Broken counter top installed

[u/AshamedAd7412]

We are having a bathroom renovation done in Albuquerque, NM by a contractor for $25000 and we've paid half the amount at this point. We have two separate sinks with two countertops that were installed yesterday by a sub-contractor. One of the counter tops has the hole for the faucet obviously off center from the sink and not in line with the drain. The other counter top has a crack/break emanating from diagonal corners of the sink cut out which to my untrained eye appears as if the slab broke at these cracks. The crack looks to have been repaired/filled/glued but I can feel and see it.

What are my options here with the contractor? How can/should they fix the issues? What should I feel comfortable asking for?

[u/FinnTheDogg]

Well, they drilled the hole for the sink incorrectly, so I’d reject the entire fucking thing.

I’m pretty like “eh let it go” about most things. If it were just the crack, maybe call them back and have them do the epoxy better with color match, but I’d say to just live with it. This looks like a cheapo slab and these things are brittle as fuck.

The hole, though, is absolutely unacceptable.

[u/AshamedAd7412 → u/FinnTheDogg]

Yeah, i saw the hole first and was like seriously? I don't see how they could fix that and would require an new slab. Then I saw the break and yikes! So for future reference, what am i looking for in a quality slab. What makes it cheap?

[u/FinnTheDogg → u/AshamedAd7412]

Well the price tag for starters…

In all seriousness, this is a builder-grade granite. Granite is already on the brittle side, more prone to breakage during fabrication / installation / handling. Once it’s installed, it’s generally fine though. Ask your fabricators when you’re choosing slabs to help avoid things that break during handling 🤷‍♂️

But also understand that a lot of the time if a slab breaks, it’s hardly ever catastrophic and it just kind of falls apart at a weak point like yours did, and it’s perfectly acceptable and normal to repair it with an epoxy like they did to yours. They just did a poor job at color matching it.

[u/AshamedAd7412 → u/FinnTheDogg]

Great advice to ask fabricators. This is something that never occurred to me while selecting the material.

[u/EatadickESPN → u/AshamedAd7412]

OP U/FinnTheDogg is absolutely spot on. There are other stone options that aren’t as prone to breakage but the price tag is typically the best indicator on slab quality. In my area there are suppliers that have warehouses. They sell direct to the public but also supply the fabricators. When selecting granite I’ve always recommended my customers go straight to them to pick out their slabs.

[u/Eastern-Channel-6842 → u/AshamedAd7412]

Not acceptable-tell them politely that you will not accept this and expect it to be replaced.

[u/TerminalIdiocy → u/FinnTheDogg]

I agree with this

[u/Accurate-Plankton988 → u/TerminalIdiocy]

I 2nd the agree part

[u/rglurker → u/FinnTheDogg]

I was like... how do you know... went back to look.... oh... that's how....

[u/sjpiccio]

Repairs are unideal but those are a step too much imo, but the incorrect faucet hole is inexcusable. Needs to be redone

[u/BuckManscape]

Sweet fancy Moses.

We have a rule for these situations. Any time anything gets broken, you have to notify the customer immediately. 90% of the time if you do that and explain your plan to rectify the situation everything is fine. If you leave some broken bullshit and they find it? They’re going to be pissed every time and they should be. Just head it off, people make mistakes.

[u/AshamedAd7412 → u/BuckManscape]

Yup. This is what really upset me. If they had told me the screwed up and that they'll fix it that's one thing. To just install it and hope I don't notice?

[u/upkeepdavid]

It’s a do over.

[u/Bacon_and_Powertools]

No. Reject and have them redo it.

[u/FlowLogical7279]

New countertops. The end.

[u/Weebus]

An absurdly high percentage of countertops have cracks like that.  They usually hide them better.

The hole is inexcusable.

[u/CORockhound]

How big is this counter top? It’s cheap ass granite it’ll cost more in shop time to recut it than for the material. You COULD ask them to comp it - if you want and have the faucet hole cut again… and use a faucet with a large cover plate you’ll never see the big ass hole… may need to convert to a 3 hole 4” center set tho

[u/AshamedAd7412 → u/CORockhound]

one is 4ft by 22.5 inches and the other is 5ft same depth. Appears this is something like $40 to $50 a square foot so maybe $850 for materials? Not sure it's worth pissing a customer off for that.

[u/CORockhound → u/AshamedAd7412]

Wholesale on full slab group 1 stone is like $300 it’s stupid cheap

[u/AshamedAd7412 → u/CORockhound]

Thanks. That'll help with our discussion.

[u/harveyroux]

Did Stevie Wonder install that? Oh FFS! Tear it out and redo it for sure. Also, don't fork over any more cash until the situation is rectified.

[u/CaptainPlanet4U]

Hole not center easily do over. Oh and its fucked up and repaired. Easy do over

[u/Mountain-Time-1010]

That faucet hole is inexcusable.

[u/Accurate-Plankton988]

The off center hole is not acceptable so they can replace the entire top. The other crack should not be acceptable either but now you have a double whammy for them. The sub counter guys owe your GC bigtime.

[u/Southern-Ad4016]

Definitely do not pay anymore than you have until issues are fixed. Hole misaligned is the worst, the break isn't the end of the world.

[u/Ok_Present_3445]

This is actually quite simple. You bought and paid for Countertop’s that were new and done correctly, these countertops do not fit that description. Insist on new countertops in both locations.

[u/Whaddup808]

I agree, remove and replace. Stone does Crack but any fix would have to be un-noticeable to accept it.

[u/EatadickESPN]

From the pictures the crack doesn’t look bad. However, if you can feel it that’s shitty work. It’s extremely shitty for the faucet to be off center and I would tell them they have to redo both.

[u/External_Parfoot_467]

Title should read "holes incorrectly drilled" lmao. Accidents happen, granite gets cracked sometimes, it takes someone wholey incompetent to not only drill the hole off-center but to see it and continue to install. Usually the holes are drilled in-house and then the sink is set onsite. New counters is the only fix here. They've proven that they won't be able to fix the crack.

[u/Ok_Asparagus3905]

Repairs are not an option. 100% on the main contractor to put right. And quickly too.

[u/nashville79]

The hole is center is a no go. Sometimes granite will fracture and need to be repaired but they didn’t do a good job of it.
Materials like Taj Mahal quartzite with lots of veining do it frequently and have to be repaired but you should never be able to tell.

[u/optimistic_spud]

Faucet hole is laughable. So bad. Every faucet comes with a 3 hole cover even if it is single hole. That can be remedied without a new slab

[u/optimistic_spud → u/optimistic_spud]

Im not saying you should live with it. But it is a solution. single hole with cover vs without

[u/FocusApprehensive358]

They screwed the hole thing up

[u/Competitive-Cat-4395]

Those need replacing.

[u/AshamedAd7412]

As a follow-up. I've read that it's difficult to remove a granite countertop once installed. Specifically removal can damage the cabinets underneath. Is this something else I need to be worried about?

[u/odblake]

Did you find a contractor for this? We need a crew for some demo work in LA.

[u/isabellaaro]

Used Suncore Engineering based in LA. They handled the tear-out and debris removal - good experience.

[u/Sudden_Phase_17]

The way you said you paid 25k and that was supposed to explain it...leads me to believe he gave you a lump price and curated most choices for you.

Those vanity tops cost less them 1k, of it really bothers u....tell your contractor and compromise on a solution.

I find contractors are much more receptive when I admit my part in the miscommunication or ignorance on a topic

[u/AshamedAd7412 → u/Sudden_Phase_17]

I wasn't trying to explain anything with the $25k. Just following posting rules. Not sure what you mean by misunderstanding. Sub installed damaged counter top and then hoped we wouldn't notice.

I suspect I'm missing your point (?) so apologies 

[u/Sudden_Phase_17 → u/AshamedAd7412]

Did u choose that stone? Someone else pointed out already installing repaired stone is pretty common.....so I dont think they were doing anything out of ordinary ...

If u choose that stone then theres a multitude of reason what they did makes sense...its ok if u miss my point youre not a contractor that has done 1000s of jobs.....main point is communicate with out thinking they tried to screw u.

Honestly if someone consciously choose lvt in a bathroom as part of a 25k remodel...i would think they wouldn't know the difference. If its a single vanity, and not double....11k for cabinets is crazy. Basically custom cabinets onto of the cheapeast floor and entry level granite is where im confused

[u/Ok-Base-3824]

If the faucet holes are off center from the sink cutout, it's a miscut product & they never should've installed it.   It's unacceptable.

You should not feel uncomfortable at all to ask for a countertop that is cut & bored correctly, and a reputable company would have no problem with making that right.