The stone we chose was beautiful, but the installation was a complete disaster. Based on good reviews, we trusted West Point Stones and paid 100% of the cost in advance of the installation. Huge mistake!
The templater made a number of errors, including confirming that our counters were suitable for the installation of stone. We were later told by the installer the cabinets needed additional support after the stone had cracked in three places. The countertop on one side had an overhang that was too long compared to the other side of a U shaped kitchen. The central counter top had an overhang against the refrigerator when it was not supposed to have one. This meant the refrigerator was not centered below the upper cabinets. A seam was placed in an area of the countertop above the dishwasher that had no support below it.
The installer was a contractor and not an employee of West Point Stones. He should have stopped the installation as soon as he saw the cabinets had spans that would not support the countertop and then suitable supports could have been installed. Instead, he set the countertop into the drywall for support on one backside and cracked the stone adjacent to a stud. This also meant the countertop was offset in the corner so one side had a different front overhang compared to the other. It also had no overhang on one side of the stove. Both sides of the stove were to have overhangs to avoid spills down the side of the cabinets. Instead there is a gap. The installer installed a rough piece of wood alongside the dishwasher to support the seam he made. The support was ugly and only supported 1/8 of one side of the seam. The installer fabricated stories twice about damage (cracks and blemishes) he caused to the countertop. The installer then told us he was unable to complete the installation (drill holes for the sink or repair the cracks) until after the supports were installed.
The owner viewed the project he said he believed the story the installer told him and told us the damage was our fault. When asked why the templater didn't recommend installing the supports before the installation. The owner said the installer didn't know what stone was being installed despite us showing the templater pictures of the stone. When asked why the installer didn't ask for supports to be installed before the job, the owner said the supports could be installed after the countertop was put in place (and then was cracked in at least three places). When asked why the templater made so many mistakes. The owner had no answer. The owner said he would repair the cracks and complete the holes for the sink faucet. The owner refused to replace the damaged stone, center the offset corner or to cut off the excess overhang beside the refrigerator. Please note, the offset corner had not been siliconed in place at this point.
The installer returned to complete the work after supports were installed. He repaired the cracks and drilled the holes for the faucets. Note: The hole for the main faucet was not centered as requested. He did some additional damage to the countertop with his tools and glue. He also moved one of the supports and siliconed it between the sink and countertop so that it was impossible to install one cabinet door.
Now we have kitchen countertops that remind us of this terrible experience. Our dream countertops became a nightmare. All we can see of are the errors, the mistakes and the damage. I could attach many pictures but the one alongside the dishwasher says it all. This is the quality we received from West Point Stones.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $16,000.00