Oh yikes that’s ugly. Hope you have not paid as that’s your only power. What did the fabricator say? How did you select them?

I would need info like for instance did you give the templater the cutout from the cooktop or just meausrements ? Then the fabricator needed that install direction and thetoo. Both of those needed to sign off on undertsnading excatly what was expected there should have been maybe even 2 templates depending on the install. That was up to you to provide and up to the fabricator to make sure the cooktop fit.

This is where the designer failed to read and comprehend the engineered stone manufacturer's fabrication and installation instructions. Page 41. You can't make square cutout corners with sharp edges in estone without voiding the estone warranty especially with heat generating appliances. So you have an ugly but warranted installation.

Someone should have said "No, we're not doing a flush mount cooktop in estone", but they didn't.

The flush installations don't look any better than top mounts and probably catch more crud. The only solution here is top replacement or buying a larger cooktop and top mounting it.

Flush mount cooktop in the Viking showroom in Texas:

Ugh. Awful. And uneven. High on one side, low on the other. Nasty raw edges. This idea needs to die.

The fabricator said that the spaces on the side needs to be there because glass cooktop expend with heat . is that true?

about the corners that shiuld be round he said they made a mistake so he admitted that and offer to make the corners 90 degree by hand instrument but that would only make the space between cooktop and counter bigger . he said he will put silicon between . im just very upset at the poor craftemnship and we paid a fortune . i wish he could just change the whole stone. would love advice on potential solutions

It doesn't look like poor craftsmanship. It looks like he made a mistake with the radius. I'd let him try to do a 90 degree like he wants. Once the silicone is in there it will look fine.

Square it off, and keep a toothbrush handy for the goo collected there.

The chances of two disparate materials making a meet equaling perfection on three sides?? Nearly zero: )

But squaring it iff would make the area even bigger with more space. Also he said that you need gaps because the glass expend but i never heard of it and couldnt find anything online to support that . one edge is also higher than the other . the backsplash is already in place and i dont know if its even possible to Remove that counter top portion all together without damaging the backsplash and do it all over with a new slab?

Please read all of the previous posts before responding. I have documented that the corners CANNOT be squared without voiding the estone warranty and greatly increasing the likelihood of a crack in the top in the corners, particularly at a heat generating appliance.

"The fabricator said that the spaces on the side needs to be there because glass cooktop expend with heat . is that true?"

It is false. It is the estone, not the glass top, that needs the ability to expand and contract. As noted in the manufacturer's instructions to which I previously linked, the larger the corner radii, the stronger and less likely the failure. This is because estone is 33% plastic and similar to Corian in that respect.

"Once the silicone is in there it will look fine."

It will not, particularly after use. It will be an ugly nightmare and only get worse.

I hate to repeat myself, but apparently I have to:

"The only solution here is top replacement or buying a larger cooktop and top mounting it."

Thank you for your feedback. when you say ” estone” do you refer to the Quortz we currently have? also replacing do you mean the quortz ? if so the backsplash which is the same quortz was placed already on top of the countertop. is it possible at this point to remove the counter top and replace without causing damage to the backsplash?

Swami Joe predicts the future if his pontificating is ignored.

One or more of the squared corners will fail creating a curved crack. The continued expansion and contraction at the corner will doom any super glue repair attempted before contamination. Unlike Corian, estone cannot be inconspicuously repaired. The curly black contaminated crack(s) will look like a pubic hair that can't ever be wiped away.

Get a different cook top, and drop it in. Cheaper than staring at something that will annoy the daylights out of you.

will removing the backsplash in order to remove the countertop and replace it work or potentially break the stone?

A riser backsplash in quartz, will come right off in minutes.

The fabricator/ installer will deal with it. We assume you do not have tile.

I have the same quortz on backsplsh. so you think it would be ok for him tonremove it and replace? it wouldnt damage the backsplash?

Full back splash? Completely different than a riser! Quite honestly? You really should just change the cook top, or leave what you have ALONE. The risk of damage well beyond the annoyance of rounded corners, will not be worth it.

Squaring it off would not make it a bigger space... the tiny amount removed would make the corner look like it fits. This doesn't call for a square cut through the entire thickness of the material. If the fabricator thinks he can put that cut into the shallow surface I'd let him if he can assure you of an even edge with no chips or cracks. Not sure what 'goo' you'd possibly pull out of a caulked seam. People are winding you up unnecessarily here. Go to an appliance showroom and look at well installed caulked seams on flush induction cooktops... I see nothing in your single photo that looks different than those other than the radius on the corner.

The cook top in a "showroom" does not ever get used beyond its purpose, which is to sell you a cook top.

We don't know what you have, 30..36? But drop in does not look bulky or offensive. In any way. I'd save myself, and make the kitchen designer, and the fabricator cough up some $$$. for new cooker

@JAN MOYER You just don't like a seam that a flush cooktop requires clearly. The installer admitted the mistake on the radius... if he can change it without detectible damage then I'd let him try but guarantee that in writing and the OP gets her flush cooktop. I'm doing the same exact installation. The silicone seams appears to me to be like a walk in the park compared to cleaning around a top mount frame. No more top mount anything for me... I've learned my lesson.

The space around the cooktop also

seem too big though. too much gap between cooktop and quortz. he said thats what the instruction on installing says but when ee see flush cooktop in show room they dont have these gaps.

There is NO USE of the appliance in a showroom, No heat, no food. Like a blinding white Thassos marble floor in a showroom bath! No water, no hair no nothing.

I'd listen to Joe C on this, but you are welcome to do as you like!

Paul:

I suggest you have the corners of your cooktop rounded to the 3/8" minimum radius required by your estone manufacturer.

@bellediy hard to comment on the gaps. Because it’s not centered in the opening right now. You should have approximately 1/8 of an inch gap all the way around.. I have seen great silicone seams that I doubt would collect food.
If your gap is going to be substantially bigger than 1/8 then pressure the installer to cut a new piece. However, just be aware that Jan just does not like seeing the seam no matter what the size and is not even commenting on your situation really. Joseph believes taking 3/16 from the surface will cause it to crack all the way through. I would talk to tech support with the stone material manufacturer to verify that and then present the proof to your fabricator.

Thank you. i will see tomorrow what the fabricator says when he come to see it. even the back cooktop is higher than front as the step created for the induction to sit in isn't even all the way around so some area sticks out and some flush. anything to do with that?

i dont want the fabricator to cut things inside the house as quortz release silica which is very toxic .

"i will see tomorrow what the fabricator says when he come to see it. even the back cooktop is higher than front as the step created for the induction to sit in isn't even all the way around so some area sticks out and some flush. anything to do with that?"

Your fabricator is clueless. These cuts need to be made on a CNC machine for consistency and the appliance fitted before it leaves the shop.

"i dont want the fabricator to cut things inside the house as quortz release silica which is very toxic ."

With proper procedures and tools, there is virtually no silica released when altering engineered stone on site.

I think Paul should come on over and do it.

The ship has sailed on using this cooktop. The cutout is botched--too big--you can only take away material; you cannot add it. (Corian being the exception.) At this point, with the counter and the slab backsplash installed, I'm assuming the ship has sailed on using any flush mount cooktop.

So, either you find a drop in cooker or you start over with new slabs.

The fabricator came over and offered to cut even more the corners to make them stright and we didnt want him to cut even more as he already created such big gaps so he left with our money which we already paid and we told him about the poor craftmenship and how upset we are not only with the gaps which he blamed the cooktop manufacture for as he said he followed their recomandation and also didnt take responsibility on one side being higher than the other blaming the slab . he refused to give a disscount for the awful work provided so he basically charged us over 10K for what you see in this picture. i feel sick to my stomack and fooled by this company . they should have made it right by either replacing the whole slab again or disscounting the job but having us pay fully for such disgreaful results shows us how short sided they are as they might have our money already but we will be sure to share my experiance and show the pictures with others to prevent other people from having their kitchen ruined like they ruined others.

In addition to the cooktop mess all the veins are off and not connected nicely. the fabricator refuse to recut and do over even if we pay for new slabs. what is my right as a consumers ?

According to the Caesarstone instructions referenced above, the minimum radius of a cutout corner is 10mm. However the maximum radius of the cutout corner for the Jennair JIC4736HB (page 5), which this appears to be, is 2mm.

Its not caesarstone and also 10mm is way too big for a flush . No company or client will allow such gap not only from usability prospective but also visually . I honestly think that a service company like our fabricator which gets paid to provide a service that is done poorly and refuse to fix it is short sided because the amount of money they will loose in the long run once an honest disappointment costumer will share their experience on different many platforms publicly will definitely cost them more . that should not be the reason they should want to fix things because they should do the right thing and provide a good service either way but it should definitely be a motivator if you are a good business person .

"Its not caesarstone..."

But caesarstone countertops are quartz: "Raw quartz is abundant in nature, it is common like sand but harder than steel. Quartz countertops are a man-made stone that Caesarstone pioneered"*

"...and also 10mm is way too big for a flush"

Yup, that's the problem.

-----

*https://www.caesarstoneus.com/why-quartz/

Ive seen many flush cootop that were done beautifully so its possible but our is just not one of them. poor craft

I’m really sorry this happened, bellediy. What a miserable experience. I’m hoping you can take this further with… someone. I dunno, a lawyer or small claims. It does seem like the installers botched your job. I wouldn’t let this go easily, especially for $10k. As ci_lantro says, maybe you can’t even use this cooktop as is?? That’s certainly worth pursuing the guilty party.

"Ive seen many flush cootop that were done beautifully..."

No doubt. As I read it, Corian cutouts, for example, would meet the 2mm-maximum-radius Jennair cooktop requirement.

• "Cutouts in Corian
• "High-Strength Cutouts
• "DuPont requires that all cutouts for heat-generating appliances be high-strength cutouts. This technique is the best and strongest way known to avoid cracking around cooktops. The technique described is patented only by DuPont. The upper and lower edge of the cutout must have a 1/16” (1.5 mm) radius...High-strength cutouts are required for any range style that has a flange that sits on the countertop..." -- Cutouts in Corian

Y K: "There's no mention of the high-strength cutouts which is referenced above from an old document (2015 by the looks of it)"

The document you referenced states:

"DuPont requires that heat-generating appliances have high-strength cutouts. This technique is the best way known to avoid cracking around heat generating appliances. Due to the differences in equipment and usage the guidance is different for residential and commercial use. Contact your authorized distributor of Corian Solid Surface for additional guidance."

YK what do you mean when you said: “fabricator misinterpreted the instructions and went with the cutout radius, rather than the routed area radius”

can you explain the diffrence ? thank you

"YK what do you mean when you said: “fabricator misinterpreted the instructions and went with the cutout radius, rather than the routed area radius”

YK is arguing that in order to be a cutout, one has to cut all the way through the top, whereas a flush mount appliance requires a rabbet into that cutout, thus not making the rabbet itself a cutout.

YK is calling the rabbet the "routed area".

Please note the gently rounded cutout edges YK has pictured. The rounded edges are to eliminate stress risers in the material which contribute to top cracking; they are a necessity. When the gap is filled with the pictured silicone, the rounded edge at the top is going to create an elongated silicone joint which, after repeated cleaning, will fray and become contaminated, ugly, and unsanitary. A silicone joint that fat will look horrendous immediately.

Designers, homeowners, and manufacturers come up with bad ideas on occasion. Flush mounted cooktops are one of those bad ideas, particularly when you use an oversize pot that transfers heat directly to the top. Just once can be catastrophic.

I'm not arguing that. That's what Silestone calls it. They have 2 different minimum radius specs for the corners: 10mm for cutouts, and 5mm for the routing.

Wolf calls it recess vs cutout, and they specify 11mm for the corner radius.

Gaggenau says it needs to be 5mm for the recess/routed area and 3! mm for the cutout, which is also against every estone manufacturer's spec for cutouts.

Real life reviews of flush installations say the silicone is not a problem. If OP's fabricator did it right, it would be 3mm or 1/8" and it's not that fat. You will also read the reports of the edge of these cooktops cracking from being hit on the side with pots. So from my perspective it's just a trade-off between the risk of cracking the glass and the risk of burning the stone with a hot pot. I do understand that burning the stone is a lot worse than cracking the glass. But somehow cracking the glass seems a lot more likely to happen if it's sticking out.

We asked the fabricator to remove the countertop and redo the whole area but not doing it flush and we even said we would pay for the new stone but the fabricator refuse to do it again which is crazy.

to another question. is it possible to remove the countertop without damaging the base cabinet or the backsplash stone that rest on top of the countertop?

I have a Wolf induction cooktop that is flush mounted into granite, which I realize may be different from the situation with manufactured quartz or other solid surface countertops. Nevertheless, I absolutely love the flush mount and have had no problems in the 8 years since it was installed. I had a first-class fabricator and installer and the cooktop was mounted with approx. 1 mm clearance around the perimeter. There is a special sealant recommended by Wolf that was used to seal it in.

It looks like your fabricator was first class as he did a beautiful job. our fabricator only charges like first class 11 K but as you can see isnt even willing to fix his own mistakes

" ...is it possible to remove the countertop without damaging the base cabinet or the backsplash stone that rest on top of the countertop?"

Yes.

Edit.......

"Yes"

,but maybe not so much with this fabricator

The Wolf induction cooktop instructions specify an "outside corner radius" of 11 mm while the maximum radius of the cutout corner for the Jennair JIC4736HB which this appears to be, is only 2mm. You can see from the photo that the corner of the Wolf cooktop is noticeably rounded.

In the end we ended up going with the traditional (non-flush) install, and super happy we went with that. I wouldn't recommend doing a flush install with the Jennair cooktop.