Thanks

These are old, a group of people commented on this over a year ago?

Recently had granite counters installed. The installation process went smoothly according to my wife. The granite counter overhang was about 15 1/4 inches from the supporting base. No brackets were applied and no where in the instructions or template does it state to apply bracelets.

When going from a sitting to standing position while at edge of counter and applying a light pressure to counter top it broke.

Any counter top should be able to handle light pressure. I seriously believe if I put a pot of soup or a stack of pans in same area this would have resulted in the same manner.

A properly installed counter should be able to support this amount of gentle stress without totally breaking.

Is there anything I can do?

Should they have stated in instructions,template, or contract about needing brackets per certain amount of overhang? Or should have they installed brackets?

I'm devastated and looking for who is responsible? Me or contractor? What is best solution or recommendation going ahead

Juris:

Your problem is a direct result of fabricator/installer error. These guys had no business installing that top without a custom frame/supports engineered into the cabinets. This isn't only my opinion, it's the opinion of The Natural Stone Institute, the 70-year-old trade association of the natural stone industry. Page 17-4.

Fortunately, with that much movement and color, your top may probably be reassembled fairly inconspicuously. The adhesive joints will be stronger than the natural stone. Please save every piece, no matter how small.

Someone could have been seriously injured or killed from that failure. Make an insurance claim and your homeowner's insurance will subrogate the claim to your fabricator's insurance company, please. After their insurance company drops them after paying the claim and their rates triple, perhaps they'll get the message. I would not allow these clueless hacks back into my home under any circumstances.

I’m no expert, but I can’t imagine having that much overhang without support. It was bound to happen sooner or later.

Joseph,

I have saved all the pieces. Do you think it's wise for me to first contact the granite company and see if they will replace the counter with a new slab which has less overhang. We are about to welcome a little one into the house and I don't want an extensive overhang which could be fatal or should I go straight to homeowners insurance without contacting the granite company?

Thank you so much.

Juris:

It depends. You may want to contact them to tell them what happened, that you'll be making an insurance claim, and see what their reaction is.

I went today and got great customer service. Almost felt to good to be true (still holding my breath). I showed pictures and gave them the same concerns you laid out for me. They will be replacing the entire slab at no additional cost to me. I honestly feel like you have saved us a additional stress and cost.

I got a confirmation via email from the company as well for physical documentation.

We are also going to reduce the hangover to 8 inches, not 15inches nor 12 inches. After having this experience we want to eliminate the hazard to give us a piece of mind in our home.

Joseph, thank you so much for your insight. I cannot express how thankful we are. Thank you once again.

Will post onc

*will post new slab/counter top when process is complete.

Juris,,,perhaps the company should memorize this. I can't believe they didn't use any supports. skip ahead to where is says, "overhangs".

Granite Installation Notes

For all 2cm Granite structures:

A full substrate underlay must be utilized under the material for added strength. Use exterior glue plywood or cement backer board as the underlay material.

For all 3cm Granite structures:

Spans should not exceed 24" between support centers. Spans should always be kept to a minimum to prevent deflection of the stone.

Maximum length is 118" for sections without cutouts.

Maximum length is 100" for sections with cutouts.

For structures with support on 3 sides (e.g., dishwashers, desks, and frame-less cabinets) follow the 24" support criteria above, however, adding support to strengthen the unsupported side is recommended. Consideration should be given to the type of stone being used (fragility) and the intended use (load bearing) when assessing support needs.

Overhangs for 2cm Granite that exceed 6 inches will require additional support structures

For an overhang more than 6" use a proper support system such as solid substrates, legs, brackets, corbels, or columns.

Overhangs for 3 cm Granite that exceed 10 inches will require additional support structures:

For an overhang more than 10" use a proper support system such as solid substrates, legs, brackets, corbels, or columns.

Half wall (knee wall, pony wall) overhang support requirements for both 2cm and 3cm granite:

For overhangs less than 1/3 the depth of the top [i.e., support wall is 4 inches, countertop is 6 inches, overhang is 2 inches] no additional support required.

For all other half-wall overhangs, corbels are required to support the overhang where the bracket depth is 3/4 of the overhang depth. Spacing for corbels is a maximum of 24 inches throughout the span.

Acceptable support materials are MDF board, plywood, structural steel, and wood. Particleboard is not an acceptable support material.

Just noticed what looks to be a crack/fissure in the new granite countertop of the apartment I just moved into 3 weeks ago. Have not dropped anything on this counter or put any stress on this area. Any ideas what could cause this and if it’s repairable? Can’t get a photo of the underside as it’s bottom is wood. This is at the corner of the counter top as you see in the bottom right of the photo.

Justin:

Put a level on the top in several directions, please. If there is full underlayment, it's probably 2cm with a built up front edge. If the top is substantially out of level/plane, that's fabricator/installer error. If you had dropped something, there should be some sort of "bruise" and there is apparently none. Dropping things on properly installed tops should not cause cracks anyway.

As far as a repair, I'd hit that with a color matched Sharpie, some super glue, pound on the top to get it in the crack, then scrape it flush. Do it now or have it done before you contaminate the crack, please.

lt might pumice out looks like a scratch picture dark needs more light to really see. call local countertop stone firm to get quote..
simple repair speak with owner ask who to call.
a

@Justin - Looks like a man made quartz that has a crack in it.

Too glossy for quartz.

We had granite installed last week. The day it was installed I noticed a crack running from the back of the sink to the window sill. It had been filled with a yellowish substance but it was very noticeable & m fingernail caught in it. I notified the project manager the same day & sent pictures. He had the installer come back the next day to fix it. He ground it out & put in some filler the same color as the granite. It looks better but it's still very noticeable. The installer called it a fissure but from everything I've been researching about granite, it sure seems to be a crack. My concerns are that it's ugly & that it could worsen in time, especially being where water will get on it & being where sun will be hitting it daily. I've requested the project manger come look at it. What would be a reasonable resolution? See before & after pictures.

You've paid for un-cracked stone; you've got cracked stone. Give them a choice to replace the top or tell them you can live with it for 50% off. Were I them, I'd give you the 50% and stop my bleeding, because if I have to do it over I've given you the 50% but with a lot more work and risk.

You never let customers see your screw-ups. This is why.

Thanks for your response. When you say 50%, is that 50% of the total cost (including labor) or just the cost of the stone? They are insisting it's just a fissure & is a natural part of the stone. I know it's hard to tell from a picture but how do I prove it's a crack?

50% of the whole job.

That's not a fissure. A fissure should be much tighter. Fissures are often filled with stone or contamination; yours has adhesive. What a coincidence that the "fissure" showed up at one of the weakest points of the countertop. Go rummage through their scrap bin and find your sink cut out. Let's see them explain why there isn't any fissure in it.

I have installed Giallo Ornamental granite. It is covered with these very fine cracks. Is this natural or damage? Can it be repaired? Thanks, Ron

Here's another photo.

Try clear Pectro by Tenax at DeFusco Industrial Supply.

i know ppl keep adding onto this thread but i really have to ask your opinion. I am in Canada, Quebec City actually and they do things a bit different here (customer service is nil). I was recently notified that during our $4500 countertop cut, our stone (Viscon White granite) cracked. It is an L-shaped countertop. We had 3 pieces (the L-shape countertop, island, and utility sink). They asked us if they could replace just the Long piece of the L-shape with a similar piece from the same slab lot. I told them I was uncomfortable because it was very noticeable and that, although after a very long discussion, I would accept it but wanted a discount. They said it wasn't up to them (i was speaking to the stone cutting guys) and we would need to speak to customer support. We emailed spt the next business day. Which of course we got the huge runaround and they offered $200 discount. I said well, I'm not happy this is easily a 10-20% discount issue because the veining doesn't match and we weren't given any other option because they were already in the process of working on the replacement. (at least that is what they told us). Cust Spt said we already agreed to the fix and the stone was being cut, and they couldnt offer us anything further.

So I asked, if we could cancel the L-shape countertop and ask them to replace the entire piece from one stone, not just the main stem and ignore any discount. I'd rather have a quality countertop instead. Which we were promptly told NO because we had already paid half of the payment and the repaired top had already been cut. So I said that we would just cancel everything they said, we're already committed because we've made a down payment and we have to make payment in full regardless. Either way, we feel stuck with sub par workmanship. Yes, we inspected our slab first. We were not given a choice to see the new slab which we were told was from the same lot, but they showed us a black and white computer markup which I told them the veining didn't completely match, and it would be very visible. I'm pulling my hair out because I'm more upset with the company's attitude of the issue, and that I'm stuck with a countertop I know I won't be happy with. Perhaps I'm looking for sympathy, empathy, or just your opinions on this matter. We haven't had the countertops installed yet, nor made final payment. I would like advice. Should I fight this and cancel all, try to get the L-shape made from the same stone before installation, or shut up and suck it up?

Sorry to hear this has happened. It's similar to my issue above. I too met with bureaucratic double-talk and apathy. What worked for me was to invite the owners of the company to my home, establish a rapport and ask for their help. However, if that had not worked, I was prepared to engage in legal action and had already consulted a lawyer. By the way, he said he figured my chances were 50/50.

I know people say Americans are highly litigious but sometimes it's the only avenue left to you. For my wife and me, we felt that if the situation was not remedied, every time we saw the flaw, we would be reminded of how shabbily we had been treated.

Good luck to you; I hope you get a good resolution.

liebenswert:

You may be worrying about nothing. Were I your fabricator, I would have repaired the top without saying a word. If you never noticed, there would never be a problem. I can't see any advantage to giving customers this information. These guys deserve to lose money for being stupid.

See how it turns out and take it from there, please.

To HU-778231520:

Natural stone (granite, marble, etc.) is not created and processed equally. The fine fissures in Giallo Ornamental are a characteristic attribute that is normally seen. Giallo Ornamental is a natural stone that is not usually resin treated at the factories processing slabs.

Fissures are less noticeable in higher-quality processed slabs of Giallo Ornamental, and the material cost always commands a premium price. Fissures are more visually apparent in lower-quality (“Builder-Grade”) processed material, and the material cost is much cheaper.

IMHO, it’s the responsibility of the company you’ve signed the project order agreement with to ensure you fully understand the characteristics and maintenance requirements for the stone material(s) you’re considering using in an indoor/outdoor space; allowing you to make an informed purchasing decision. It’s saddening to hear you weren’t given this opportunity to do so.

THIS IS FROM 2016 WHY ARE WE ALL STILL COMMENTING ON SOMETHING SO OLD. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT THIS?

We had a granite fabricator and installer install out bathroom vanity granite with about a two inch long and one quarter inch thick line that he filled in but didn’t tell us about at all. We noticed this after we paid him and he left. He installed on a Friday and we sent him pictures on the weekend and then we called him on the following Monday. He said they filled it in before they came out but again he never communicated that to us before coming out. When we talked on Monday, no apology. He said he didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I am going to send him a letter detailing this and asking for either an acceptable repair with a discount or if he is unable to repair to our satisfaction to replace the granite.

In your opinion Is this an acceptable thing to do? He already attempted to repair this prior to the install and it is very obvious this has been filled in. We have had granite in our former home and we never had any obvious filled in areas. Is this normal? Should have he communicated to us this problem prior to the install? We would not have wanted him to install this peace of granite. The filled in area is right on the top near the sink. We appreciate any help or advice that you can offer.

What do you think?

Sherilyn Since that stone is for vanity, I'm sure your fabricator/installer would have more remnant that they can provide you another slab with. That type of fill-in is definitely not something a typical fabricator would do, unless is was done by the factory directly.

Hi I am building new home from builder and I noticed there is crack at my kitchen granite which goes from top to all the way to overhang. When I placed my finger near by overhang I can feel spaces and run my fingers around it. I have asked my builder to replace it and they are telling me its vein and not crack and not willing to replace it. They asked their stone ppl to take a look and they are saying same thing which I don't believe. Can you please look into the pix and plz help me know if this is vein or crack ? I am closing home in few days so need to know asap. Thanks so much.

This looks like natural fissure line on the countertop, but sometimes fissure line may crack if handled incorrectly. The best way to tell is go underneath the cabinet and see if there is a same line that shown below the granite. Also there are times when fissure line can be felted, it all depends on the granite, in your case it is a natural fissure line.

Sorry to hear of your story. Sadly they always end this way.

A granite repair guy once verbally disclosed that they repair cracked countertops all the time and install them (as new) -- and most of the time the customer never notices. Absolutely appalling practice.

Our countertop was installed through Home Depot and we believe it was broken at installation except it wasn't noticeable then. Two years later the countertop seam and the crack/fissure started to separate after the countertop and new cabinets started to settle and the crack became very noticeable at the bottom left corner of the sink. In that area, the stone is narrow prone to breaking -- especially when the seam runs through the middle of sink. HD warrants labor for one year (the original installer is no longer a partner -- go figure) and even though our state "protects" consumers from defects in workmanship for up to four years - that pursuit was a complete waste of energy and time.

The crack has since been repaired and it still looks like a crack except with clear epoxy in between. Furthermore, the repaired seam is twice as wide as the other seams from the original installation.

If you suspect a crack in a granite countertop - do not wait. Insist on a replacement. Do not settle for a repair because a repair can never make a crack look undetecable. Make sure you get what you paid for -- a countertop that hasn't been compromised because it will only get worse through time and it is not something that is convenient or economical to replace.

This is what a broken countertop looks like "repaired". The granite wholesaler insists the break wasn't caused by a fissure or defect and Home Depot insists they installed it correctly. No one can explain why this countertop would break like this, none of them will stand by their work or take ownership for a defect in the granite or a faulty installation.

So we will never spend a dime with Home Depot in our lifetime. LOWE'S offers us 10% discount, they match competitor prices and also accept competitor coupons.

" -- and most of the time the customer never notices. Absolutely appalling practice."

HU:

You aren't going to make it as a fabricator. When your dealer dents your car unloading it from the truck, you don't get a new car. You don't even get a new fender. You get a factory repair. Same thing here.

I broke and repaired a top last week before the customer ever noticed. The one before that was noticable and I discounted the job.

This is stone here, not a damn space telescope.

Here's the discounted repair; 10% discount:

Joseph sadly our industry is turning into the precision necessary of NASA. I had a peninsula the size of a slab rejected because 1/4” was missing from the overhang. Instead of a repair I just shortened it and removed a defect with 3/8 of an inch. At install we pulled off the wall enough for ceramic to cover the gap and they had 3/4 off the end panel instead off 1”. “No I don’t accept this, I paid for 120” I want 120”. Not even open to hear about a possible credit. The part that pisses me off the most is this is the type of person who is so “Green” and does every thing with the environment in mind! I would like to see some one run the statistics of the environmental impact of quartz countertops from the mining of the quartz all the way through to the end user. I would give these statistics to people that throw hissy fits over ridiculous reasons. lets not forget people that after a few weeks of use you barley notice your countertops any more because your life and daily routine continues and your countertops remain just that “countertops”!

granite guru:

Unfortunately, you have to introspect as to how much of the customer selection process you screwed up in order to end up with one so unreasonable. Nearly everyone here thinks it's the customers picking contractors and that it's a one-way street. It isn't. Not if you want to stay in business for long.

I'm dealing with a borderline that put herself on double secret probation recently. She's a seasonal and when she comes back in the fall, I don't know if I'll take her down payment or not.

We had a 122" long by 54" wide granite Titatium leather gold recently installed. We first found that a corner had damage and that a chunk of granite was gone.They assured us that because it is against the wall and covered with grainite backsplash you would not see it.The left and the mess was mine to clean up and after the stone was cleaned we my wife and I seen a 29" crack right down the middle, a crack they resin repaired. They also took the huge granite slab and turned it 180 degrees, this allowed them to put the damaged corner to the wall. This damaged corner that was damaged was suppose to be out in the open kiddy corner to were each are right now, Its my view and my wife's that after cutting the stone someone dropped it or hit it against something damaging the corner and causing a crack. They didn't say anything and resin fix crack and turned stone so they could resin fill damage corner.

They refuse to do anything for us, that the fussion is a natural phanomanon and it was repaired at the quarry before they recieved it. We purchased to mirrored pieces one slab 124" long by 77" wide.The two of us looked over this slab for over and hour looking at every square inch for anything that would stop us from buying the two pieces. The smaller one we could not see at first but the larger one is the one they damaged. We found nothing seriously flawed with the granite so we brought it. We had the chance to see the slab all over again two weeks later when buying reminants for two vanities. I looked all over this stone again and nothing visible wrong, Here are the pictures showing what we ended up with and the merchant saying it is normal, When people ask what a beautiful stone and than point and ask what this is tell them God did it was his reply

kevin, can you please start on your own post? You'll get better help. (just copy and paste what you wrote into your own, new post. with pictures). do you also have a pic of your slab before your fabricator or installer ruined it?

I'm not quite following how do I start on my own post. We did not take a picture of whole slab just small sections. But we looked over this slab on three different occasions. The third time my wife and friend who never saw the granite went to look at were best to place template and they both again looked over the big slab and than got to look over the small slab as it was layed out also. They would of seen this scar this resin repair on a crack. Pictures will not attach.

When the subcontractor who did the original installation for Home Depot is no longer in business...it says something. The only clues left are reviews about their workmanship.

The new installer who did the granite repair 'disclosed the fact they repair granite all the time and most customers never notice' in the context of bragging that the repair would be so good the crack would be undetectable because he repairs broken granite all the time. Guess what - it still looks like a crack hahahaha!! Whatever. The repair didn't come out of our pocket (and getting to that point was even a lengthy ordeal). We'll never step foot inside a Home Depot or spend another penny with them.

And I'm sorry, I wouldn't take possession of a vehicle I know has been damaged; it can be sold to someone else. I don't even buy a new vehicle where the dealer has drilled holes for front mounted license plates when it's not required in my state. Why settle for less? It's my money and I'll take my business elsewhere.

"And I'm sorry, I wouldn't take possession of a vehicle I know has been damaged; it can be sold to someone else. I don't even buy a new vehicle where the dealer has drilled holes for front mounted license plates when it's not required in my state. Why settle for less? It's my money and I'll take my business elsewhere."

HU:

If I ever do remodeling sales training, your statement above is the gold standard for what salespeople want to draw out of potential customers they do not want under any circumstances.

Salespeople:

You can get these types to expose themselves fairly easily. If you can get them to bitch about a license plate hole, run out the door as fast as you can, please. You will never make them happy, the interwebby is a large and cruel place, and you will lose money on them, I promise.

@ Joseph Corlett, LLC

LOL, lets just say, it's not easy to be in the service industry when you want to please them all.

Indeed, it's a practice that our line of business in the industry will covertly practice. Senior sales staffs will see these people miles away and of course pushes them towards newb staffs.

Forget passing him to the newb sales rep send him to the competitor! This kind of consumer mentality is not worth a 5000$ countertop.

@ KevinL Love your slab may have been filled in by the manufacture/mining place, not by your fabricator, the slab is a leather finish, its not really easy to match that leather finish with hand polish/honing machine.

I am in the process of getting a granite countertop installed. The installer and dealer are different agencies. The stone I saw did not seem to have any fissures or veins running through it. The installer called me and said that he was not satisfied with the stone as it was a repaired piece of stone and he said that it would fall apart a year or so down the lane. I called the dealers. They sent someone to take a look. They say that these are natural fissures and veins. And the ‘fixing’ has not been done properly. They have agreed to change the stone but my installer is not ready to cut that particular Sri Lankan granite to size. He says that it is not a stable one and he could not take the risk! I have requested the dealer to get it cut to size. Now the dilemma is should I go for this particular granite or should I change it altogether.

Go to a place that is dealer and fabricator and they will do the proper job for you.

Hi @Juris Eyler!

I am so sorry that happened to your granite overhang. I work for a granite countertop support company and we were wondering if we could use your photo on our social media of the broken countertop?

Going through the same issue with the builder. I don’t want it repaired,

sanasa121:

It's a natural part of the stone; your builder and fabricator/installer haven't done anything wrong. You picked the stone.

Were I your builder, you'd pay for a replacement or live with a courtesy repair.

The Granite that they showed me didn’t have the crack, and paid full price for it.

Why settle for the cracked top? Especially that the crack is near the sink!