Brand New Quartz Countertop Surface Damaged by Contractor

3 years ago

Hi all.

I hope some of you can give me some advice.

My contractor installed the quartz countertops -- claimed that because he couldn't make the two joined pieces even and level, so that he needed to grind it down to make them level (he did that first without talking with me). Now the areas around the joint lost its gloss/shine. I told him it's not acceptable so he's trying to find ways to polish it back to its original shine.

If it doesn't match the original finish, I feel I may have to replace them. :( and then he said if that's the case, he wouldn't grind it down again, but they may not be level in height.

I'm not experienced in this -- it doesn't sound like that's the compromise one has to make. He's a pretty affordable contractor, so maybe that's the problem. In the meantime, can quartz be polished back? And was he BS'ing me when he said if he doesn't grind them down, I may risk having two pieces of quartz not sitting even next to each other. (he said it could be as bad as 1/16 "to 1/8" difference). And he even said if I order granite that would be better. It really doesn't sound right to me. :-(

I know I'm accountable for not hiring someone better but any advice or even comforting words or knowledge would be totally appreciated. Thank you in advance.

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Comments (7)

missb_remodeling
3 years ago
Is that the seam on the left?
Christina Lim thanked missb_remodeling
Christina Lim
Original Author
3 years ago
I did a lil search online and realize my contractor didn't use any polish as he used his tool.. only water. Would having a stone polish help a lot? (I know he should know this.. but..... )
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artemis78
3 years ago
There is no good reason for them not to be level if the surface they’re set on is level. My guess is that it isn’t. If you think he can fix that, start over. But I’d probably hire a quartz installer who is willing to address the underlying issue. (Some will require a level surface before they come in.)
Christina Lim
Original Author
3 years ago
@missb_remodeling - I'm new to using this forum .. not sure how to "reply to your comment.. so I'm thinking Tagging? I may be doing this wrong. Please excuse me if I did.

The line on the left is the seam. yes.
kculbers
3 years ago
I think your contractor is not experienced with templating and installing countertops correctly. When I had our kitchen renovated a few years ago, I chose Silestone quartz countertops. Our kitchen designer used very experienced countertop templators/ installers. They did laser templating, and the counters came out perfect. I also had an experienced and fabulous carpenter, that I thoroughly researched, who installed our custom cabinetry. I had no “issues” with my kitchen renovation. Years later I am still thoroughly happy with my kitchen. I first spent a lot of time researching cabinetry, faucets, sinks, countertops, carpenters, and kitchen designers. I also read lots of articles and forums on Houzz regarding kitchen renovations. I hope you get a satisfactory resolution to your counter dilemma.
millworkman
3 years ago
"Would having a stone polish help a lot?"

No. Are the cabinets existing? Why was your "contractor" installing the tops and not a fabricator? The cabinets would obviously not be level if there is an issue with the tops and that needed to be dealt with on the front end. Obviously if the cabinets were existing then this would have resulted in a change order and you would have paid for this step. Grinding or polishing a top is never the answer.
Christina Lim thanked millworkman
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
3 years ago
This is a do-over with a different contractor and that's based on the horrific seam in addition to the finish work.

There should be no need whatsoever to level an engineered stone seam mechanically; that's done with shims and a set of Gorilla Grips which are powerful enough to pull a bow out of a 3cm top.

Grinding down estone to flush is the easy part; it's getting a finish match that is so very difficult even for very experienced technicians. It not only has to be flush, but it has to reflect low level light evenly. Even if you matched the finish with a Quartz Renew kit, that seam would still suck.
Christina Lim thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC