<p>My kitchen remodelers just packed up all their granite and left my house. All this was over one seam, the only seam in the kitchen. My kitchen has 4 countertops surrounding an island. They told me they needed 3 slabs of granite for the job. I picked out the slabs, but this fabricator only had 2 slabs sent to him, claiming that the third was only for an emergency. They cut everything out of these two slabs, but the only seam in the whole kitchen was between two pieces that had each been cut from different slabs. One side had to be about the darkest part of the slab and the other was the lightest. It was VERY noticeble. One of the workers just said it’s “luck of the draw” and “this was unlucky.” Another said even if I ordered another slab now (the next in the sequence is still available), I will sitll not like it because it’s from a different slab. Isn’t that just admitting THEIR guilt? What should I do?</p>
<p>Go back to your contract with them. Is there anything in there about a contingency if you’re not satisfied with the results? Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens all the time with rock, since it’s a natural material with natural variation… I know building owners are constantly irritated with uneven results on their stone facades. We used to have a heck of a time with facade repairs with natural materials because color-matching’s pretty much impossible.</p>
<p>The contractor ought to have notified you before he/she started cutting stone that they were going to be cutting everything from an insufficient amount of material to produce the desired results. I’d very pointedly ask them why they decided to proceed with cutting materials without going back to you and asking whether noticeable seams were going to be okay. If there were insufficient supplies, they should have had the expertise to know that they were going to have to end up stitching pieces together, and they ought to have given <em>you</em> the option of determining whether or not that was acceptable.</p>
<p>Raise a stink. Don’t raise a stink about the fact that the end result doesn’t look good, raise a stink about the fact that they must’ve known they were going to come up short of stone before they started cutting things, and that they didn’t give you the option of choosing a different material beforehand.</p>
<p>Good luck…</p>
<p>I’m really sorry to hear of your problem because granite, when it’s installed correctly, can be absolutely beautiful.</p>
<p>Did you go the the fabricator’s when they templated your granite to make sure that the layout was exactly as you wanted? That’s the only way to avoid these kind of issues, which seem to happen a lot with granite. If you approved the layout and template, then it’s your issue. What do you have in writing? If you contract stated that the seam was to be matched a certain way, with the difference between the two granites minimized, then you might have a case for them to fix the bad match. If you weren’t present during templating and your contract doesn’t have anything specific about the seam, then you might not have a case.</p>
<p>Your fabricator should have been more careful with the match of the seams - an experienced fabricator would have made sure that the template was perfect before the first cut was made.</p>
<p>I’d suggest you take lots of pictures and post here for further advice:</p>
<p>[Kitchen</a> Forum - GardenWeb](<a href=“Kitchen Forum | Houzz”>Kitchen Forum | Houzz)</p>
<p>They did show me the layout, but it was one slab followed by the other slab. I asked that the island piece be turned around to show the better side. They didn’t point out the place where one piece would be joined to another piece on the other slab. Wouldn’t that have been extremely important? But how do you compare those two pieces when they’re from different slabs? </p>
<p>Maybe this is a case of them not ordering enough material. It was “enough” only because they pieced one countertop together. I need to call and get the slab dimensions to make sure this could have been cut from one slab.</p>
<p>The kitchen forum on garden web is filled with pros and others who can guide you through this.(Completely free, it’s really a fantastic resource)</p>
<p>I am so sorry you ran into this problem. We are remodeling our kitchen right now as well.</p>
<p>I just did the layout on my granite on Monday. I had a similar seaming situation. The first slab was not long enough for the entire counter, so my consultant taped off the first piece on slab 1. Then she took pictures of both slab 1 & 2. We went back to her office where she printed off the pics. Then she cut out the taped off portion of slab 1 and we rolled it across the picture of slab 2 until we found a reasonable match. Then we went back to the actual slab and taped off the piece on the 2nd slab. </p>
<p>IMO, they should have shown you where the 2 pieces would meet when you were shown the templates. This is a big investment and to be so cavalier in piecing the sections seems negligent. Ideally, they’ll bring in another slab and let you piece it the way my consultant did it.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Wow, you really need a different contractor ‘cause the one you have ain’t doin’ right by you. It’s not “luck of the draw.” It’s failure to handle the process right. First, the contractor should have made an effort to find complementary slabs. This step is basic. Second, the contractor should have laid out your counters on the slabs for the best effect IN YOUR KITCHEN. Third, the contractor should have gotten your approval for his suggested layout AND gotten your sign-off AND given you a copy of the plan. (This step is for his protection, but it’s beneficial for you also.) Fourth, the contractor should have complied with the plan. </p>
<p>So don’t feel badly about sending the granite back. JMHO.</p>
<p>I laughed when I saw this. Well, not really. We had a limestone countertop and tub surround installed yesterday. It is absolutely gorgeous, which made me feel better about rejecting the first slab that was sent for us and then driving eight hours to an importer in New Jersey to find a piece we really liked. This morning the electrician came to install the lighting and we realized the the sinks are in the wrong place. Whose responsibility this is seems open to debate. The contractor is checking to see if there is enough of the slab left to cut another countertop (though we already used the best part) and has offered to have a new one cut and installed at his cost. At this point, after a number of other problems, I just want the project finished.</p>
<p>Illinoismom…It sounds like your contractor thought about this potential problem. Mine just called me and says he wants $1700 for another slab. I told him “No”. He’s justifying the situation by saying he cut the two pieces from the same location in each of the two slabs. I asked him to come and look at it before they hauled away, but he wouldn’t. </p>
<p>Thanks for the info on the Garden web. I just posted this there.</p>