Ubatuba dullness

[patg]

I had this countertop installed and there are two seams on either side of the stove.
The installer used a hand tool that looked like a grinder around these two areas.
There was also a fine white powder throughout the house when they finished.

I called the company after the installation because I noticed that the area around the seams where they used that tool were dull looking.
The rest of the countertop has a beautiful shine, it is just these two areas.
They sent out an "inspector" and he put acetone on it and it still looked the same, so he told me there is nothing that can be done because that is a natural occurrence in granite.
So I said to him if it was a natural occurrence why did it just occur around the seams where the installer was using that tool.

Can someone tell me if this is a natural occurrence or what it actually is?
I will attempt to upload two pictures.

Thanks,
Pat

[Mark D.]

The reason it is dull where he used the grinder tool is it was a polisher and he was top polishing and did not bring it all the way back to the gloss.  They used acetone to see if there was another substance on it.

For the fabricator to tell you there is nothing that can be done is horses__t! You should contact them and have them come back and fix it to your satisfaction!

You could use a Diaglo polishing compound to bring out the luster or you could use a Pectro black and then buff it with steel wool, but for what you paid I would have the contractor come out and fix it. If he can't have him contact us. If he won't , well, then he is NOT professional! The contractor should remember that granite is a luxury and therefore should look luxurious!

Top polishing is only necessary to remove a lip on a seam where the stone warped. It happens and it is fairly common, but for the contractor to tell you this is as good as it gets is fairly uncommon and you should see to it that you get your moneys worth.

Mark

[AnAmerican!]

Pretty controversiall statement, and pretty bold. Dont you worry what your customers are going to say when they read what you wrote?I mean, as a contractor the customer should be satisfied, but some customers are never satisfied. After saying that I tend to agree that the contractor who did this job did not use all his resources in providing customer satisfaction. You really should get hold of him again and try to work this out as he owes you a good job, and this ain't it. If you do use the Pectro, make sure this counter is unsealed, and don't use wax on it afterwards...no need, plus it will look like crap.

[jas]

I think this is exactly the same problem with my granite.  The contractor tried to polish the seam and now I have dull surface on my blue eyes granite.  So, can you tell me whether you were able to fix the problem with Mark's recommendation?  I desperately need help on this as well.  I have actually 3 areas that I need to get the shine back.  I am so afraid that the contractor had ruined my three brand new pieces of granite. Thank you, Mark for your recommendations - I thought it was the glue that caused the dullness but in reality I think the contractor messed up by polishing as the dull surface is even bigger now.  SIGH!

[Stone Dude]

i gaurantee that is the result of a halfass attempt to polish the seam. it is very obvious the guy is not capable of such work and should not have even attempted it. im getting sick of these hero installers. dont get me wrong, its more work for me but they are letting down the clients. 110% BS about it being a natural occurance. the stone comes in fully polished slabs. the polish is the stone itself not a topical. below are some pictures of the exact same thing on the exact same stone. the end result is what i ended up doing to fix. you can print these out and show them to the contractor and let him know you are unsatisfied.


this is what the other guy did


this is what we did


before


after

[Stone Dude]

bottom line is the job is not up to par by a long shot. if you still have not made the ifnla payment, dont. at this point i would not let them fix it, they need to pay for someone thatsd qualified to fix it.

[Stone Dude]

i just realized how old this post was, nevermind.

[Mark D.]

Cameron,
the original post is old, but the guy with the similar problem reposted it on 6/20/08.

Your analysis is right on. People who are not qualified to top polish can do more harm than good, and his job sounds like that.

Mark

[Donn2390]

 I found this site because I'm experiencing the same problem. We just had our counter tops installed two days ago. There is a long seam that didn't match up perfectly, height wise. It wasn't a huge difference, but you could see it at the right angle, and you could definately feel the difference. Yesterday the installer came back and ground down the seam, so that part is much better now.
 Now, in the right light, you can see about a four to six inch wide dull spot all along the seam where he ground it down. We didn't notice it until he was gone, but now my wife is furious. She is so upset she want to tell him we will purchase more granite if he will supply the labor to rip it all out and replace it..
 That was enough to send me running to the net for answers. I want to be prepared for him when he returns to finish the back splash.
 He mentioned to me he might not be able to restore the original shine if he were to grind it down, but I was sure there must be a fix short of replacing the counter top.
 If he can't do it properly, where do I find someone who can?
 Now the ball is in your court, SAVE MY MARRIAGE...!
                                                                              Thank you very much.....

[Stone Dude]

please tell us where you are located and i may be able to recommend someone that is qualified for this repair in your area.  most likely it does not need to be ripped out, unless the guy completely went on a rampage on your counters. if he said he couldnt get the factory finish, he shouldnt have touched it. unfortunately a lot of people are trying this repair now but are coming up short.

[Donn2390]

 Thanks for your reply. I'm in Apple Valley, California, about an hour from Anaheim, 92308 is my ZIP.
 I don't think he did a terrible job, just not a smooth and shiny as I want.,  It is in just the wrong place, right where the light from the window hits it, so it really shows up. Had it been on the other side of the room with much less natural light, we probably wouldn't have seen it.
 I still want to see what he has to say, but I think I'm into conracting someone else to make it perfect. Unlike the heading of this thread, we have Santa Cicelia (?) classic, not ubatuba, if that makes a difference.
 Thanks again.....

[vic.s]

Mark if I may?

Don,

Polishing Santa Cecilia Classic should not have been any problem at all, unlike Uba Tuba.  On the fabricator's end I know if they have some integrity they will not leave that unpolished (dull).  This was installed a couple of days ago believe me they MUST comeback and make sure that you are completely satisfied.  You did not spend that large amount of money to get something that you don't feel good about (It's like buying a new car but with scratches on the sides!!!)

Southern California has a great number of fabrication companies, as well as restoration companies, if your fabrication company claims that they cannot polish it, I know some of us will be glad to find someone, for you, who will.

Vic

[Stone Dude]

im in Palm Springs, not too far from you. i do charge travel time, but if the conditions are salvagable maybe we can work something out. if youre interested, post some pictures and i can give you an idea of what to expect.

[Donn2390]

 Hi Cameron... I sent you an email eariler today, only because I wasn't able to post a picture in this site. I have to say, the picture isn't very telling, as it is extremely difficult to see the problem. I took a bunch, but none show the problem.  I would say the problem is much like the first picture you posted earlier. It only shows in just the right light.
 I told the installer today that we are not satisified with the seam the way is now stands. He thinks he is going to resolve the problem with chemicals, but I've learned enough reading this site to know that isn't going to happen. I told him if it isn't perfect, we are going to call in a professinal polisher to make it right. I plan to hold back a portion of the final payment until I'm happy. All of the rest of his work looks good, I just think the seam shows his lack of experience.
 You can email me or call me back and give me an idea of travel time expence and ballpark price on the polishing.
 Thanks very much....
                                      Don

[Stone Dude]

 unfortunately he could not complete what he set out to do, and now someone has to step in and finish the job. i feel that the person, or company that employs that person is responsible for 100% of the repair costs, since it was them that created the issue. this is only my opinion, and as involved as i get when it comes to taking sides. the only other thing i can do is tell you what i would charge. yourself and the fabricator have to work out the details. i will put something together for you and reply to your email.