QUESTION

Granite Counter Top has Cracked - Hi there. We recently had a granite counter installed and it is broken on the side of the island from top to bottom and it is quite noticeable. The company who installed it is saying that we are responsible for any damage since we picked out the slab but we never saw the actual slab we purchased as the manufacturer just showed us a sample and the company also did not call us when the slab arrived before he cut it to provide our final approval. Can he do this to us? he never advised us verbally or in writing that we were responsible to check for any defects to the slabs and that it is normal to have visibly broken or cracked granite counters installed.

We never saw any defects or broken pieces in the sample slab we chose and were completely unhappy when we saw the end work and with the isntallation as he also ruined our brend new cupboard underneath the counter which he is denying.We are going to take him to small claims court and would like to ask your opinion on what you think went wrong.The company is now insisting that cracks are normal in granite but this counter is actually broken and he never advised us to expect this.He didn't even given us an invoice explaining these conditions and that we were responsible. Please advise and thank you.

ANSWER

ANSWER - Granite counter tops, or any other type of stone counter top, are not suppose to break/crack before or after it is installed, as long as the counter top has not been abused such as standing or jumping on it.

It is not the homeowner's responsibility to know whether a stone is suitable for an application.  The supplier or fabricator of the stone is suppose to be the expert and  know whether a stone is suitable for the application.  If the stone gets damaged or breaks for any reason during the fabrication or installation it is not the home owners responsibility, but rather the fabricator's responsibility and risk, and they then need to replace the slab at their expense.

It is common for the home owner to approve the slab of stone for color and other visual characteristics before it is fabricated, but it is the responsibility of the fabricator to make sure the slab will withstand the fabrication process and the installation process and that it is installed in a manner where with normal use it will perform as intended.

It is not reasonable to expect a home owner to know what the physical properties of the stone are or to be able to recognize any signs of defects within the stone. It is assumed that the seller of the granite is providing you with a standard grade granite that will meet the respective minimums and maximum physical properties per ASTM C615.    Good luck with resolving your situation.