Can this damage to Quartzite corners be repaired?

Question

Install was today and it appears the slab was dropped as two corners on one end had their corners snap off. The stone guys clearly tried to repair it... and have more days of work to do. Can it be fixed?

More photos

Answer 1

If the stone installer is a sub from your general contractor, he should be the one to confront the installer. You need to confront the GC and let them know of your dissatisfaction.

Like all the comments before, you are paying for a NEW product, not one that has already been put through the wringer.

Now in my opinion, I have seen a number of slab installs, and I have never seen one as sloppily done as this one. The joints at the corners are terrible. They need to blend in seamlessly. A pro installer should have no issue with doing so. With what you are left with as a so called finished product, tells me these guys either don't care about their work, or do not have enough experience to do it properly. That includes the handling of the stone to keep it from cracking to begin with.

By the way, you pay for it once, no exceptions. It is up to the GC to provide you with the product, he just so happens to use another company to do so.

Answer 2

GCs typically are always in the power position as you've already paid for the portion of work that is currently being done. They can walk and you'd have to sue to get your money back, find a new gc and accepted a timeline that goes to hell. So it really depends on the GC relationship with the stone guy, the gc need to have happy clients and if he has leverage with the stone guy.

One solution is to cut the island 1" shorter which could work depending on the cabinetry and allow the stone guy just to recut at least the top piece which would only cost them labor.

I'd get the stone replaced or cut an 1" shorter. That kind of defect is just too big.

The join isn't the best in the stone but not the worst I've seen either. Probably fairly average for a quartzite. You can certainly get better just depends on the price point of the job.

I've got a quartzite island being cut at the moment. I am serving as the GC though. My stone guy identified the weaknesses in the stone that run perpendicular to the vein in the stone I picked. The island is being cut to minimize those weak areas but slabs can break on install and I'd be paying for a new slab if the current one breaks on install - unless like yours I can argue it was from incompetence.

Good luck !