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fourfirstnames

Granite was repaired but installer never told me.

fourfirstnames
10 years ago

Six weeks after install I noticed the corner of my granite countertop was not shiney like the rest of the counter. Closer inspection revealed that the corner was broken and then repaired before being installed in my kitchen. I called my installer who said no one recalls that happening. He is going to have a look. What do you think is the best fix? It is the corner right below the garbage and gets a lot of use.

Comments (27)

  • live_wire_oak
    10 years ago

    A repair is structurally stronger than before in the location where it broke. It doesn't compromise either the looks or the structural integrity. It's honestly not a big deal. Most of the cars at dealers have some small repaired body damage on them that no one ever notices either. Most new homes have small repairs. Those aren't big deals either. It's OK. Honestly.

  • windycitylindy
    10 years ago

    This repair does compromise the looks, though. It's not as polished as the rest of the stone. If it were me, I think I'd ask them to polish it out well before making any final decisions. The fact that they didn't already do that doesn't speak well of them, in my opinion. I wonder if the installers broke it and repaired it on site.

  • PRO
    Granite City Services
    10 years ago

    I am a fabricator.

    repairs are not uncommon but are usually limited to chips and cracks and the repair needs to be VERY inconspicuous. A repair that is only visible from a certain angle in good light would be acceptable. A good repair is very difficult to capture in a photograph.

    yours doesn't meet the requirement IMHO. if the fabricator can polish it to match which is probably possible but takes considerable craftsmanship then I'd be satisfied.

  • fourfirstnames
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you for your advice. I actually was not home at the time of the installation. My husband was in the hospital and fabricator called that he was on his way. By the time I got home it was already installed.

  • Vertise
    10 years ago

    That just doesn't sit well with me. I am surprised that a broken corner would be stronger than a solid stone. And it doesn't seem right that they repair something like that but sell as first quality, but I am not in the stone business! It does seem noticeable in the photo, which would be unacceptable imo.

    On my bathroom ceramic tile, the corner of a trim piece was broken off during installation and they glued it back on. I learned of it after the fact but would have preferred he let me know. I would have told him to just use one of the extras I had purchased. Since that time, the piece has fallen off.

    So, I would get some sort of lifetime warranty on it. You did not pay for damaged goods.

    This post was edited by snookums2 on Mon, Oct 7, 13 at 21:19

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    10 years ago

    If they can get the shine to match, this repair would be fairly inconspicuous.

  • eve72
    10 years ago

    This sounds almost criminal.

  • jellytoast
    10 years ago

    I agree. Even if the repair is inconspicuous, the homeowner has the right to know that the product was damaged and then repaired. And the proper time to inform them is WHEN IT HAPPENS, not when they are called out on it. We are not talking about a little bit of filler in a chip ... this is the entire corner of the countertop broken off and glued back on! And to make matters worse ... no one "recalls this happening"???

  • azmom
    10 years ago

    You paid for a brand new, perfect one, why should you accept one that was damaged then repaired? The installer is unethical to say the least.

    "A repair is structurally stronger than before in the location where it broke." sounds like a sales pitch from a dumb sales person.

  • Vertise
    10 years ago

    Glad to hear some people speaking up. What is it with these people? Money, money, money. Their money. It does seem unethical. Do people really know that this is stronger and never breaks years down the road when it wouldn't have otherwise? I've got a beautiful tile job that I'll be surprised stands the test of time. It should be forever. These things are just not fair or ethical!

  • fourfirstnames
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    My installer is coming tomorrow to have a look. I am torn as to what to ask him to do. If I ask him to replace the granite, these are brand new cabinets and what if he ruins my cabinets taking off the granite? I could ask him for some money back and take my chances or I could ask him to insure the repair but again, taking my chances. My trust in him is gone and if he had been upfront about this, I would have said leave it and replace it if it breaks.

  • jellytoast
    10 years ago

    If he had been upfront, your response would have been to "leave it and replace it if it breaks," so I am assuming you are okay with the way it looks? If that's the case, you could ask for a discount and then take your chances with it breaking down the road. But giving him the option to "replace it if it breaks" is too vague (IMHO) to be a good option ... what if he's no longer in business at that time? The time to take care of this is NOW. Your countertops are not attached to the cabinets, they are attached to the plywood underlay, so damaging the cabinets should not be any more likely than if they were putting the countertops in. They could damage the granite while removing it, but it is already damaged.

  • PRO
    Stoneshine
    10 years ago

    I cant see from the pic which granite that is.
    Can you let me know-looks like uba-tuba
    Right now it appears under polished and the crack is still visible. A sub standard repair.
    If the slab was a natural slab meaning not resined than the repair could be refinished back to factory finish .
    Easy for me to say not being onsite but from the pic I think the visible crack can be filled with a thin CA glue and sanded flat by an experienced refinisher or fabricator. Then polish the areas back to factory finish and blend it in.
    Let us know what your installer says.

  • GreenDesigns
    10 years ago

    Cracks happen all the time in stone. Some are repaired when it comes out of the ground before even being shipped to you and you can't even tell they were there in the first place. What looks like a natural vein or fissure could be a repaired crack, and neither the wholesaler or the fabricator or the customer would even know unless it became part of the slab that was cut through. And a lot of times, not even then.

    A lot of the newer prettier stones that are fragile used to be left in the quarries because they were too fragile for shipping. With newer technology like resin impregnating and mesh backing, stones like that are making it to market. With repaired cracks. And cracking and needing repair at fabrication.

    The epoxy bond between two pieces of stone IS stronger than the bond of the stone itself. If you were to have someone sit on an overhang that had an good epoxy repair, the stone would break elsewhere first rather than at the repair.

    So really, the issue isn't the crack existing. It's the fact that the repair isn't quite full enough of epoxy, and isn't polished enough. If they do that, it should be fine in appearance. So, let them do just that. And only if they can't get that right (some fabricators are more skilled than others at it) then it's time to talk replacement.

  • Holly- Kay
    10 years ago

    The repair looks bad and unacceptable. First you should have been told that a repair had been made. It is just unethical to not tell you and hope you will never notice.

    If they made the repair on site I could understand it looking so poor, but they should have then polished it to make it look good. If it happened before it left the shop shame on them for not polishing it and making it look great before it was installed.

    Either way I think they need to make it right. The easiest and less expensive for them is to do it onsite and personally I would be fine with that if they can make the repair look as there was none made. If they can't then they should replace it.

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    10 years ago

    When your car dealer damages your fender unloading your vehicle off the truck, you don't get a new car. You get a the same car with a repaired fender. As long as the repair was performed to manufacturer's specifications, you have no complaint. Why should the standards for countertops be any different?

  • jellytoast
    10 years ago

    The repair on the OP's countertop was done poorly, and it is obvious that it has been repaired. Of course she has a valid complaint!

  • Vertise
    10 years ago

    It's supposed to be a brand new counter. I don't think a "car dealer" would be allowed to fix a "car" and then sell it as new. It would be considered refurbished merchandise.

    Now I've also heard a merchant's point of view as "if you break it, you own it". But of course that's their money and item, so it's important.

    This post was edited by snookums2 on Thu, Oct 10, 13 at 15:17

  • live_wire_oak
    10 years ago

    Those who think their new car that they've purchased doesn't have any body repair, or engine repair etc. have never worked at a dealer! They do repair on them all the time. Sometimes during the assembly line production! And the only time you ever know if it was repaired is if that quarter panel has to be replaced later after an accident. You discover the Bondo where the kid who pulled it off the carrier scraped it when he did so.

    It's the same in a furniture showroom. That sofa can have the wood legs touched up, a seam re-stitched or even the matching pillows sent out to the cleaners after it's dropped off of the truck into the dirt.

    And the list goes on and on.

    All I'm saying is that a crack isn't a big deal at all if it's repaired properly. All that one really needs is a bit more fill and polish. The counter could have cracks elsewhere in it, and you'd never know unless it was like this one and wasn't quite up to snuff on the appearance end.

  • Vertise
    10 years ago

    I have seen plain dishonest practices by car dealers, so it does not really surprise me that they would do that. At least consumers have lemon laws now to protect their investment. For plenty of businesses, it is against the law to sell something as new that has even been opened already. For a computer, for instance, if it is returned or faulty, they fix it but then sell as refurbished, not factory new. As far as legality with cars, linked is a document for laws in North Carolina. There is a threshold for repairs without full disclosure, and they are required by law to disclose all if you ask. Probably varies by state but this is good to know -- if it is a honest and trustworthy sales person or company. (My personal experience there, off the top of my head, is a dealer said a (used) car had never been in an accident (later told by a mechanic that it had been); they also sold me a fake extended warranty on that car and forged my signature on the real document, which had become expired when I went to use it).

    If this repair is acceptable practice and supposedly stronger, I would want a lifetime warranty on that area (through all company name changes!). They should have no problem doing this if they stand behind their products. Now whether they will still be around in 10 - 15 - 20 years is another story.

    Another thing, if the repair is sloppy to begin with, what makes people think they have used enough glue, etc. that it is a good strong bond?

    Here is a link that might be useful: disclosure of new vehicle repairs

    This post was edited by snookums2 on Thu, Oct 10, 13 at 15:59

  • eve72
    10 years ago

    Surprised, or maybe not, to see some people continue to defend the unethical and dishonest dealings of this installer.

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    10 years ago

    eve72:

    There is absolutely nothing unethical or dishonest about a granite repair performed to industry standards and which meets the cosmetic requirements of the customer.

    Does the pictured repair meet these requirements? No, not yet. Does that make the fabricator/installer unethical or dishonest? Not in the least. He deserves a chance to make it right.

    This post was edited by Trebruchet on Thu, Oct 10, 13 at 15:55

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    10 years ago

    eve72:

    There is absolutely nothing unethical or dishonest about a granite repair performed to industry standards and which meets the cosmetic requirements of the customer.

    Does the pictured repair meet these requirements? No, not yet. Does that make the fabricator/installer unethical or dishonest? Not in the least.

  • fourfirstnames
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Trebuchet you are so wrong. He never told me about the repair and when I called him he didn't believe me he said he would need to see it. In my first pix you can see it has an edge and a shin so it could only have been done in his possession. When he returned he went to the right corner without me telling him. Coincidence? It is in the not telling me that he was wrong but then I had to tell you.

  • jellytoast
    10 years ago

    "He deserves a chance to make it right."

    He does? Why is that? The customer called him about the damage and he stated that no one had any recollection of it. What about the paying customer getting what she deserves? Just because car dealers sell damaged and then repaired vehicles, that doesn't mean everyone else should jump on the bandwagon with the excuse, "Well, car dealers do it and get away with it, why shouldn't we?" Besides, since when did car salesmen set the ethical standard to which everyone else should be compared to? The OP is not being unreasonable in expecting that her fabricator would be up front and honest with her.

  • roof35
    10 years ago

    Maybe the installer didn't know it had been repaired. I wouldn't be upset with him yet.

    I could see how he could miss it, being it took you 6 weeks to notice it.

    You say it was broke b/4 the installation. How do you know this? I'm sure other trades were in after the installation. Could they have broken it, and tried to repair it?

    Sorry, somethings not right to blame the installer. Six weeks is way too long of a time for something so obvious, and say it was broken b/4 the installation. Possible, yes. Doubtful, yes.

    This post was edited by Roof35 on Thu, Oct 10, 13 at 20:05

  • PRO
    Stoneshine
    10 years ago

    Just reread the first post.
    Wondering why you didn't see and report that very obvious corner for six weeks to your fabricator.
    No one in your family saw it?
    Do you use your kitchen. Not trying to be a smart -@#$. Could it be possible that the corner was covered in a wax or color enhancing coating that wore off after a short time.
    It could have been made to appear less noticeable with some doctoring. Not sure this would have happened but that marginal(at best) repair stands out like a sore thumb.
    I would suggest you call a reputable fabricator or stone refinisher experienced working and repairing granite to have a look and make sure this corner can support a full size adult leaning on it.
    I think that in any business the customer must be served and served well. I think the business owner should charge a fair price based on his services and products that when accidents or issues arise he is insulated(self-insured) to a certain degree so he can without hesitation do the right thing for their customer.
    It will come back just from referrals.
    I may be wrong but it appears the fabricator in this case may have covered up the damage.
    A credible fabricator would have either replaced the tops or informed the customer of the damage and repaired it to factory finish making it safe as well.

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