tlmartin78:

We need pictures, far away, up close, and dimensions. These will be compared to Silestone's fabrication and installation instructions. You're either within the specifications or you're not.

We put in Silestone counter tops in our kitchen about 8 or 9 years ago and have never had a problem.

jannicone:

Major manufacturers pay me to assess warranty claims on countertops. I get paid no matter what I say, so I've got no dog in this fight. You get pretty good at discerning fact from fiction fairly easily.

You don't get to fry an egg on the hood of your car then complain to Ford that your spatula scratched the paint. Countertops are no different. Just like a car, you have to familiarize yourself with the manufacturer's instructions.

Manufacturing defects are rare, but I'd say fabricator/installer error and customer abuse are about tied. Some manufacturers repair customer abuse; DuPont's done it for me with Zodiaq.

But the manufacturers don't cover installer error (right???) - so the homeowner is left holding the bag. I totally get the abuse angle. But the dealers (in your car analogy) have to perform to FORD's standards and then their warranty repair work is guaranteed (you have your engine replaced under Ford warranty by Dealer A, and then Dealer B will still work on your car when you move because Ford guarantees the work / you are still under warranty.

It just seems like the manufacturer points to the installer and there should be a way to make the installers certified / or the seller of the actual product to have some skin in the game, etc.

But Joseph, if a warranty assessor finds for the customer too many times, the manufacturers will stop calling them and find someone else who will side with them over the customer. I am not saying you would side with the manufacturer to keep the business coming your way, but I'm willing to bet there are others out there who do!

All of the major players DO require certification. DuPont and Cambria are the leaders in that. Silestone requires ''training'', but not certification. The no name import makers barely require a reseller's certificate.

And yet, there are posts upon posts looking for the lowest price. Never mentioning anything about installer skill or training. People shop on price and take the chance that their cheap backyard fabrication with the third rate import quartz will be ''substantially the same'' as the quote from the certified name brand guys at 1K more.

And then they don't pay any attention to the fine print that tells them to use trivets and cutting boards and that ALL stone will chip in the right circumstances. And that normal wear and tear isn't warranted by anyone.

Cabinets and counters that never show that they get used do not exist.

While I can get sinks, sheets, and strips for Corian repairs, the local distributor will not sell me sheets for fabrication and resale, despite the fact that I'm certified. This has everything to do with controlling competition, and nothing to do with quality.

In 2014 a local Certified Corian fabricator mucked up a Corian facade on a storefront at the local new mall. I spent several nights picking up after him, as once the mall opened, no one is allowed to work during the day.

More than a decade ago when I had my shop, because they weren't certified a local cabinet shop tried to get the Corian specification changed on a job at the University of Toledo, but the architect wouldn't budge. Instead of allowing me or the other local Certified fabricator to sub the work, DuPont sent a rep to the cabinet shop and "Certified" them in an afternoon, no school for them. If you think DuPont's going to lose a sale over certification, you're dreaming. These guys would sell their own mother on the street corner. They are slightly more strict regarding residential.

I did a consultation for a lady that had a poor Silestone installation. My pleas to Silestone to protect the brand went nowhere, as every unsatisfied customer hurts our industry no matter the brand. We pressured the GC into replacement; he may have gotten a replacement sheet for free.

"But the manufacturers don't cover installer error (right???) - so the homeowner is left holding the bag."

They do indirectly. They tell the fabricator to fix it. If he doesn't, they may and not sell anything to that fabricator again. That's a pretty darn big stick.

My silestone was installed in 1998, still like the day it was installed. No cracks, no stains.

Silestone is for us not what it so promised to be. I envy those who don't have a problem. We have two long cracks, getting longer, running from the top corners of the built in hob. Our kitchen company had made it a must to get the Silestone countertop cut out and installed by the local Silestone company. So, we cut no corners. Now we are told "You must have put a hot pot down". Absolutely not! What's a warranty worth, if you have to prove you did NOT put a hot pot on the surface where the cracks are? This Silestone product which we were sold must be faulty. I would never again use this product. Granite may have fewer colours available, but I have it installed in a 30 year old kitchen elsewhere and it looks like new. It too has a hob placed in it.

romana:

There are three things this could be: 1. Customer abuse. 2. Fabricator/Installer error. 3. Faulty product.

I've been a warranty agent for several solid surface manufacturers and #2. consistently outweighs the others. It may not be fair for you to blame the manufacturer for a fabricator/installer error.

Please pull your hob and post pictures; I'll tell you what I think it is.

Just had a Silestone installation in a kitchen reno. There's a fabrication visual flaw that wasn't caught in installation (I was away for the reno). The authorized countertop company who I bought it from and who installed it sent someone who couldn't get the "mark" out and pronounced it a manufacturing flaw. The Consetino rep has been here twice for photos. Of *course* it's in the big slab, not one of the small pieces. I don't know what the outcome of this will be. I really don't want to have spent the huge chunk of cash for this to have the flaw stare at me when I'm working, and to replace the whole thing/backsplash is insane. Wish I could have inspected the piece myself before they sealed it. Would do this if I ever bought this product again.