"While I feel all of this is the fabricators error, not Cambria’s, I still contacted Cambria as they state we have a lifetime warranty"

I would at the very least have had the conversation with the fabricator and installer first. By bringing in Cambria you have esentially taken him off the hook and given him outs.

Oh I did have the conversation with him. He came out and “repaired” it. When it was still noticable after the repair is when he said it would always be there but now it’s “sealed” even though you can still see AND feel it. I would have thought it could be filled and smoothed somehow? He’s also suppose to come back and repair the chip - who knows when that’ll be.

When I contacted Cambria it was more so to see what they had to say. I wanted to see who‘s at fault. I just know I’m not at fault and this needs to be made right by someone, agree? I have not filed a warranty claim or scheduled for Cambria to come out YET. I’m not quite sure of my options... do I hold the fabricator accountable? He basically acted as of this was the quartz fault as it’s “manmade” as it was no big deal. I’m trying to figure out the best way to handle this I guess.

Is that a crack or a seam where he tried to put two pieces together? I would call the fabricator and ask for your money back, and if you paid by credit card, I would put in a claim with the cc company right away.

It’s definitely not a seam. It‘s clearly a zig zag crack that goes all the way through.... you can feel and see it both on top and underneath.

Oldryder... how do I go about having them replace it? A slab is about $3000 & I already feel like its going to be a fight based on his demeanor when he was here. I’m so bummed. Also, since this is your speciality... should a repair still feel and look like a 2 foot long crack? I could possibly live with a nicely repaired counter as it’s in the back corner but with the 2 other issues (mainly the crooked cut) I do feel it needs replaced.

My thought Behind contacting Cambria was to have them back us by having them say it’s not a product defect (Which I don’t feel it is). The fabricator is certified through them so I thought possibly they would help to hold him accountable for not correctly installing their product?

Thecookskitchen.... so basically you’re saying there should be wood in between the fridge enclosure or a gap and it should not have been cut to allow for the door swing? I prefer not having a gap :( Trying to understand what went wrong so I make sure this is corrected properly. I just checked the counter and it shows level. Thank you.

Can you post a picture that shows the larger area? I'm not understanding the whole "notch for the door swing" thing.

This sounds like it sits squarely with the fabricator who didn't know or care about what kind of job he did for you. As far as the cabinets being level, my fabricator checked all of that when they did my template. I would run this up the chain of command at Cambria and send a registered letter to their president. You didn't purchase a Chinese knock off - one of their claims to fame is that they are a 'made in the 'USA' product. This fabricator is representing their product and now it is on this forum for everyone to see. Get back and let us know if Cambria steps up and helps you.

Why is the rounded corner radius so off, too?

Hillside... you mean how one side is rounded and the other squared? I have no idea and this was never discussed. I thought it would be square on both sides. That’s another let down.

Chessie... the cut out allows the door to swing open enough to access the drawers inside. Here’s some pictures.. Hope they help explain...

Full island view (don’t mind our mess on it right now). The crack is in the top right corner & the chip is in the bottom left underneath corner on the edge..

^^^ That is just BAD design. It should never ever have been done that way. And that has nothing to do with the Cambria either. It's more issues that your KD is responsible for, and that your GC didn't catch. I was wondering why an "island" had a fridge next to it. I never dreamed that it was a peninsula with a fridge next to it without any proper clearances.

Live_wire... please elaborate. I need as much knowledge as I can get about this if I’m going to have to plead my case.

Well the island has always had the fridge beside it. That’s how it was built back in the day. Granted it was a smaller fridge. Here’s a pic of how it was to start....

(Btw I noticed when you post pics on here you have to click them to see the whole picture ‍♀️)

After (again... don’t mind the mess)

Also just a PSA on your laptop or any other thing that generates heat directly on your countertop. You may want to read this to avoid a similar situation. Better safe than sorry.

dull-area-on-quartz-countertop

Who "designed" this mess? That fridge should have been moved. Among other things.

A kitchen renovation should be better than what was there or there is no point in spending the money.

What should have been designed is the fridge moved down to get the range out of the corner. Then a small mobile island parallel to the fridge and stove would give additional work space. You were working with a cabinet seller, not a kitchen designer. And a clueless GC. Who didn't know the right fabricator, nor how to supervise the counter installation.

It's not not too late to fix the layout, even now.

Oh my. Yeah that whole refrigerator next to the peninsula, that never should have been allowed to stay. Totally dysfunctional design. Very much a no-no.

That said, the crack is surely an issue with your fabricator. Definitely go back to Cambria, hopefully they will help you get this resolved. No idea why he would’ve done the corners differently either, that is just flat out puzzling. And wrong.

I just wanted to update... my husband has been in touch with our area Cambria rep. He’s been very supportive of our concerns and they are scheduled to come out next week. While I do not feel this is a Cambria quality issue, I trust that they will assist is in somehow making this right. To be continued...

Cambria makes a big deal of "qualifying" their installers to avoid exactly this kind of problem. Maybe they will help.

Update... Cambria has taken control of the situation. They sent someone out to inspect our Ella and the workmanship. It was found to be not up to Cambria‘s standards in both workmanship and installation. We are getting our pennisula and a counter piece replaced and Cambria will have someone present for the installation.

Kudos is to Cambria for making this right!!! They've been top notch through this process!!!

MOVE that fridge first!! I really would think about this - do it right while you still have the chance.

A single door refrigerator (left handle/right swing out) that fits the space would also work. This is what we went with to avoid the door/counter collisions.

Final update.... Cambria is AWESOME. They stood by us, made things right and made sure it was done in a timely manner!!! I cant say or thank them enough! Had they not stood by us the installer would have left us with his mess as he did NOT take responsibilty for ANY of issues (which were ALL HIS mistakes & he continually blamed Cambria).

Thank you everyone for your feedback!!! I know I probably should have done some things a differently - ie. moved the fridge, however at the point we were at we were just ready to be done with the guy. We not only did the kitchen, we did both baths, all new flooring, trim, crown molding and more so I could tell you many reasons why but I’ll spare you my headache. I will say overall I am happy with how the condo looks. I’m glad to close that chapter! Many lessons were learned so as I start some home updates I feel more prepared!

(Btw we have some open shelving coming for the space above the peninsula)

I don't think Cambria was at fault. They went above and beyond. But that just made up my mind what brand of quartz I am going to buy.

Great job Cambria! Yes this is the fabricators fault all the way. IMO it seems that this counter as it was being installed and being dropped down onto the peninsula cabinets, it rubbed against the Frig. wood panel with too much force there by cracking the small piece that broke. He just didn't want to eat the $2000+ for an entire slab for a small peninsula. I would add a review of him as well. I get it you don't want to loose money but sometimes you have to bite the bullet to keep a client happy.

A tight-fitting piece of Cambria would have pushed that refrigerator panel into next week before breaking. My guess is a stress riser at the hillbilly inside radius which looks too small to me. And how you get all that black contamination into a crack remains a mystery to me.

Classic pinch crack at end of a saw cut. Happens to every fabricator at least once. Lessen the chances by drilling core holes in corners, or add manual relief cuts before long straight cuts. Also, step cutting might prevent this in future.