my fabricator to do it, do you think another fabricator would be willing? Around what would work like that cost?

    Thanks, thanks, thanks... I have been so torn on how to handle this and all the advice has been so helpful. I am optimistic about a positive resolution with the fabricator now that I can come to the table with some knowledge versus just saying "I don't like this seam."

  • azstoneconsulting
    13 years ago

    Yes - You are right - The pieces need to be pulled, the seams re-dressed using
    either an Accu-Seam or a Seam Phantom, tops re-set and leveld using a Gorilla
    Grip or Omnicubed Seam puller.

    As far as cost - this will depend on who is doing the fix, and what they charge. I charge anywhere from $250 to $1000 depending on the amount
    of time that it will take to do the seam correctly....

    You will most likely be looking at having another Fabricator do this - as the
    original guys that did the original install are not capable of doing a finer "finish seam".

    hth

    kevin

  • vrjames
    13 years ago

    Ditto, Kevin.

    Your original fabricator is probably not capable of a better seam. I doubt I would allow him to try. This is where it will get touchy for you as he will want to get paid his balance. Be strong.

  • sparklekitty
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Vrjames & Kevin - Thanks for all the insight. We are in talks with the current fabricator, but understand I should plan to find someone else to fix it. The only way I will work with the current is if he can tell me, satisfactorily, what he will do to fix the seam (now that I know what he should do), what I should expect it to look like, and what he will do if it doesn't look I expect. It is frustrating because it is a reputable company in the Boston area. I am going to post asking for recommended fabricators in the Boston area, but if you know any let me know. Thanks again.

  • boxerpups
    13 years ago

    You are in BOSTON!!!! That is excellent news.

    Okay you need to call these guy ASAP.
    BFR Granite they are in New Hampshire but they are the best
    in all of New England. They will make the seams like
    mine. They do repair work on commercial and residential.
    And they are reasonably priced. They have
    been doing this for 35 years or longer. They are known
    from the Boston Design center to the Canandian Granite
    Industries. I urge you to at least send them an e-mail
    for a quote via e-mail Ask Jessie who can fix it
    in your area. They are worth every penny.

    Jesse Repolt,
    jrepolt@bfrandassociates.com
    Counter Top Department, Residential & Commercial projects

    http://www.bfrandassociates.com/CONTACTUS2.html

  • sparklekitty
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Got it boxerpups. Just sent the email. Now if I could only figure out my backsplash I would be all set :) Thank you so much!

  • boxerpups
    13 years ago

    Gosh,
    I hope they can help you out. It can't hurt to send an
    e-mail. Did you check out these Boston area folks for
    tiling. Or is this a DIY?

    If not I have heard (no personal experience with the
    below) these tile installers are excellent.

    Mel McLoughlin Carpentry & Tiling
    http://www.emeraldoption.com/
    Boston, MA 02228
    (617) 459-7848

    http://www.idealtileboston.com/
    Ideal Tile
    (617) 559-0303
    244 Needham St, #10, Newton, MA 02464

    Good luck Sparklekitty,
    ~boxerpups

  • sparklekitty
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the tiler recommendations. I am a little gun shy at this point and appreciate the direction.

    But first I need to pick out the tile (hardware, lights) which is my current problem. You have seen the discussion below & I am just hoping for more ideas.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Posting on Quartzite island with link to backsplash help

  • jdkelly16
    last year

    Just had mine done last night very upset they were late coming trying to get in and out and I asked the installer I said this supposed to be dark he said oh it is dark I said that was supposed to be darker seam

  • millworkman
    last year

    @jdkelly16, better off starting your own thread than tacking on to a 12 year old post. It will help you get better advice.

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    last year

    Drag a color matched Sharpie down that seam please; it will nearly disappear.