Thursday, March 25, 2010

Cracks & Seams

I am a fabricator with my own shop so I hope I know a little about these subjects.

Everywhere I look in the forums there are people asking for help with cracks and poor seams. There is too much bad workmanship going on out there and it is really hurting fabricators who still take pride in their work.

A little helpful information for anyone considering granite:

1) Seams will always be visible but can certainly be minimized. A good seam will be tight, color matched, not have chips, and level. It takes good equipment and experience but it can be done. Ask to see an installation where there is a seam. If you don't like it, go to another fabricator.

2) Cracks are not a natural part of the stone. Fissures do exist but they are usually filled with resin during processing. Cracks aroung the sink and cooktop are fatal. A good installer will install metal rods in the areas in front and behind these areas to help reduce the chances of cracking. The stone should be installed on level counters so that all areas of the stone are properly supported. Again, go to the fab shop and see if they install rodding.

I encourage customers to visit so they can see the amount of work it requires to fabricate a quality product.



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