Software
Houzz Logo Print
kellyaculler

granite seams and directionality of granite

7 years ago
I had granite slabs put in my shower remodel. After the templating they said they had to cut the granite and there would be seams. I was quite concerned and ask every person at the company how noticeable they would be. They assured me they would be very small. Attached are pictures of the seams they did no color matching. Another issue: they did not maintain directionally on the slab on the back wall they did with the other two slabs. A supervisor is coming out in two days. Does anyone have suggestions, what would my recourse be?

Comments (29)

  • 7 years ago

    The pattern match is actually pretty good. No opinion on the seams as I have never had them so I don't know what they should look like. I would not like the rust staining that is very visible in the first picture. Was your slab like that?

  • 7 years ago

    "I would not like the rust staining that is very visible in the first picture."


    Iron inclusions in a naturally occuring product. Not stopping or removing them. Will get worse as well not better.


    As far as the graining match, not bad. The seam appears to be decent as well.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    It looks pretty good to me. With that busy granite, it could have been a lot worse.

  • 7 years ago

    Not bad at all.

  • 7 years ago

    I agree the pattern matching looks pretty good on the back wall. The seams look a tad off, but with the variation in color not too bad. Re: the direction of the sides - did they agree that it would match the back? That would be tough to do while maintining a pattern match.


  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    It’s a Great job. You are blowing nothing at all beyond out of proportion. Drink wine, apologize for the unreasonable response, and cancel the supervisor’s visit.

  • 7 years ago

    I think it looks great too. What did you do for the floor?

  • 7 years ago

    The directionality of the back compared to the sides is the only thing that would bother me. The pattern matching and seams both seem good. Was directionality discussed beforehand?

  • 7 years ago

    It's such a busy pattern, it would be difficult to do anything better than this.

  • 7 years ago
    I think the seams look quite good as well.
  • 7 years ago

    What were you expecting? It's a natural material, not a homogeneous synthetic. The fabricator probably had a couple of slabs to cut from and did what looks to me like an excellent job of optimizing. Be prepared for the supervisor to be taken aback by your concerns and expectations of perfection....

  • 7 years ago

    Visible seams don't bother me. It just looks like panels. They should have discussed the change in direction with you and given you options. Also you want to use your best slabs for the focal wall and that would not be my choice with the rust spots.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    The natural iron in that stone is gonna go crazy in a shower. Hope you like orange. In streaks.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    That goes back to the slab selection by the OP. If you don’t want orange spots, don’t pick slabs with orange spots in them. You can’t cut around them when they are so numerous and in the middle of the slab. What you see at the exactly IS what you are gonna get in your home.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    What they said!

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    The seams and color matching look fine. To me those are not the issue. The issue is directionality from wall to wall.

    It's hard to see easily from the provided photos, but it looks like the back wall granite direction is horizontal, while the side walls' granite direction is vertical. While the pattern is busy, it's not random and its direction is clear. Therefore, I do not find the installation acceptable, and am surprised others do, or perhaps they didn't see that change of direction in the photos.

    Having said that, you haven't said what discussions you had with the fabricator about how the slab would be cut. Did you go to the granite templating layout at the fabricator's? If you had, you would have seen the directional issue before installation, and stopped it. Or, it could be that your slab was not large enough to make the walls all horizontal or all vertical, and you'd need another slab for that. Did you have that discussion?

    Many people who are new at renovation, and/or who didn't research the topic of granite/marble installation in bathrooms and kitchens, are not aware they must go to the fabricator's in advance to check and okay how the stone will be cut and installed. It's also unfortunate when the fabricator doesn't mention it, if that is what happened.

  • 7 years ago

    I’m with Friedajune- I’d be addressing the directionality issue. Keep us posted what transpires. Good luck!

  • 7 years ago

    The rust stains make this a do-over AFAIC.

    The change in direction doesn't bother me nearly as much as the rust does.


  • PRO
    7 years ago

    I think there is no need for supervisor's visit. Seams and color matching are beautifully done.

  • 7 years ago

    Either my pictures aren't very good or the wisdom of the crowd isn't what I thought. The company agreed with me they are cutting a slab for the back wall that will run vertically like the other two slabs and placing it over the slab already installed on the wall. They are then cutting a one inch strip of marble and finishing it to cover the seam. They were very gracious and admitted the back wall was a mistake on their part.

  • 7 years ago

    You could add a transitional piece like a pencil tile to hide the seam.


  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Wait a minute. They're putting the new granite OVER the existing piece? There's going to be a height difference....Also, why are they using a marble transition piece if you have granite?!

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    There is also going to be a tremendous amount of weight on that wall. If that should all let loose when someone is in or near the shower, that could be very dangerous.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Don’t confuse a business giving in to ridiculousness as a fact that they did anything wrong. Most of the time, it’s just to get rid of the unreasonable customer so they can move on to the next job.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    To me the bigger issue is why you put slabs of granite in a shower. That is not the place for that. Kitchen counter tops use slabs of granite. Showers are supposed to be tiled. So given that, it looks like the installer did the best they could. Those corner shelves also look ridiculous

  • 7 years ago

    I wasn't aware that there was a prohibition on using granite slabs in a shower. Or that showers were required to be tiled. Amazing the things I learn here....

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Kelly, if you wanted the same direction on all three sides, you prob were going to need another slab. They get as many cuts as possible out of one slab, and try to unite them. They did a nice job of matching that back wall. I mean, they could have used a tad lighter epoxy for the line, but it's not horrible by any means.

  • 7 years ago

    The seams ARE very small. What prompted you to do granite?