Asking for feedback from professionals

[1Mayven]

My husband and I purchased 2 premium slabs of polished marble to replace our old countertop and backsplash. My husband removed our old countertop and we hired a top rated company to fabricate and install.

Unfortunately, some of the seams don’t look good to us and during the installation of the backsplash, the installers dragged the pieces over the top of the countertop and left deep scratches. Then, in their attempt to polish out the scratches and improve the seams,they left dull patches, circular scratches from sander in the spots they sanded on the countertop and backsplash. We have had 2 other countertops installed over the years and were very happy with the work. But this job we are not happy with this and would appreciate feedback from industry pros. Thank you.

SEE pictures in Google Drive folder at this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing or this short link: https://tinyurl.com/marbledamage

[Jonathan]

wow, that is a lot of pictures and many issues. Where to start....

I would start by contacting the owner of the stone company and point out All the issues.

[Omni Cubed Larry]

I'm sorry you are having to deal with this. And my post is not meant to make light of your issue here, but... Ay caramba!!!

I would start by kindly asking the owner to stop by and see the work with their own eyes. See where it goes from there. I am not confident at this point they have the skill to fix it. BUT, Maybe they can convince you they can make it right. You also mentioned "top rated company" which is concerning. Our goal here is to elevate this industry; sadly, this kind of work does just the opposite.

[Dan R.]

Top rated by whom?
Premium slabs by what standard? Who described those slabs as premium to you?

Some issue scan be repaired better than others. Where are you located?

Maybe suggest this site to your fabricator, as there is a lot of knowledge here that is shared.

[Alex_Bores]

I didn't need to see anymore from the first set of pictures.
I have to second what Dan is saying...

Top rated by whom?
Premium slabs by what standard? Who described those slabs as premium to you?

Some issue scan be repaired better than others. Where are you located?

Maybe suggest this site to your fabricator, as there is a lot of knowledge here that is shared.

I want to add that your first step is making contact with the contractor hired. Owners only in this circumstance.

[1Mayven]

Thank you all for the replies. I have already given the owner 3 chances to fix problems but they only make things worse so not willing to have them back to do any more work.

I bought the marble from a marble yard that is a member of the Marble Institute of America. The marble yard had 3 grades of slabs with premium being the best and most expensive. We paid top dollar for the slabs and inspected them ourselves. We are not marble experts but from our view they were nearly perfect - even, glass like shine, all smooth to touch and no visible defects or scratches. We asked the marble yard for recommendations on installers (as the marble yard who sold us the granite for our bathroom years ago also had their own installers) but this yard told us they didn't do that, nor did they recommend. So..... we went to Angieslist, Houzz and Yelp. 5 stars at all 3 and their bid was not the cheapest and all the 4 bids we got were in the same range so we were not choosing based on price. We were choosing based on what we thought would lead to the best installation.

[1Mayven]

To add the above, I am curious what aspect of the job any of you feel is unacceptable or, if all of it unacceptable, what are the worst things? We don't want to be unrealistic on what can be fixed, not fixed or what we should demand be done about it.

AND DIDN'T INCLUDE that the sink cut out is not even. You have to look to notice but just another little thing they did.

[Andrew H]

Dear lord...... I don't even know where to start. Is that white caulk in the seam I see? Looks like the stones were different thicknesses and then the lamination compounded the problem. I agree to calling up the owner to inspect the tops while trying to be as nice as possible. The scratches and dull finish are easily repairable, but seam and the lamination at the front of that seam...... I don't know. If the owner is responsive and pledges to fix it (if it's even possible) or replace it then that's great, hold them to it. If not I'd go to war over it. I've had customers threaten lawsuits over jobs that belong on a magazine cover and we've folded. All because of some natural mark in the stone you can only see when you're standing on your head and looking through a magnifying glass. That is unacceptable and I wouldn't back down. Just everything is so wrong, it looks horrible. Total hack job and I'm sorry to be so blunt. I'm sorry you're having to deal with this.

[1Mayven]

Thank you, andrew. I believe the seams have a glue. but the caulk is around the sink. Not really sure. Yes, we have contacted the owner and he has seen it all. And his "supervisor's" (turns out is the owner of company they subbed to) reaction to the seam at the front of the sink (before we complained) was "it looks great!" And the owner of the company we hired, initially tried to tell me that the scratches were part of the natural stone and then that there was no point in repairing because I would end up scratching myself. Basically, his contention was getting marble pre-scratched was just normal. and when he finally agreed to send a crew to fix the scratches, it got worse. We are done with them.

We already had some stone restoration companies come out to look and they say some of the scratches are too deep that they can't remove without making the marble wavy and the stun marks can't be removed. And what looks like tape residue is also something they don't think will come out unless they go very deep. But they all told me that they don't want to attempt too much and that I should get input from fabricators. Hence, why I am here....

[Jesse]

Where are you located? Maybe a member here can go put there eyes on it.

[1Mayven]

We are in Southern California - Los Angeles area.

[Kowboy]

This company should die of embarrassment after you posted those pictures. Threaten to give their name if they don't do-over.

[Jonathan]

They might not have the skill to fix it. Installing and fabricating marble is not like quartz, you need to know what you are doing.

Remove, refund, start over with http://www.millestonemarble.com/

[Omni Cubed Larry]

.......
We already had some stone restoration companies come out to look and they say some of the scratches are too deep that they can't remove without making the marble wavy and the stun marks can't be removed.....

If you blend out far enough, I think a good refinisher could fix the scratches without waviness... combined with some FillaChip on the deeper scratches. It would take MANY hours. But that doesn't address the stone thickness differences on that seam, or all the other issues.
There are so many other issues, that you may be better off starting over with a known good fabricator. Depends on the the level of final result you can live with.

[Andrew H]

Another option if a repair is the way you want to go is honing it. The prior fabricator is correct that you will scratch it yourself, but that is your own doing, while it's being used. NOT brand new counters. If you hone it, they could go deeper and you wouldn't notice the variations in the polish. It would also hide the stuns better. Take a look at the map and find a SFA'er in your area to get a good look at it. I know a guy in LA area that I've seen hand carve rope edges on 6cm marble. He's an insane craftsman. I will see if he's interested in helping you and if he is I will pm you his contact info.

And make sure to post these pics on all the sites where this guy was rated at!

[Gary Anderson]

WOW!

[Darryl Miller]

They might not have the skill to fix it. Installing and fabricating marble is not like quartz, you need to know what you are doing.

Remove, refund, start over with http://www.millestonemarble.com/
[

x2 on this. It should be taken out and a new fabricator brought in for this job. Sorry you have had this bad experience.

Oh, and be careful with those referral sites, a top rating is not always because of their work but how much ad money they spend.

[Dan R.]

All the rating sites are free to the public, but the secret is that vendors have different level of "reputation management", depending on the advertising package they purchase. This includes the BBB, also.

Starting over is the only acceptable path, imo. If you do not, then you will constantly look at the afflicted areas with disdain the rest of your life at that address. Or, at least I would.

As far as slab grading goes.... it have been my experience that there are some very knowledgeable people out there and more than a few dimwits.

It does seem to me that you took most of the reasonable steps of due diligence to insure a successful. And, thus, deserve a far better experience and result than the the pics and story tell.

[Dan R.]

After looking at all the pictures posted:

1. The proper glue could fix a lot of the aesthetics issues
2. What kind of edge detail is that? The top lam seems to be undercut in the Fridge pic.
3. The scratches can be remedied easily by a skilled craftsman.
4. The jagged cuts were from a bad hand sawing job or edge of the slab. Can not be determined from photo, without know slab size and total layout.
5. The singular stun marks may have been in the slab when you viewed/purchased slabs. Do you have any pics of selection process? Documentation will be key in any resolution.
6. The rash of stun marks has me baffled. I will assume (at my own risk), that these were not present at selection of material. How these occurred is anyone's guess, but certainly any guess will lead back to negligence during the fabrication process.
7. Frig detail can easily be fixed by trimming the top back to be flush with the wall.
8. Some details attempted by fabricator/installer does demonstrate that he is aware of some advanced techniques. His execution is poor, at best. As stated earlier, better glue, more knowledge and higher skilled would have made all the difference in the outcome of this job.

In conclusion,this project has many issues that can be remedied by the proper tools, glues, knowledge & craftsman. However, even fixing the salvageable areas of concern, there still exists a significant portion of the project that renders the project not salvageable imo. To spend any more time,effort or money to try and bring this project back to an acceptable appearance is an exercise in wasting time, effort and money. As others have said, tear out and start over. In the long run, starting over is the best path, imo.

[Jeff H.]

I would normally suggest that having repairs made. This is so bad that I think you should do what you have to and get a refund. Try to find a SFA member to replace this mess! The fabricator that did this needs to be hurt in the pocket book. Nail him for the slabs also. This type of work being done is bad for our industry. You may have to hire a professional to present your case in court, if it goes that far.

[Amroczka]

Im assuming that the slabs are liquid nailed to the plywood subtop. If they are, there is no chance at removing to repair. The fabricator should be responsible.

[1Mayven]

Im assuming that the slabs are liquid nailed to the plywood subtop. If they are, there is no chance at removing to repair. The fabricator should be responsible.
[

Yes, they glued to the plywood underneath. Does this mean that even the part that extends into the frig opening can't be fixed? I was wondering how that could be cut with it still installed.

[Alex DiPietro]

Can you post some non close up pictures? It's hard to get a sense of scale of the mistakes without seeing the whole job/kitchen. IMO

[Dan R.]

Im assuming that the slabs are liquid nailed to the plywood subtop. If they are, there is no chance at removing to repair. The fabricator should be responsible.
[

Yes, they glued to the plywood underneath. Does this mean that even the part that extends into the frig opening can't be fixed? I was wondering how that could be cut with it still installed.
[

That firg issue should be able to have the the portion cut back on that return. Honestly, that is the least offensive and easiest fix you have with that mess..

[Amroczka]

I use silicone and have removed tops from subtops but liquid nails... idk? Especially marble.. it will more than most likely break if anybody tries to remove.