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We've had silestone countertops for years, but now that granite has come down in price, we bit the bullet and had them installed this week by Home Depot. The installation of the countertop went well---until the next day when the plumber same in to connect the new faucet. He showed my husband how some pieces had flaked off the drilled hole where the faucet goes, claiming it was because the granite installers left the faucet in the hole over night. The next day, my husband was cleaning by the faucet and felt that there was a small chip. You actually can't see it---only feel it. But still, not acceptable on a one day old new countertop. The granite installers came---they feel that the plumber didn't use caution in taking the faucet out and then in installing it. Regardless of who caused the damage, it was agreed that there was a chip. The installers tried to smooth it out. It still is not visible, but the surface feels a little wavy---not completely smooth.
Does anyone know if this will affect the wear of the countertop? Will it get worse?
Do you think I should ask for some reimbursement since my new countertop is not perfect? If so, how much? Again, it looks fine, but it is damaged/imperfect and I won't get full enjoyment from it waiting for it to get worse.
Well, sad to say you made a HUGE mistake getting the BOZOs from the big orange box involved in anything AND THEN COMPOUNDED the problem by not having their crew handle EVERYTHING. The "finger pointing" you experienced is pretty mucht the standard way for any losers that work under the "umbrella" of a "Home Depot Installer" will also try to weasel out of a problem.
That said I really doubt you are going to get any more satisfaction out of these guys. They "buffed out" a chip and if you can feel a low spot / wavy area you can bet that it WILL hold water and when water sits on granite it WILL lead to spotting and aybe even accelerated damage...
I certainly would bring this up with the highest level folks you can but I would not hold my breath waiting for them to do anything.
Lesson learned: don't try to get pretenders to do a job that needs professionals.
You could have hired any granite fabricator shop and still had a problem. I know I have twice hired granite installs from custom shops and they have messed things up. Granite is a hard stone that is not damaged by water. If they sealed the area of the chip after smoothing it out it should function just like the rest of your stone counter top. Since you can't see it I would say to just enjoy your new granite counter top.
I disagree that "any granite fabricator" would have problems like this. Good shops know they'll have to eat any mistakes caused by a sloppy install / careless lack of attention to plumbing issues. The kinds of errors that resulted in the OP having a damaged area near the sink largely do not happen with shops that understand the quality of their work is the difference between profit and going out of business. Firms like HD that have a massive marketing machine have no compunction about finger pointing when problems come up as they know they can steam roll over the cries over those that have been on the short end of their lack of ethics.
Granite can be stained by water, especially water that is high in mineral content. If the pH of the water is such that the stone is actually "etched" the presence of surface waviness that will hold onto water will accelerate the pace of damage. At the VERY LEAST I would pressure the screw-ups from HD to foot the bill for some high quality sealers http://www.granitecitytool.com/akemi-nano-impregnatorHow to Remove Stains from Granite Countertops | Cleaning Guides
I wish I knew who the error free shops are. Can't say any of my neighbors have found them either. But that is besides the point. The plumber could have caused the damage or the person who drilled the hole. But it has been smoothed. It is not visually noticeable. Water will not run there and pool. Water that is splashed will sit on the granite where it lands. As long as it is sealed it is just like any other part of the counter. They do make granite sinks you know. It isn't because granite is delicate like paper mache and is going to wear away in the presence of water.
Home Depot and other big box stores have more to lose than a small business when issues come up. Why? Because people love to trash big corporations and go to blogs and other websites to voice their complaints. I got ripped off by several small business owners in my area. What's my recourse? I start a blog about Larry's Lawnmower business? People are like "whooo?" "Where?" No one cares. If I complain about a big box store I have strangers wanting to pick up torches and march with me. I can honestly say the worst consumer experiences i have had are with small business owners that have a chip on their shoulder and lack any business sense.
I purchased my granite from Home Depot and got a lot of guff about it. Enough so it made me completely paranoid through the whole process. The end result was flawless. I went out of my way to get a local installer to work with me and got blown off by all of them. So big orange got my money. Home Depot hired professional contractors that also install work themselves. They get contracts from the big box stores. If they get complaints, they don't get called again. The fabricators and the installers both told me perfection is a must. I belong to several home forums and have seen some horrific granite installs, none were done by the big box stores.
As far as the problem you had OP I would talk to the store about it. Tell them you are concern with the stone being weak or developing issues later. I can say that after having my granite for a while and talking to others chips are going to happen eventually. I have a small chip that you can't see by my sink. I didnt even realize it was there until I felt it while cleaning the counters. I banged a plate and chipped it. My husband's boss did the same thing and his granite was installed by a local company. Anyway, good luck. I hope everything works out to where you are happy.
That is why it is called "natural stone".
Natural stone cannot be "fixed" unlike silestone (smaller chip) or corian.
Why they stress having you going out (and the buyers should do that too so they don't give u the stone u don't want) & reserve that piece for yourself (many granite places do), and sign off on the project.
Fractures that cause a whole granite countertop to crack can even happen to the most expensive, most beautiful & perfect piece of stone you personally hand picked.
Thus go for the "warranty" if they give you any.
I personally still like silestone best as it is actually "harder" than even granite in that MOH scale.
One thing nice about big box stores like HD is that when the customer make enough noise...
They actually do try to correct any problems till customers are "happy" & satisfied.
Yes... I have known someone who get a whole new c'top replaced at the big orange's cost a few years ago.
On behalf of Lowe's, my Mother had solid surface counter tops installed, (and had the old laminate ones removed), she didn't get granite but something else, I don't remember what type, and I have to say, Lowe's did a pretty good job. You cannot see the corner seam, and they fit perfectly.
so we can take that for what it is worth,maybe she just had a really good installer, and the template they used was very good also.
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I can honestly say the worst consumer experiences i have had are with small business owners that have a chip on their shoulder and lack any business sense.
