Stone experts--1/4" gap between wall and counter--acceptable?

11 years ago

SO--they came and put in the rest of my counters yesterday...while I was out at a doctor's appointment. DH supervised...they fixed the rough edge on one counter, and repaired the bad seam next to the sink. He was reasonably pleased with the repairs. (He's still not 100% happy with the seam...but it looks ok to me.)

Unfortunately, he missed the 1/4" gap between the newly installed counter and the wall. And we were NOT planning on having till all the way to the pass through. Pictures would help, I suppose:

Tile is SUPPOSED to stop at the inner edge of the blue tape. I guess we could continue it to the pass through...but I'm not certain it's thick enough, even with adhesive behind it, to over the gap:

And then there's this oddity--which I think we could minimize with a piece of trim...but it just doesn't LOOK right:

This is only the second complete kitchen I've done--and my first time with Caeserstone. Is this acceptable? It's an older house (1966)...so it's entirely possible my walls are not perfectly square and plumb...but I thought templating took that into account?

Should the templating guy have pointed out that weird little notch? Or was it my responsibility to notice that? I honestly don't know.

Regardless...looks like I may have to postpone the range delivery again...(Installer won't put it in until the counters are in place.) Unless y'all think the above is within acceptable tolerances. Then I'll figure out a way to make it work.

I've emailed the install supervisor from the stone company, and I've emailed my GC with pictures. GC is out of town for the next week, visiting his grandson who is finally in remission from leukemia...but I'll call him if I y'all think this is unacceptable and I don't get anywhere with the stone guys.

melanie

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Comments (4)

mjsee
Original Author
11 years ago
My GC couldn't look at the pictures on his phone...but he said what I described is "totally unacceptable." Told me to delay range delivery...and not to worry. He would make certain all was "exactly as it should be."

(I have a feeling he's going to call the head of the stone company and rip someone a new one.)

So...yay for my GC. Boo for another week without my finished kitchen. But...I'd rather have it done RIGHT than fast.
breezygirl
11 years ago
No, that still looks like your stone guys are bozos. I'm sorry. It's nice to hear your GC is going to fight the battle. (Hope his little GS is doing well.)

Having your counters done correctly is worth a little extra time. Those errors would annoy the bejeezus out of me every time I looked at them if not corrected.

Hang in there!
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mjsee
Original Author
11 years ago
GC's grandson is doing GREAT. He gets to go back to school next week.

And we'd already decided to delay the range. One of the reasons I chose this GC is he has a reputation for taking mid-range (for our area) renos as seriously as high-end. If we'd chosen different finishes we'd have kept to our initial 25K budget. When we went with the Caeserstone and higher-end appliances...well it's going to be closer to 35K. Which isn't COMPLETELY out of bounds. (The Husband set a 25K budget so we'd stay under 35K.) Our GC was the only GC of the five we interviewed who said "Of COURSE you can do a kitchen for 25K. It will all depend on finishes and appliances." Everyone else said some version of "25K is too small a budget."

(We had a 5K "uh oh" fund set aside for unforeseen problems prompted by remodeling in an older home...that turned out to be unnecessary.)

Well--25K WAS too small a budget--but only because DH fell in love with a class C Caeserstone, (I was actually pusihing for laminate--appropriate to the 1966 house, and very functional) and $35/sq Jasba Lavita tile, and the racks and looks of Electrolux Ikon gas range. ;^) And when we realized that a Miele DW was only $200 more than the kitchenaid...well... a couple of hundred here, a couple of hundred there...

(I found all the deals...got our oak floors, INSTALLED, for $1600. And found great pendants for over the bar on Etsy--three for $350. And they will be stunners!) Maybe I'll straighten up and take pictures today...so y'all can see the general effect...mid-stalled-reno.
cam349
11 years ago
I showed the pick to my designer and if you can't get the counter replaced you could use 1/2" quarter round over the 1/4" gap and only tile up from that in the area you were originally planning. The little notch is more problematic - the trim to fill in the space would need to extend all the way from the ceiling to the floor.