Thermoformed Tile Trim

Solid surface can be more than countertops. After he’d cracked the two tiles pictured in the lower right of the above picture, this homeowner wisely realized he was out of his league in his attempt to detail his curb edge. I suggested a thermoformed solid surface edge in a color that contrasted his tile and

Never Ending Negotiation

I’ve had two jobs recently where customers or those pretending to be customers have balked at paying the final bill. Neither is due to the quality of the work performed, the timeliness, the cleanliness, or the professionalism. This “let’s-negotiate-after-the-fact” malaise is blue-collar discrimination, pure and simple. Somehow, despite their previous agreement, some folks just can’t

Unacceptable Repair

In the restaurant business, you make and present the food after the customer has approved it from the menu. If he doesn’t like it after a bite or two, he doesn’t have to pay for it. The countertop repair business is similar. If momma doesn’t like the looks of your repair, she doesn’t have to

Curing Countertop Cancer

Countertop cancer is caused by stone fabricator error and is completely avoidable with proper rodding techniques and/or top transportation methods. When stone fabricators improperly imbed mild steel round or rectangular rods (instead of stainless steel or Fiberglas) in polyester resin (instead of epoxy) water penetrates through the stone or from a leaking under mount sink

What’s New?

One of the perks of being a columnist is getting a press pass to trade shows. The show sponsors rightly figure that letting journalists into the show and all the educational seminars for free would be worth the subsequent free publicity. I think it’s a good deal all the way around because I get to

Introspection

At the risk of being cliché, at the beginning of a new year, I like to take a look back at the previous year, beginning with my mistakes. When you’ve been doing something well for a long time, whether it’s guitar playing or fixing countertops, it’s always a good idea to humble yourself by knocking

One Man Sink Reattachment

When a granite fabricator uses wood shims and polyester to adhere sinks to stone, it lasts long enough for his check to clear, but that’s about it. Virtually every failed sink I’ve repaired was caused by this method although sometimes he’ll use cardboard instead of wood shims with the same results. Undermount sinks must

Sink Switch in Stone

I was called to replace this beat-up sink, usually a straightforward job, but this model has deeply curved rear corners, is no longer in production, and no other manufacturer makes a sink with this footprint according to the homeowner. The solution is to remove the sink, then switch the front sink rail with the back.

Self-destructive Countertops

Every once in a while I get a call to repair a top that wasn’t damaged by fabricator error, manufacturing defect, or customer abuse. The designer, sitting at his desk, did the damage with his pencil and paper. Such was the case on two recent jobs. I was called to the first because the top

Countertop Karma

My 93-year-old customer inadvertently cut a 1/8” deep two-foot-long slot in his solid surface countertop with a Dremel tool while fabricating plastic parts for his coved kitchen ceiling. Those were huge in Florida in the 80s, but apparently he didn’t get the message that they’re out of style now, but I digress. The wild