We just had new granite counter tops installed and are mostly very
pleased with the results. The one minor area of concern is where the
two slabs meet and form a seam. Visualy they did a good job but you
can feel that there is a slight difference in height from one slab to
the other. It is probably only the thickness of a piece of paper in
difference but when you pass your hand over it or slide a wine glass or
coffey cup over it there is a clunk. They did send a guy back once to
"finish" the seam and he did smooth it out quite a bit but I'm
wondering if that's as good as he can get it? I don't know what is
possible with granite or how difficult it is to do something like this.
If it is a really big deal and some height variation from slab to slab
is expected then I'm ok with it but If it possible I would like to have
the two sections even. At the back of the seam they are even and it
makes for a nice transition, very smooth and no clunking as glasses and
cups pass over it. The fellow who did the seam work didn't seem to
like doing it. Which is always a bad sign.

Hobo wrote:
We just had new granite counter tops installed and are mostly very
pleased with the results. The one minor area of concern is where the
two slabs meet and form a seam. Visualy they did a good job but you

Call the contractor back. It is their responsibility to do it right.

Hobo wrote:
We just had new granite counter tops installed and are mostly very
pleased with the results. The one minor area of concern is where the
two slabs meet and form a seam. Visualy they did a good job but you
can feel that there is a slight difference in height from one slab to
the other. It is probably only the thickness of a piece of paper in
difference but when you pass your hand over it or slide a wine glass or
coffey cup over it there is a clunk. They did send a guy back once to
"finish" the seam and he did smooth it out quite a bit but I'm
wondering if that's as good as he can get it? I don't know what is
possible with granite or how difficult it is to do something like this.
If it is a really big deal and some height variation from slab to slab
is expected then I'm ok with it but If it possible I would like to have
the two sections even. At the back of the seam they are even and it
makes for a nice transition, very smooth and no clunking as glasses and
cups pass over it. The fellow who did the seam work didn't seem to
like doing it. Which is always a bad sign.

Word. Unhappy campers make poor workers.

A piece of paper is about 4 thousanths of an inch - .004" That should
be able to be polished out fairly easily. But it's definitely
nitpicking.

R

"Hobo" wrote in message
ups.com...
We just had new granite counter tops installed and are mostly very
pleased with the results. The one minor area of concern is where the
two slabs meet and form a seam. Visualy they did a good job but you
can feel that there is a slight difference in height from one slab to
the other. It is probably only the thickness of a piece of paper in
difference but when you pass your hand over it or slide a wine glass or
coffey cup over it there is a clunk. They did send a guy back once to
"finish" the seam and he did smooth it out quite a bit but I'm
wondering if that's as good as he can get it? I don't know what is
possible with granite or how difficult it is to do something like this.
If it is a really big deal and some height variation from slab to slab
is expected then I'm ok with it but If it possible I would like to have
the two sections even. At the back of the seam they are even and it
makes for a nice transition, very smooth and no clunking as glasses and
cups pass over it. The fellow who did the seam work didn't seem to
like doing it. Which is always a bad sign.


Your talking about a piece of rock it's pretty hard to get it perfect. We
have the same situation in our kitchen doesn't bother me

I'm willing to live with it. I would just like to know if a reputable
contractor would consider this nit picking or a reasonable request. It
may be only .004 of an inch but it stands out because everything else
is so smooth. I don't work with granite so I don't know what is
acceptable and what isn't. Any one have a professional opinnion or had
a similar situation?

wrote:
I'm willing to live with it. I would just like to know if a reputable
contractor would consider this nit picking or a reasonable request. It
may be only .004 of an inch but it stands out because everything else
is so smooth. I don't work with granite so I don't know what is
acceptable and what isn't. Any one have a professional opinnion or had
a similar situation?

I already gave you my professional opinion. It can be ground down and
it is nitpicking. Be aware that, depending on the skill of the
craftsman doing the work, hand work can leave a surface that might have
as high of a polish as the surrounding stone, but not be dead flat with
that smooth mirror like reflection. As a friend was fond of saying,
"The enemy of good is better."

R

Hobo wrote:
We just had new granite counter tops installed and are mostly very
pleased with the results. The one minor area of concern is where the
two slabs meet and form a seam. Visualy they did a good job but you
can feel that there is a slight difference in height from one slab to
the other. It is probably only the thickness of a piece of paper in
difference but when you pass your hand over it or slide a wine glass or
coffey cup over it there is a clunk. ...

If your cups or glass clunk against the seam, I guarantee that the bump
is more than .003-.004 inches or a paper thickness! Without seeing it
though, I can't tell you what I'd do. If glasses and cups are
stopping, I call them out and demand it be fixed.

RicodJour wrote:
As a friend was fond
of saying, "The enemy of good is better."

I prefer "the enemy of perfect is good enough".

Travis Jordan wrote:
RicodJour wrote:
As a friend was fond
of saying, "The enemy of good is better."

I prefer "the enemy of perfect is good enough".

Two sides of the same coin. Trick is getting it to stand on edge where
you've done exactly enough work to get it right.

There is also no such thing as perfect.

R

You are basing your slab-thickness arguments on the assumption that the
cabinet tops are perfectly level. I can guarantee that they are not. Lay
some flat granite slabs on them and any slight bump will push up the granite
when it is installed on the cabinet tops. This will create different levels
where the slabs join. The high spots should have been sanded down or the
slabs shimmed level when they did a dry test -- or did they even do a test
before they glued the slabs down with silicone.


"Hobo" wrote in message
ups.com...
We just had new granite counter tops installed and are mostly very
pleased with the results. The one minor area of concern is where the
two slabs meet and form a seam. Visualy they did a good job but you
can feel that there is a slight difference in height from one slab to
the other. It is probably only the thickness of a piece of paper in
difference but when you pass your hand over it or slide a wine glass or
coffey cup over it there is a clunk. They did send a guy back once to
"finish" the seam and he did smooth it out quite a bit but I'm
wondering if that's as good as he can get it? I don't know what is
possible with granite or how difficult it is to do something like this.
If it is a really big deal and some height variation from slab to slab
is expected then I'm ok with it but If it possible I would like to have
the two sections even. At the back of the seam they are even and it
makes for a nice transition, very smooth and no clunking as glasses and
cups pass over it. The fellow who did the seam work didn't seem to
like doing it. Which is always a bad sign.

Take a straight edge like a four foot level and lay it on the counter to
see how much difference there is. They should be able to get it almost
perfect. While you're at it verify that it is level in every direction.

I use this one

Better is the enemy of good enough

cheers
Bob


On the granite mismatch.......is it really .004?

Will a sheet of paper placed on the lower slab prevent the "clunk"

I don't think I'd like the clunk, esp if there was a tipping potential.


It is possible to remove the step & make the counter top flat & polish
back to near original finish but it will be a lot of work.

Level is going to be what it turns out to be unless you reset the slabs

Granite surface plates used for inspection are polished flat on the
order of .0001" per foot.

cheers
Bob