I left you hanging a little bit when I began Part One of our marble counter tops story. I didn’t mean to leave you with such a cliff hanger! If you missed it, you can read it here.
The truth is, this is is long story and I wasn’t sure if I should shorten it up in to just two posts or give more details and write several. In the end, I have decided to share it all in several posts in hopes that our story can help someone else who is working with contractors and/or choosing and installing natural stone counters — not just marble.
So, the last time I wrote, I left off with our patchy and shoddy looking counters. As I mentioned, our kitchen designer was mortified. She immediately contacted the installer/fabricator and complained about the install. He denied any wrong-doing or shoddy workmanship and said the stone was inferior and blamed the marble/stone dealer for providing us with a defective product. When she asked him why he didn’t stop working on the slabs when they were problematic during fabrication he continued to blame the dealer and the customer – us – for providing and choosing a bad product. After several attempts, she was not able to remedy the situation with him so she then pursued the dealer.
Before I go further I want to go back to tell you how we selected our slabs.
I mentioned in my first post that we found our slabs on special. We noticed some rust stains on the outer edges of the slabs and thought that might be why they were on sale. We asked why the slabs were reduced and were told by the dealer that they were the last two slabs they had of that lot and that they were trying to move them out to make room for new inventory. We were told that they were still high quality, they were not sub-par and that it was just an inventory reduction sale.
When we asked about the rust stains our designer told us that the rust stains shouldn’t be a concern. Based on our measurements and the size of the slabs we wouldn’t have to use those edges and the stains shouldn’t pose a problem. In addition, if we found that we needed to use those pieces for some reason, the stains could probably be buffed out. Finally, if the stains could not be eliminated, they would be placed in a hidden area — like a back corner or near the backsplash so it would be hidden and virtually unnoticeable.
We felt confident with the answers we received and that we were getting a good value. We trusted the advice we were getting from our designer and the dealer. After all, what do we know about choosing natural stone?
Okay…so back to the blame game — who was at fault for the problems during the fabrication and installation process?
When the designer approached the dealer and told them about our issues, the finger pointing kept on. The dealer stood by his product and said that the fabricator did not use the correct blades when cutting the stone. They told us that we could get a small discount on new slabs but they would not replace them. We were told that slabs do not leave the warehouse if they do not pass inspection.
After weeks of going back and forth with the designer, the stone dealer, and the fabricator absolutely no progress was made. After a few heated discussions and frustration levels at an all time high, our designer agreed to remedy the situation herself with no help from either the fabricator or dealer. She would have to pursue her own recourse with them on her own while fixing our situation.
At first, we looked in to entirely replacing the counters. Doing so would have meant not just tearing out the marble, it could possible mean having to replace the new backsplash as well. After some back and forth, we decided to see what options we might have to repair the existing ones.
Which brings us to the next, frustrating leg of the journey — repairing the counters.
How frustrating!! It seems whenever you remodel or build something always seems to go wrong!! I hope you get everything resolved to your satisfaction. Your kitchen is beautiful!!
Thank you, Marisa! We finally have resolved everything and are satisfied with the results. I’ll be sharing more on the blog in the next few days!
Julie
How frustrsting and sad. So much goes in to projects like this not counting the money. I appreciate your taking the time to write these informative posts.
I am remodeling our kitchen. Considering a marble subway tile for backsplash. What do you think?
We had beautiful cabinets installed from a well known
company with the initials KM. Painted cabinets. Very disappointed that they do not finish the underside of the upper units. So as I write this I see wood…looks like we need to pick up paint. One cabinet became defective during shipping. Told 7-10 day turnaround and now told 4-5 weeks. Nothing special about the cabinet.
Hardwood floors delayed, countertops delayed all because of a pennisula cabinet. You know how difficult it is to book those contractors. GRRRRR
June, I am so sorry you’re experiencing problems during your kitchen reno! I feel your pain and hope that all goes well. Remember, the finished result is worth the hassle in the long run. Even with all our issues, I wouldn’t want my old kitchen back. Things function so much better now and the style just feels more like “me.” You will get there!
As for a marble back splash, I say go for it! If you are installing the tile yourself, rent a tile cutter and find out what blade you will need to cut through marble cleanly. If you are hiring it out, ask the contractor what experience they have had with marble tiles. The one thing I’ve learned about marble is that the type of blade used when cutting makes the difference between a clean cut and something that chips and/or crumbles. Since marble tiles is commonly used, I wouldn’t think you would have much problems. I hope that helps!
Send me a picture of your new kitchen when you’re all done — I’m sure it’s going to be gorgeous!! Good luck to you!
Julie
Thanks Julie. I will send pics. Your kitchen was an inspiration to my design:)
Your kitchen is so beautiful in spite of those imperfections. If I were in your shoes though, I would want perfect.
Thanks, Stacey! I’m really happy with how our kitchen looks, too and now that we have resolved our issues, I’m even happier!
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