New here, need major help!

[Dtrivino]

Hi everyone!

Just this Tuesday my husband and I had Cygnus Leathered Quartzite installed in our home. However it all very quickly went awry...

We had to have multiple seams in our peninsula/breakfast bar space due to lack of material according to our installer. I was made aware of this well ahead of time and completely fine with multiple seams and was assured they would look excellent. Okay...moving forward... we have 6 seams in our breakfast bar and all of them are pretty good...nothing pristine but nothing particularly offensive except for one really horrible one right in the middle of everything. It is completely uneven with a huge lip. The installer is stating it’s the best he could do because we have a bowed slab...which I don’t really believe because I feel like he could have notified me it was defective prior to fabrication?

I digress and I’m sure I’m rambling...besides the horrible seam there is this very odd pattern all over the slab that he claims is permanent and will never be removed...is this true?? Part of my kitchen has a beautiful satin/matte leathered finish and the other parts have this hideous speckling...

Help please I’m desperate to figure out how to fix this mess!! My husband and I spent a great deal of money on these slabs and really don’t want to be left with a ruined kitchen that we are working so hard on...

Thank you all so much for any insight and help you can offer we truly appreciate it!

[Dave.Scott]

Where are you located?

[Dtrivino]

Hi there!

Whoops probably should have added that...I’m sorry I rambled so much and neglected pertinent information! Clermont Florida! Very close to Orlando!

[Dan R.]

First off, breathe. Beautiful material & it is all fixable.
1. The bowed slabs, sometimes (usually) this is not evident until slabs are seamed together. A slight bow can really look horrible. This can be fixed by by smoothing the seam and re leathering it.

2. The seam would benefit from a better glue match.

3. The speckling can also be removed by some finishing work. This speckling looks to be some pattern transfer from shipping and storage.

Have your fabricator visit our site and ask for methods to rectify these situations.

Perhaps a local member could offer some assistance.

All can be salvaged, with a good story to tell in the future.

[Dave.Scott]

Who sold you the stone?
Stone shop, distributor, or the fabricator?
Did you limit the fabricator to the number of slabs they had available to do the job?

I do not believe that Cygnus is a quartzite, could be wrong.
I see an issue with the finish unless it is a fluke.
Cygnus/Aspen will fade in sunlight.

The seam, to me, is unacceptable.

Why did you accept so many seams in the job?
Was it price based?

[Dtrivino]

Hi thanks for your kindness! Yes I definitely need to breathe...I think it’s all just so daunting due to the amount of money we spent...

Our fabricator is being Uhm difficult I guess would be the nice word. We told him we weren’t happy with the horrible unlevel seam and the speckling and at first he claimed nothing could be done for either issue but then when we said we won’t pay the remaining $1200 balance he said he would attempt to fix it if we paid him in full...I am nervous because I don’t want to pay him and have him disappear and be stuck with this...

We are in Clermont Florida just outside of Orlando

[Dtrivino]

Hi Dave.

We purchased the last two remaining slabs available at a stone yard and this fabricator was recommended for the job. The slabs had 134 sq ft of material and we have 110 (a little less actually) of countertop. I did unfortunately limit material I suppose because I couldn’t find anymore slabs and the slab yard said that 2 should be plenty...

[Dtrivino]

We accepted so many seams because we thought it’s what we had to do...he told me that because our counters were so long and there was so little material there would have to be 4 seams...I have no problem with seams I guess as long as they are executed well

[Dave.Scott]

We usually expect a 25 to 35% waste factor especially when you have linear or movement in the material.
So 134 square feet of material was not adequate to do your job, with the linear nature of Cygnus/Aspen we would have required 160 square feet minimum.

I am not absolving the fabricator for the seam, but, the slab yard is the real culprit here.
2 slabs were inadequate for your job.

I would have never taken the job based on the available material.

[Dtrivino]

That’s why I’m so happy to talk to real experts!! Nobody ever told me that! Ay yi yi...is there any remedy for this seam and speckling besides ripping everything out and purchasing new slabs (if I can find them...?)

[Ken Lago]

Like Dan said, relax, it can be fixed.

[Dtrivino]

Ok great! Is there any recommendation for what I should ask for when contacting other companies to fix it? I don’t want to be stuck in the same situation with hiring someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. The installer/fabricators are claiming this is a defective slab and refusing to complete any more work...which makes me think they have zero idea what they are doing

[Angel]

you need to call around and ask other fabricators if they work with leathered/textured material and if they have the capability to repair the FACE.
If they are refusing to do more work it is more than likely there not comfortable doing it.
Most fabricators dont like to work on others work.

as others have said this is repairable.

the grain direction between the upper and lower???CRAZY

[Kowboy]

dtrivino:

I'll be about an hour and a half from you on Tuesday the 20th and Thursday the 22nd if either of those work for you for a free consultation. PM me, please.

Joe

[Dtrivino]

Joe,

Thank you SO much! I sent you a message through Houzz! Hopefully it went through! We really appreciate it!

[Kowboy]

dtrivino:

I'll see you Tuesday if I don't get picked for jury duty tomorrow.

[Dan R.]

you need to call around and ask other fabricators if they work with leathered/textured material and if they have the capability to repair the FACE.
If they are refusing to do more work it is more than likely there not comfortable doing it.
Most fabricators dont like to work on others work.

as others have said this is repairable.

the grain direction between the upper and lower???CRAZY
[

grain difference could be a yield issue.

Be careful, references do not mean everything.

[Dan R.]

We accepted so many seams because we thought it’s what we had to do...he told me that because our counters were so long and there was so little material there would have to be 4 seams...I have no problem with seams I guess as long as they are executed well
[

It could be worse. he could try and fix it and mess it up further. My guess is that he did the best he could. He probably does not know any better, otherwise, he would have done better.

[Omni Cubed Larry]

We accepted so many seams because we thought it’s what we had to do...he told me that because our counters were so long and there was so little material there would have to be 4 seams...I have no problem with seams I guess as long as they are executed well

Bowed or warped material is common and there are tools and/or techniques to deal with that. Many times you won't know how bad it really is till you dry fit the pieces. Sometimes it is bad enough that, even with the proper tools, some lippage is unavoidable and the only way to eliminate it is top polishing, then in your case re-leathering.

There is a chance someone could separate that seam and start over again with gorilla grips or our Stealth Seamer and force that warp out without having to take down the surface.

Adding seams because the counters were so long? That could be true because of yield, but hopefully they didn't just make them shorter to keep them from breaking (ie. pre-break them). How long were your countertops?

Hopefully you get this this resolved quickly and easily. I know how stressful it can be if the ordeal gets drawn out.

[Kowboy]

dtrivino:

We are back on for tomorrow afternoon.

After spending the day with 35 other nice people who were quickly whittled down to 24 or so, I thought for sure I wouldn't beat the 1 in 3 odds of getting picked, but I was wrong. Good thing for the lady suing the doctor for her foot; looked like she could walk just fine to me. I gave the doc and his team a thumbs up when the judge couldn't see on my way out the door.

I know I'm seriously digressing, but a little thread drift can be a good thing. I'm grateful I could have afforded the week commitment and considering the sacrifices our veterans have made to protect trial by jury, I don't ever want to hear any whining about serving. It's a privilege and and honor; suck it up cupcake.

[Mark Lauzon]

Kowboy....wtf are you rambling about?

[Kowboy]

Mark:

Here's what I'm rambling about:

IMG_0039.jpg (434.35KiB)Viewed 1195 times

Seam before.

IMG_0048.jpg (385.4KiB)Viewed 1195 times

Seam after.

IMG_0046.jpg (437.98KiB)Viewed 1195 times

Funky imprint stuff; looks like someone stacked the finished sheet against the back of something.

IMG_0051.jpg (285.08KiB)Viewed 1195 times

Funky imprint stuff on the top half of the bar; removed from the bottom corner without altering the suede finish.

[Stone Guys]

Looks like you just colored in the seam with a sharpie or

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, why the mess you have all over the stone around the seam... but then again you are the sharpie king.

[Kowboy]

Aaron:

No sharpie or oil was used, thank you very much. There is no bleeding, you're seeing things. She was so delighted with this freebie she even gave me a little gas money tip.

[Stone Guys]

What charter boat!

Just a hint.... was directed at you, so I have no idea why you would thank the post!
Ps I can see why it was free!