Backsplash Does Not Match Madura Gold Granite Countertops
by Lil
QUESTION:Great site!! We just had a Madura Gold granite countertop installed. To the left of our range is a separate piece of about 20 inches of countertop. When the counter was installed it looked absolutely beautiful.However they incorrectly did not extend the backsplash behind the slide-in range. They were aware that the range was a slide in and actually requested that our contractor build a bracket to hold the small strip of granite that sits behind it when we first ordered the granite. The granite countertop professional said it would not be a problem and he would just install a new extended piece of kitchen backsplash the following day. This new piece had to be about 50 inches long to cover both the area behind the range and the 20 inches of counter top to the left of the range. There is now a seam to the right of the range which connects to the main counter backsplash. The new piece of granite backsplash is dramtically different in tone from the rest of the backsplash and countertop. We are so frustrated because it matched perfectly the first time around. The granite pro has stated that he is near the end of the slab and it is very dark at the bottom. Yes we picked the slab, however the overall tone was quite uniform. The entire counter and long piece of granite backsplash have a very golden undertone. The new piece has a dark grey undertone. He is now stating that there is nothing else he can do. Other than redoing the entire kitchen backsplash in the darker tone. We love the way the original piece looks and hate to take that away. Help!! Also I noticed today that there is some spots of what appear to be a dried clear nailpolish type substance on the counter in front of that newer piece of backsplash. We are not even living there yet and the rest of the work is done so I know it must be from the installation. I tried wiping it off with a wet paper towel and it won't budge. Any ideas? I have a feeling the granite countertop pro won't be of any help. We are kicking ourselves for not shopping around for someone who had a little more concern for customer service. We knew he was going to be trouble when he verbally quoted our contractor $22 per linear foot, us $28 per linear foot and then when the written estimate came he was charging $75 per linear foot for an Ogee edge!! We got him back down to $25. We clearly should have called it quits then but our contractor had already given him a deposit. Don't get me started on how many no shows and no phone call to warn of the no show we have had with him either. I will take a pic of the granite backsplash and try to post it as well. ANSWER:What the granite countertop installer said about the remaining slab being darker is probably true and quite common.Color and pattern can change considerably, but a good fabricator will cut out or around parts that won't match up too well when installed. If all that was left was darker, then that is all he had to work with unless you wanted to buy another slab. That's the way it works. The customer buys whatever materials are needed to do the job and for this reason most experienced and reputable granite fabricators/installers do not quote square footage. Why? Because on many jobs you can't be certain how many slabs you may have to buy for the job. If for instance in your case you say I don't want the darker part of the first slab... well the installer has to use another slab that matches better. But you can't just buy a partial slab. So the cost can change considerably. Thus, prices are quoted per job, with square footage (not linear feet), edge, kitchen backsplash, etc. all factored into the final price. And if you indeed paid $25 per linear foot then you got an absolute steal and how the installer made any money is beyond me. Even $75/linear foot would be a very good price. If you had 50 linear feet that = $3750. For simplicity... figure a standard 2 ft deep countertop... so 100 square feet making the cost just $37.50/sq ft.... still excellent. Since the piece in question is small you may be able to find a remnant that matches better, but I don't see that the contractor did anything "wrong" except he could have alerted you to the fact that the pieces didn't match and ask you what you'd like to do. And the communication obviously was very poor. You said the new piece "matched perfectly the first time around". So... you saw the piece that was to go behind the range and it was fine... golden, but then once installed it was gray, which would mean it was a completely different piece? I'm not sure if that is what you mean, but I don't see how it would benefit the installer at all to switch pieces and install something that didn't match when he had a matching piece available. Regarding the "nail polish spots" Scrape of excess with a razor blade at a low angle. Then clean with acetone. That should remove whatever is on it.  Good Luck,Ryan P.S. Get all the facts and simple step-by-step solutions to any problem with our Granite & Marble Maintenance Manuals.
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