Granite worktop installation - help!

124»

Comments

  • Don't capitulate please, he's done a poor job and expects being paid, disappoint him.

    No chance, if he wants money for this job we'll see him in court at this point. Unfortunately we didn't have anyone to get a rec from (the joiner didn't occur to us!) but for £2.5K I think we're entitled to expect the things to be fitted properly.
  • cyclonebri1
    cyclonebri1 Posts: 12,827 Forumite
    edited 7 October 2014 at 7:20AM
    don't capitulate please, he's done a poor job and expects being paid, disappoint him.

    no chance, if he wants money for this job we'll see him in court at this point. Unfortunately we didn't have anyone to get a rec from (the joiner didn't occur to us!) but for £2.5k i think we're entitled to expect the things to be fitted properly.

    Edited as should have said :T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T
    I like the thanks button, but ,please, an I agree button.

    Will the grammar and spelling police respect I do make grammatical errors, and have carp spelling, no need to remind me.;)

    Always expect the unexpected:eek:and then you won't be dissapointed
  • andyhop
    andyhop Posts: 1,996
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    I've just managed to find the installation guide for the sink, and it's supposed to have what they call dowels, but looks rather like screws, attaching it at the front with a retaining bracket. I've just looked under the sink and there are two holes at the front for them. The irony is, we went for a specific sink brand because it was the one he said he was used to fitting!

    We're still waiting on a response. We're torn as to what to do as these coming out will make one heck of a mess. I've spoken to a joiner we've used before and who is fairly decent, hes going to come and have a look at it, see if he can do anything to support the joint, adjust the cabinets etc. Even if we do replace them it's worth him having a look in case we need to put support in for round 2!

    Interestingly he also recommended the company at Loanhead, so if we do end up doing a full replacement I think we'll go there. I know there are some "granite doctor" type people who do surface repairs which might be an option if we can find someone good, and do something structural underneath.

    I think it'll end up coming out one way or the other, but we've just had the kitchen redecorated and I'm loathe to mess it all up again.

    Try speaking to

    Renewall-Edinburgh .

    Cosmetic repairers and are a excellent bunch. They may be able to fill, sand, paint and polish
    Hi, we’ve had to remove your signature. If you’re not sure why please read the forum rules or email the forum team if you’re still unsure
  • Thanks Andyhop, I'll give them a buzz and see if they can help - if we could get it repaired cosmetically then I think the joiner (who's actually a good all rounder who built his own house!) might be able to solve some of the other issues.

    The annoying thing is, they're really blooming nice looking worktops!
  • ryder72
    ryder72 Posts: 1,014
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    worktop MUST rest on the carcase gables. If it doesnt you have a problem. I would also be questioning the kitchen fitting though. It appears here that the units out of level as well. Packers will take up minor discrepancies but really they should be 1-2mm max. Often they are used to account of thickness variations in slabs. This is one of the main reasons why worktops should be templated on bare carcasses. Laminate is very forgiving an will get pulled down to out of level carcases. Stone wont do this.
    We’ve had to remove your signature. Please check the Forum Rules if you’re unsure why it’s been removed and, if still unsure, email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com
  • The granite definitely isn't on all the gables - it's barely touching. I also can't see any packers, and didn't see any going in either. It could be that there are some leveling issues with the units, as with a laminate worktop in place we wouldn't have noticed these and the granite fitter removed the laminate so we didn't have any opportunity to check. At one end the height is being dictated by an end panel which is slightly above the units, and which he took off and reattached (so no idea what it was like before.) There also seems to be a discrepancy in the thickness of the granite at the join which won't be helping.

    I think most of the discrepancies in the units may just be down to a bit of movement/settling, as I remember watching the fitter put the kitchen in and he was checking everything very carefully. Just adjusting legs etc might well be enough to fix it - but the granite fitter didn't check after the laminate came off as far as I remember. Heck he didn't notice the join was over a void so what hope of him noticing cabinets out by a few mm!:D
  • cyclonebri1
    cyclonebri1 Posts: 12,827 Forumite
    edited 7 October 2014 at 7:32AM
    ryder72 wrote: »
    worktop MUST rest on the carcase gables. If it doesnt you have a problem. I would also be questioning the kitchen fitting though. It appears here that the units out of level as well. Packers will take up minor discrepancies but really they should be 1-2mm max. Often they are used to account of thickness variations in slabs. This is one of the main reasons why worktops should be templated on bare carcasses. Laminate is very forgiving an will get pulled down to out of level carcases. Stone wont do this.

    This is what I said earlier but I disagree about the templating bit. It's both highly impractical having to wait say 2 weeks for granite to be cut etc, assuming we are talking replacement.
    Also any minute difference in dimension due to leveling after removal will not affect the lateral dimensions greatly and the overhangs at ends and front will take this up.
    We removed ours 2 days before fitting, this was after templating.
    Then after accurate re-leveling, dropped the sink section with sink back in temporarily.

    Our installer said no more than 1mm per 2 metres out of level, don't know if that's an accepted figure or not.

    Of course in a new installation it should be done first.

    But again it should be supported at the rear and the joints should be over the carcase edges.
    The OP has had a totally unsound job done and no repairs should be attempted until this is resolved with the original installer and they should certainly hang on to the money at this stage.
    I like the thanks button, but ,please, an I agree button.

    Will the grammar and spelling police respect I do make grammatical errors, and have carp spelling, no need to remind me.;)

    Always expect the unexpected:eek:and then you won't be dissapointed
  • An update, for those who are interested...

    This saga rumbles merrily on. We've had the worktops repaired by a joiner (for the support) and a specialist cosmetic repair company. The installer has offered a <drumroll please> £200 discount. On a £2300 bill. We told him that wasn't nearly enough given that it's cost us over £400 to repair/finish the job. He takes weeks, no months, to reply to emails then gets stroppy when we don't answer within 5 minutes. Our offer was the £200 as compensation plus a reduction to account for our costs, so a total reduction of about £600ish (don't have the figures to hand)

    However, he's now gone totally over the line IMO. On the same day as our worktop was installed he also installed one at my mum in laws house (which incidentally has the same floating join issue but we didn't notice until after she'd paid her bill). He has today sent her an email, asking her to tell us to pay our bill, giving full details of the amount we have asked for as a discount and telling her that if we don't pay it he'll be speaking to a solicitor.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.5K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards