Granite Rocks

unknown

We contacted Mark Newman at Granite Rocks in early 2013 to supply granite counter tops for an extensive remodel of a kitchen, bath, and office. Mark was very easy to work with and helpful in our selection process. Part of our reason for using Granite Rocks was their claims of a better sealing material and techniques, fast and precise fabrication (as little as a week), and superior installation capability versus other suppliers. A couple of days before the scheduled install Mark called to say they had an issue getting the sink and it would be a couple more weeks before they would be able to install the counters. He said they had searched but our selected sink was not available. I found the sink on Amazon (10 minute search) and I purchased it and had it delivered to their shop. The install was delayed a couple of days but did happen. The first few simple pieces went well but when two more complex pieces were installed around a sink the joints didn't align. The installer used a grinder to taper the piece to meet. His "adjustment" was marginal but we accepted it. He filled the joint in the tan colored granite with a pink shaded filler. We were concerned about the color match but he said it was "close and matched fine and could not be changed". The next piece they installed required a cutout for a glass cook top. I provided the cook top's installation manual and asked if they had brought a template but the installer said he, "never used the template or instructions because they were not accurate and because his handheld grinder could not produce the cook top manufacturer's required tolerances but that it would be fine." He cut out the opening which I measured and expressed concern that it was too large. The installer said it was OK. I called the cook top manufacturer and they confirmed the opening was too large and they would not warranty the cook top if (the manufacturer said when) it broke. After some discussions Mark agreed to make a new piece. Because their schedule was full it took some time to make the new piece. When the new installers arrived they once again cut the opening larger than instructed by the manufacturer. I spoke with the manufacturer and they said it was close enough. We started using the counter top and immediately had issues with stains from olive oil, fruit, and other common foods. We also had an issue with the granite giving off a large amount of "sand". Some of the sand found its way under a pan and scratched our $2,000 cook top. I called about the sand and the sealing issue and Mark Mark said it "sounds like the granite was never sealed or is breaking down." Mark sent out a crew to reseal the counter tops. He advised us that lighter colored granite is "softer" and stains more easily. During the selection process I had asked Mark if some granite colors had better properties than others and he told us they were all the same. The stains and the sand continued for a few weeks and Mark came to the house and told us he had never seen the sand issue before. Mark said it was most likely left over dust from fabrication and cleaning and resealing it should work. He told us he would send a sealing kit so I could reseal the tops. He also told us the stone we selected was a "granite" but was known to be very course and porous and to stain more easily. He was confident the granite was fine. I used the sealer kit he provided (it was enough to do some of the tops). The counters I sealer had less of a staining issue. The sand continued for a few months as the surface of the counters started to display pits and become very course. I purchased a $100 bottle of sealer at Home Depot and was able to eliminate the staining issue which Granite Rock's "professional" sealer and application techniques were not able to solve. In July I sent an e-mail to Mark telling him that the sand issue was continuing but i never received a response. The sand issue has decreased but is still present 10 months later. Two months ago we found the granite was losing pieces along the underside of some edges. Granite Rocks sent out a technician who said it was filler used when the granite had "chipped out during machining" He said it was common to use the filler but that it should not come out. He mixed up new filler and did a nice job with the color match and the repair. I showed him the pink color in the seam from the original install and he agreed that it was probably not what he would have done (concern showed in his face and he took pictures). We assumed it could not be fixed which was why we had never approached Granite Rocks to change the joint. He said the joint could be replaced and we needed to call to schedule it. In the past 15 days I have talked to Mark and others at Granite Rocks to try to schedule a repair. Mark is obviously unhappy about it and said it is a lot of work but said he would try to get it scheduled. At this point I cannot even get a returned call. None of the issues are at a level to take legal action but the materials and work supplied by Granite Rocks have been a major (and the only) disappointment and issue in a $75,000 kitchen and bath remodel. Our hope is that we can get another couple of years use out of the counter top on our island (which has the worst pitting and sand issue) before we have to find someone to replace it.

Visited the showroom on Este on April 28th and worked with Monica to select granite, kitchen sink, kitchen faucet and reserve our granite slabs. We made the rough measurements of the surfaces to be replaced and emailed them to Monica at Grantite rocks on April 29th. The job was for 3 separate surfaces in the kitchen and two in the bathroom including back splashes. The bathroom was tricky since it included a loose piece over the toilet and a vanity needed to be installed to be installed under the surface with very little depth to work with. The total area for the granite was approx 53 sq feet. Granite Rocks (Brad) came out to the house to do the measure on May 15th and took very careful measurements and cut sheet plastic templates for each surface. Brad was very easy to work with and together we figured out a design solution for the bathroom. It would have been better however if Brad had done a more thourough inspection of the support structure under the bathroom surfaces because I found out later that some carpentry would be required to get the required support for the granite and that the shallow depth would require a custom order vanity to fit. We signed the estimate on May 18th but at that time we still had no solution for the bathroom vanity. I searched on line to find a vanity that would fit after I made some more measurements and ordered one together with a faucet for the bathroom. I kept Mark at Granite Rock informed via email of the measurements and the vanity I ordered. I shipped the vanity and faucet direct to Mark at Granite Rocks. After all this back and forth on the design issues and completing the carpentry required in the bathroom we finally could go ahead with planning the install on May 31st about 1 month after the initial visit to the showroom..The removal of the kitchen surfaces and installation of the granite was completed in one day on June 6th, we were billed for the total amount at this time. Update - the surface in the kitchen dropped about 0.75 inches on one side due to inadequate support. The surface was only being supported by friction from the side openings there was no structure to support this edge and the granite dropped. The installers did not mention the lack of structural suport at the time of the installation. I contacted Granite Rocks bout this issue but they are unwilling to pay for the repairs to install adequate structural support.

Installation was done within 5 days of order,over newly installed base cabinets. Since there was no existing counter top to be removed, installation was quite simple. The installers arrived within 30 minutes of appointment time and were professional and completed install quickly. There were minor flaws in the counter top fabrication; The sink cut out was not quite exact, even though I had supplied them with the sink and a cut-out pattern, a small chip in one spot on a side edge of the granite and a few rough spots in the pencil edging. Fortunately, these flaws are hard to notice due to the dark color of the Tan Brown granite. More importantly though, the counter outer dimensions were exactly right and resulted in a good install.

overall project went smoothly. The company goes by Granite Rocks. owned by Moellering. Difficult at times to get the sales rep on the phone first try, but always punctual in calling back. Selection, pricing, and estimate process were smooth. Instalation was ok, the team was a little rough and did on OK job on the install (some wall damage discovered after they left).