Blotches On Granite
We are purchasing a new home. We did our walk through today and I was unhappy with the granite countertops. There are two very large imperfections which look faded out. Our builder has assured us that this is mother nature and is actually a more enduring quality of the stone. My husband is not sure what to think. Is it normal procedure for the installers to intall the granite with not just one but two imperfections like these. One is 8-10? long and apprx. 4-6? wide and the other is smaller. I am very upset since it is so noticable. Can you give me some advice as I plan to address this with builder but need some back up.
Thank you for your feedback,
Laurie Spartano
Hello Laurie,
Your issue is a common one and unfortunately it was very preventable. In my article, “The Homeowner’s Checklist“, I write about how to avoid this specific problem. Unfortunately, it is too late for that.
Although the granite you chose is the granite you got, there is certainly a degree of acceptable quality for the “Residential Market”. Whereas Giallo Napoleon Granite, with the large blotches, might be suitable for the wainscot of a commercial building it is not a generally accepted quality for homes.
I would appeal to the Contractor as follows: Present my Homeowner’s Checklist and ask if they feel it is reasonable to expect this level of care when buying a new home. If the contractor is reputable, they will say yes. Then follow-up with the fact that this was not done and that if it was, you would have obviously rejected the slabs. You could also ask quite simply, “Would you want to see this in your home everyday?” If the contractor does not side with you and you still want to pursue it, you will have to get a local consultant.
By the way, the granite you mentioned is generally uniformed. Slabs that have large botches like the one you mentioned are heavily discounted if the botch is near the center and unavoidable with normal fabrication. Let me know how this turns out.
Best wishes,
Tom Cordova
March 21st, 2012 at 12:38 pm
Hi there, we purchased a condo and we were excited to be able to pick our our own colors, granite, etc. The builder installed our “Caladonia” granite and it is a very large island. On it are two “toonie” sized blotches that pop out at you as they are black and the granite has a lot of brownish colored cut rock. We have brought this to their attention, we were told by the sales rep that they would not do anything about it and there was another one in another condo and did we want to see it. We tried to talk directly with the builder but were told with voice our concerns with the rep. They avoided our question and after three requests for an answer and instead they came back giving us possession dates and that the granite was acceptable under the New Home Warranty Program. They layed a set of keys beside the blotch and took a picture, not sure what they were trying to say as the blotch is a bigh as the set of keys on a ring and the background is a black/green color. What to do. We will have a pre inspection on April 18th. Oh yes, had someone given any thought to how this granite was cut, if they would have turned the piece around then the blotches would more than likely been cut out with the sink cut out. WHAT ELSE TO DO????? This so devalues the granite as it is such a light color. Thank you in advance for any advice you can give us.
March 24th, 2012 at 7:52 pm
Caledonia is one of my favorite granites. However you received a poor quality selection. Sometimes fabricators qualify that natural botches can be no more then the size of a quarter to be accepted. That is why they measured it with a set of keys. I would appeal to the sales office and asked where they disclosed that this was going to be acceptable. If they don’t correct the situation you need to let people know the name of the builder so that others don’t get screwed.
Best,
Tom