I think you have issues with doors and drawer adjusting, unless your contractor isn't finished with adjustments.......and touch ups to finish.

I don't think this was a laser template either, ( your overhangs appear very inconsistent ) so this is about the best you're going to get from this fabricator. Was this laser and were you home for that ?

Definitely sloppy. The inside corner is fine (though I agree it should have been discussed). The rest of the edging as well as the inconsistent overhangs are poor workmanship.

it appears that unless your dog or a crawling baby complains, no one is going to see your "problems". I'd pick my battles more carefully.

That's an acceptable installation.

Jan:

thanks for your reply. The templating was done with laser, my husband was home for that.

There is one plane on the far end of the countertop (photo 2) that we agreed to increase the overhang so that it covered a piece of scribe molding that was used on the wall (old house, walls and floors are not square). Photo 3 shows where the stove will live, so that has no overhang. The rest of the overhangs seem fairly consistent, but I should measure them to confirm.

Doors and drawers have already been adjusted-- can you elaborate? In the close-ups I posted, I see that the gaps above doors and drawers are larger, but isn't that expected because the adjacent pieces are non-functioning panels and the countertop is resting on them?

Hallett & Co:

thank you for your perspective-- do you think it's fair to ask for some type of credit given the sloppiness (and if so, what percentage?)

GreenDesigns-- wow, was it your intention to come across as rude and unhelpful? Since you feel so strongly, please educate and elaborate-- what's wrong with these cabinets?

It looks like they chipped the paint on your cabinet for free. What more do you want? (Sorry, that was snarky). Not a pro job. Hope you haven’t paid yet. The uneven “eased edge” is what would drive be batty. Terrible job no matter what you paid. Probably be lucky to get a credit.

Well, now I'm curious about what is the industry standard. Look at Photo #4. If the radius is ok (I hate that the contractor didn't communicate to the customer about the radius.....but ok...) but, the corner of the stone doesn't match up with the corner of the cabinet. Is that acceptable?

Photo #3: The edge of the stone seems to weave in and out from the edge of the cabinet. Is that acceptable? Will it even look like it has a straight edge from above? I thought stone is supposed to sit an inch out from the counter. This doesn't.

And Photo #2: The way the contractor "eased" that top edge doesn't look like any care was taken, or any machine was used. That looks like something an amateur would do...

I wouldn't care about those imperfections underneath the slab.

However, GreenDesigns and someone else pointed out the cabinets. What in the world? Doors are askew, gaps are uneven, paint is chipped (is that the only place it is chipped?).

Mrs. S.: Yes, that is exactly my question, what is the "industry standard" on countertop edges? I'm getting mixed feedback here-- some pros saying sloppy, some, saying acceptable. Is this just one of those things where there really is no "industry standard"? I assumed that these edges would always be done via CNC then maybe buffed by hand, but with our slab it looks like the bottom edge was not CNC'd and maybe done completely by hand?...

In terms of my cabinets though, I have no idea what anyone is talking about-- where are you seeing a door askew?? Gaps are not uneven, only larger above drawers and doors compared to fixed panels (which has to be the case if doors and drawers need to open!). I feel like y'all are getting thrown off by the extreme close-ups. And there is only one place where paint is chipped (luckily the stove will mostly hide that) but I just noticed it and can't say who did it, so nobody to blame (this stuff happens during a remodel, when you have a bunch of different subs in your house...)

I would be livid! You’re right to be upset! I would not accept this. I can’t say what’s industry standard or not, but I would take this fight.

https://www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/default/assets/File/consumers/homeownersconsumer_countertop.pdf

It meets industry standards. The cabinets though?

GreenDesigns: first of all, that link is for Natural Stone Institute (marble, granite) and therefore not entirely applicable to composites like Caesarstone-- some of the requirements and specs are different.

And still waiting for you to elaborate on the cabinets... nothing anyone has said so far regarding them makes any sense to me. If you're gonna be a troll about my cabinets, give me a reason at least...

md_pdx. If you are happy with your cabinets, then don't worry about the comments. That's all there is to it. Sometimes quality of cabinets and install is dependent on budget or customer expectation. That's fine! Heck, you should see my ratty old cabinets that I hate. They're awful.

On the other hand, if I just paid a lot of money for NEW cabinets, I'd be wondering why the gaps around the doors, and between the doors, aren't even. Perhaps it's just the pictures, but spaces aren't uniform (see picture #3 with the pretty brass knob). If you have read posts in this forum for a long time, like I have, you would learn that those uneven gaps can be caused by improper adjustment/installation of the hinges. Probably adjustable. But sometimes can be indicative of a team of contractors who did overall sloppy work. That may NOT be the case, so you can just ignore the comments of those who would be concerned.

If you have one chip in your paint job, (and you are aware of the quality of the paint and it all meets your expectations, then of course, don't worry. It's not visible.

corners and the underside are sloppy. the radius on the inside corner is normal and will never be "square" unless they seam 2 sections together which most people wont like. it SHOULD however line up with the corner on that cabinet. if you don't mind me asking, who is the fabricator? i'll be sure not to use them if they think this is okay. it may be a small thing, but it's the small things that can ruin a great job.

Zalco:

These are production countertops; it is not a space telescope.

Lots of things get drawn on paper that don't get built and for good reason. These guys had to put the radius in the corner or be out of luck if there's a warranty call. So it wasn't drawn that way. Big deal. It was done properly.

Note to contractors: If you see a potential customer taking pictures of the underside edge of her countertops, leave immediately or raise your proposal through the roof.

The overhang being inconsistent is very noticeable at the corner. The edge is almost fliush to the corner on one side, not the other. there definitely should be an overhang throughout. Another pic looks also like the countertop is borderline flush with the drawer front.

One of the pics looks like a top outside corner was fudged a bit.

I agree that a countertop shouldn't be judged by looking from below and taking close up pics, but from what I see I'd expect looking dead on, the bottom line is wavy, which it shouldn't be, and the overhang looks screwed in a lot of places (from the pics).

How this gets dealt with depends on who contracted for the counters. If you bought them through your contractor, you deal with him. He should have an opinion on what is/is not acceptable too. Pictures can distort issues, seeing in person clarifies things. If you contracted for the countertops, you have to go back to the fabricator raise the issue harder.

Since you are not 100% happy with this product, you are entitled to refund or credit. You did get a 100% unconditional guarantee didn't you? If, then you should sue in small claims court. NOT! Life isn't perfect. It's like that first scratch or ding on your new car. Remember, don't sweat the small stuff.

I believe the comment about your cabinets is probably referring to this photo

The 2 different widths and how it is higher than the door/drawer to the left of it.

It could be the angle of the picture but that does not look like a 7/8 radius - it looks smaller.

I have always questioned the eased edge - my understanding ( any I could be very wrong ) was that it is a hand cut edge - it is not done with a router like a 1/4 round or 1/4 bevel is done and that is why you get consistency differences - especially if more than one guy is doing the edge.

Maybe you can see if they would be willing to smooth out the edges yo u don't like ( not sure if that is possible ). The only part that bothers me is your 2nd picture ( that end corner ).

What does it look like from further back?

Hopefully there can be a simple resolve.

The uneven profiling of the eased edge is so inconsistent. How could this even qualify as being to industry standards? Does it meet Ceasarstone's fabrication standards? I have an eased edge Ceasarstone vanity top and it's consistent all the way around. No way this hack job is acceptable.

Stand 3’ back, with your eyes at 60” high, like you are supposed to. Not 3” away at 30” high. You don’t get to judge any work at an unrealistic distance. None of it is more than 1/16” off, and that’s pretty darn good for a hand done edge with a budget guy.

I am a fabricator. The different distances from doors and drawers to the underside of the countertop is a cabinet issue. The countertop sits on the cabinet structure so it's location is not an install variable unless it has been shimmed to accommodate variation in the height of the installed cabinets (which is common). The edge quality is nothing to brag about and is indicative of edges that were finished by hand. A flat edge can certainly be done on a CNC and the small radius is usually also CNC'd. For reasons too long to explain here fabricators often finish the bottom edge by hand as variation there is inconspicuous. The inside radius is correct. Overall the quality of the job is mediocre and reflects hand polished edges. On the plus side hand polished edges do not have the horizontal "tool lines" (i.e. scratches) that are present in CNC'd edges and are deemed acceptable quality. When I started in the industry almost 20 years ago an edge full of tool lines was considered crap.

As I said..............the cabinets show more issues.

Go stand back and take a full view pic of the kitchen as in real life, that is the way you SEE a kitchen

GreenDesigns: this was not a "budget guy". In fact, this is a large professional outfit with 5 star reviews on Houzz and a portfolio of large, luxe kitchen projects-- this is precisely why I'm upset with the quality. My project may be smaller than others they do, but it doesn't mean I shouldn't get the same level of quality. And although my photos are closeups, I can see these issues from 3' back, thank you. Hope you are more helpful with your clients.

Joseph Corlett LLC: wow! Are homeowners supposed to hide their head in the sand and just pay up? What a horrible attitude to have of clients. I'm proud to care about craftsmanship and hoping any self-respecting company would feel the same.

Debbi Washburn and others with helpful comments and feedback: thank you! I was looking for constructive opinions and insights, so thank you for taking the time to provide me with them.

Update (if anyone cares): I spoke with the countertop fabricators directly (my contractor let them know the issues first). They will be sending out an installation manager to review. I will be happy to at least have the conversation with them in person. If something can be done to even out the wavy edges, that would help. If nothing can be done, then it's not the end of the world and I'll still love my new kitchen, but I have to at least try.

For those who mentioned cabinets, photo 2 is of a "dead" corner (on the right) with drawers to its left and a skinny door to its right (next to stove.) Not sure if that should have been resolved differently, but that's how it is. I also called cabinet fabricators and they are sending someone out to fine tune drawer and door spacing.

"The overhang being inconsistent is very noticeable at the corner."

An inconsistent overhang isn't always the fault of the top fabricator. A fabricator can scribe the back of a top, but he cannot scribe a front edge to follow out-of-plane cabinets that are following a crooked wall.

Hi.

From what we know, the inside of the countertops cannot be 90 degrees if there's no seam on it. Why ? The stress inside the quartz could cause a crack or brake. I would say, that's why your countertop fabricator did a little bit rounded inside. Usually the overhangs are standard but if your cabinet is not on level that wouldn't help on the look too. I would be looking into what it cause and maybe if you don't want a crack on your contertop after some years, I would just leave it. It seams that you have an Iced White Quartz from MSI, you can google them and see their warranty and you will notice that they don't cover the countertop because it was fabricated with really sharp edges and no way to get the 'stress out' of the stone. Hope it helps and hope you can deal with them =D

Hopefully they can smooth it out some for you .. Keep us posted - Good luck!

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