Almost done...now major Granite issues HELP

[Daddyunicorn]

Some might recall me starting this remodel job, about 9 months ago. I am including some before pics, and the current after pics,. Though still far from done.
So I ended up hiring a Granite guy to do this counter. It should have been a no brainer. 6 feet long, 2 feet wide. Backsplash with one measley square cut out.

So my guy has left and doubt he'll come back. He actually thought I would'nt care that he cracked the back splash as he installed it, cut the slab 1 inch short and cut the side splashes too long so they overhang the wall/cabinet.
Spent over a week having him come and do some "sealer" then say it has to dry for 45 minutes then he'll be back, never to hear from him again. What an idiot (me for hiring him) blah blah,thus I digress.

Now this is where I am at: He did some white putty crap around the edges of the sink holes, said it would keep water from going into the granite. Laid some plastic ontop of it. Few days later he came and scrapped it all off and put some cleaner on it. Now there is still these red lines from where he drew the template for sink. You can see in the photo.
1. How do I remove this? Some of the lines are hidden by sink, but not all.
2. There are 2 large gouges in the back splash. How do I fill these and polish??
3. I plan on cutting out the piece above the outlet cutout where he cracked it. Then putting in a small rectangle piece. I have some left over scraps of granite, but how do I actually cut it so its straight? He used a 4 inch grinder. CAn I use masonry blade in a chop saw or table saw?? And trust me, I am quite afraid of hitting that damn mirror when I try to cut it. Maybe I can chip out the end of it, but how to make that look right.Do they make a sawzall blade that can cut granite?
4. Then finally how do I glue in the little rectangle piece and what do I fill the seams with?? There are also 2 cracks at each corner at the bottom of the outlet cutout, but those are hard to see once I put on the face plate.
5. Also don't worry about the exposed top edge on the back splash as I am laying molding around the mirror to hide it.
6. Some of the white crap he put on the sink holes go into the seam at the back of counter and backsplash. How do I remove that??

Sorry for all the questions.

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[Davy]

Hi Geoff, I think you need to find another fabricator. You can't cut and polish granite with tools you have around the house and it is too expensive to buy the needed tools for a one time job. The red marks may come off with some acetone.

Explain "white crap", is it putty or what?

[Daddyunicorn]

Actually today I was able to cut out the cracked piece, and cut a small rectangle to fill in. I bought this Hilti Diamond blade for my 4.5 inch grinder. Funny thing is the cuts I did look better (smaller chips) than the cuts the hired guy did.

I now have some Liquid nails which I'll butter the back of the piece with and then slip it in, tape it in place . Then use some colored non-sanded grout (caulk) for the seams.

I spent much time today with a razor blade scraping off all this Epoxy residue this guy had everywhre. Especially in the corners at backsplash and counter.

I am on the way to get some acetone to see if it will remove the red marks.
There is still the issue of this big gouge in the backspash, about the size of a dime. I think I can fill it with clear epoxy, right?? DO I then have to polish?


Also the guy left behind a black bottle of Granite polish. DO I do that after I seal the granite, or before?? ( he also left a bottle of tile sealer in a green bottle)

The white crap is a powdery stuff (like putty) that he used to seal the edge under the sink. It seems like I can scratch it out with my razor but is kinda hard to get it all out.

any direction?

[Daddyunicorn]

update. Spent $6 on some acetone. Did nothing for the red marks. So do I do that poultice thing I read about? Or does it need to be ground out??
Why would an installer use a red marker that stains granite? I also read about this MEK stuff. Is that stronger than Acetone??
I am certain now what he did was used this red marker (BTW he used my 2 foot straight edge to make the marks, and now my straight edge has all this red marker crap) to make the template, then he did the poultice. And it lightened it but not much.
I eagerly await your ideas.

[bbcamp]

I moved you over to the stone restoration forum 'cause that's what this is beginning to look like.

[Stonehenge]

Hi D,

Please do not use liquid nails, this may very well stain your granite as well.

An acetone poultice should help to remove your marker stains.

For the white material, perhaps razor blades and acetone may also help in this scenario.

The use of epoxy for chip/crack repair and polishing techniques is an advanced set of skills, you may want to call a local stone restoration pro in for this one.

Michael

[doitright]

Hi Geoff :)

The white product was probably a poultice he was trying. First use a single edge razor blade at the seam, followed by some water and agitate with a small brush. Blot up the water with a clean paper towel and allow to dry.

I agree to not use liquid nails for the repair, silicone is a much better choice.

You could try the MEK on the red marker. First practice on the marks that are on your level. If it works better than the acetone, then possibly a poultice of paper towel soaked with MEK may work, covered with plastic.

Restoration is not a part time or do it yourself proposition. Situations like yours often require hands on evaluation and TESTing. Mikes suggestion to bring in a restoration pro is sound advice. You may want to consider it as an option. You could wind up ruining your top (more than the original fabricator, if that's possible :eek: ).

If you choose to not go that route, we will certainly help to the best of our abilities, but nothing is guaranteed.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

[Daddyunicorn]

Thanks for the info. Please help clarify what a Poultice is?
What I have done was bought a small container of powder Poultice. I mixed it with some water and applied to a few sections, covered with wax paper, taped it down and will remove tonight (24hrs).
Since he had already done this, this will be the 2nd time this has been done.
Are you guys saying I can mix Acetone or MEK (I have both) into the Poultice? Wouldnt it just evaporate??

The liquid nails I bought is just to attach the cutout piece abov the outlet. For the seams I've bought a small tube of sanded - colored - grout. Couldnt find any non sanded tube grout.

For the gouge I've bought a little tube of clear glass advesive (super glue). I think I can just dab some on, smooth it and when it dries it should take on the color of the granite. Though it may not be smooth, it will look fine.

P.s. I tried some MEK yesterday, although a little red does show up on the rag, it is still very red on the granite. I truly will follow your suggestions. Please keep em coming. Hiring a 2nd person to come out a restore will probably cost more than just buying another slab. I'm $400 in at the moment.

[Davestone]

G.Dizzle, the acetone breaks down the stain, you should probably be mixing that with your poultice,instead of water..unless your poultice is specifically says it will break down and absorb your stain if it's mixed with water.The acetone breaks up the stain and the powder portion of the poultice absorbs it..sucking it into the poultice and out of the stone...this could take several applications,actually.Try not to rub this stain too much, you're just forcing it into the stone.

[doitright]

Hi Geoff :)

The paper towel I mentioned is in place of the powder. Soak several layers of paper towel with acetone or MEK, cover with plastic (overlapping the paper towels by a couple inches) & tape edges, let the solvent draw into the stone, remove the plastic the following day. Let the paper towel lift the stain (hopefully). Remove the paper towel when dry.

[Steven Hauser]

Hi there.
Sorry for your trouble? have you tried using the razor blade to remove the red marks yet?

Although I agree that acetone or methylene chloride will have an effect I'm not sure you need it.

Concerning the dime sized chips, yes the superglue is a good choice, try to find the two part product as it will be more of a liquid and you can control viscosity. CA is the type to look for.

You need to practice with it though, becaue you will need to use the razor blade to make it level with the surface. Obviously horizontal divots would be easier to start with, but you might as well try.

I also echo the don't use liquid nail cry from the cyber world and suggest you get some GE RTV 100% silicone. Set the splash and use it for the transition between the two surfaces. The color caulk will just crack later and will look bad.

The white stuff does sound like the poulticing compound. I think it would be easier to unhook the sink and take it out, and then reinstall it after you have it clean enough.

It's pretty self explanatory to do. You'll need some teflon tape but other than that you have what the pumber did before to guide you.

:goodluck:

[GraniteGirl]

I am sorry about the hack job you got. :crap: How did you decide on this guy - did he come with good references or did you see some of his prior stuff? I also hope you have not paid him in full.

In the picture it looks as if the side and back splashes are not the same height and it does not look like their tops are polished either?

Honestly - If I were you, I would ask for a refund and a removal. Then I'd go try find a good stone guy to do the job. It will be a lot of hassle, but well worth it in the end. By the looks of it, you have about a 6' span - some stone companies will sell stuff out of their bone yards at discounted rates and you are bound to find something your size among the offcuts.

Oh - and I agree about the Liquid Nails. Is that what he used to set the tops with?

[Daddyunicorn]

now we are getting some action. Most recent poltice where I soaked papertowels in MEK, the laid them on the marks, covered with plastic. This made a noticealbe change. Some areas of the red are gone. Others are faint. I think one more aplication and I might actually be able to salvage this.

Some of you mention not to use liquid nails. Its just to adhere the back of the back splash to the wall, not for inbetween the seams. Are you guys saying dont use grout for the seams? Instead get some colored caulk?

I will need some directions to then seal up this granite after I've done all these poultices. He left some sealer behind ina green bottle. sprays on, hope this is enough.

Where do you find 2 part epoxy that dries clear, not yellow? I looked everywhere at HD. nothing dried clear.
keep it coming guys. this is great. I will post somemore pics soon to show where I am at. I still have the other sink hole to fix.

[GraniteGirl]

Liquid nails stains - I say this under correction, but assume that it has some kind of oil in it. It is nasty stuff - specially on lighter granites.

Use clear 100% silicone for the joints between the top and splashes and to glue the spalsh to the wall.

[Steven Hauser]

Geoff,

CA is a type of epoxy you can find at hardware stores and hobby shops.

Glad to hear the poultice is working.

Tell us the name of the sealer.

:)