Crack in New Installation Granite

Dear Maurizio, We had New Venetian Gold granite countertops installed yesterday. Upon cleaning the kitchen today I found a hairline crack running front to back on the short front portion of the sink. I have been in contact with my granite installers and at first they said that of course they would replace the counter. Subsequent phone calls had them back pedalling to now wanting to repair the crack. My question to you is...will this crack lead to other cracks or continue to widen if I allow them to fix it? Should I withhold money if they do fix it (I paid half of the entire fee; although 1/4 was for backsplash). Or should I continue to demand a new counter? Thank you for your advice!

 

Dear Linda:

Inasmuch as we elected to be the advocate of the consumers of stone, I firmly believe that our task is to be fair and impartial. Some times consumers are not right.

You sound like a person reasonable enough to appreciate that.

If the two narrow strips in front and back of the sink were properly rodded and if they know what they're doing to repair the crack, you should give them a chance and judge the result.

Providing that those two strips were properly rodded, if the repair is done right, it will be final and you should pay the man.

However, if no rodding was made, then there's risk involved and you could insist on having the countertop replaced and those two strips rodded.

Now remember, it's never too early to think about the proper maintenance of your stone. The issue of what you'll be doing day in and day out to your stone is – as it should be intuitive – vastly more important than its sealing (if and when possible and/or advisable) and it's all too often neglected. As you can tell by reading many of this site's postings, you're not likely to get good information about routine care from your dealer or installer. Don't become another statistic! By logging into the Helpful Hints section of our website at:   http://www.mbstone.com/HH_promo/helpful_hints.htm , you will be able to get the short version of our maintenance guidelines at no charge. The full version of it – a 7-page document considered by many as an industry benchmark – is available in pay-per-download format in our Educational Literature section at:   http://www.mbstone.com/literature/literature.htm .  

And remember, every single penny of the cost of the literature will be used to support this site and its cause: your cause.

While you are in the “Helpful Hints” section, do spend some time reading all of the interesting FREE articles you'll find in there!

Finally, keep in mind that we need your support to help us helping you!

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By spreading the word about this valuable site among your friend & family and the stone trades' people you've been dealing with, you will be rendering everybody a valuable service!

Thank you  

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

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