Natural Stone: Frequently Asked Questions

How do you clean natural stone?

Don't let any spill sit too long on natural stone. Clean spills up (preferably by blotting) as soon as you can.

• Clean stone surfaces with a few drops of neutral cleaner, stone soap or a mild liquid dishwashing detergent using a clean rag and warm water. Too much cleaner or soap may leave a film and cause streaks.

• Rinse the surface thoroughly after washing with the soap solution and dry with a soft cloth.

• Do not use products that contain lemon, vinegar or other acids on the granite. The high acid content may etch the surface. Do not use scouring powders or creams; these products contain abrasives that may scratch the surface.

For best results use special stone cleaners available at: www.StoneCare.com

Does granite stain?

Can you scratch granite?

Will seams show on the granite countertop?

Because granite is a natural material and is mined from the quarry in blocks usually no more than 10' long, you will end up with seams. Also, because granite is sold in rectangular pieces, you may want to use seams to reduce your costs, such as in a 'L' shaped corner. The visibility of seams will depend on the granularity, color and pattern. A small, uniform grain will not be as apparent as a larger varied grain. A dark color will be less apparent than a light color. A dramatic pattern with swaths of color will show more seams than a uniform pattern. Most customers have found that the beauty of natural granite outweighs the concern of seams… Having said that:

 Placement of seams is the discretion of the fabricator; seams will typically vary from 1/16? To 1/8 and will be visible to the eye or touch. Color coordinated epoxy will be used to form the seam and blend in with countertop. Even though a customer is consulted with regards to the seam location, the fabricator reserves the right to adjust if needed.

Installation Policy

Template: The home owner or (designated decision-maker) must be present during the template process. This person will have to answer questions in regards to seaming, corner radius, overhangs and special designs on island, etc; therefore it is recommend that this person is familiar with the project.

Pricing: We have priced your order based on measurements that you have provided. If field measurements are otherwise, we will adjust accordingly.

Cabinets: All cabinets must be in their final location, and are installed, leveled and secured. The template will contain information regarding location of sinks, other appliances, seams and edges. We will decide where to place seam appropriately.

Lead Times: From the time we come to your house for measurement to the time of installation is roughly 5- 7 business days, but also depending on our installation schedule. Installation dates are reserved on a first come first serve basis. If the customer does not make the proper selections, at the appropriate time it could take considerably longer.

Installation Approval: After the product has been installed the customer MUST be present to inspect the countertops. At installation a customer approval form will be provided, which will be asked to sign, confirming the satisfaction with the quality, fit and damage free condition of countertop.
If you are unsatisfied, please notify us immediately and will resolve the problem while we are still at the job site to avoid additional costs. For granite/marble tops, it is harder for us to make adjustments if the glue is dried.

Incidental Damage: Final wall preparation (painting, wallpaper, etc) should NOT be completed prior to installation if at all possible. Care will be exercised during the countertop installation; however due to the heaviness of this material: scrapes, punctures and/or digs are possible. These items are considered incidental damages and are customer’s responsibility to repair. If a much bigger obvious damage is done to the wall or structure we will repair that particular part of the wall only, with wall compound only, not paint. 

Wall Not Straight or Corner not 90 degree: Please be aware that granite/marble is cut to fit the cabinet, not the wall. Therefore, if the wall is not straight, there will be an uneven gap between the materials and the wall.

Clean-up: Please be aware that during installation of the granite or marble, if any cutting or grinding must take place at the job site, some dust is expected or a film of dust may be created. The installers will have a vacuum on site to do a general clean up after the job is installed.  But we are not liable for additional cleaning (i.e. the inside of the cabinets, walls, or any other rooms where the dust may have landed).

Warranty: Master Granite Marble & Tile provides a 12 months warranty of workmanship. This warranty does not cover replacements or corrections or any results of misuse, including, but not limited to, improper maintenance or normal wear and tear. The warranty does not cover any variations in colors, shades, markings or inconsistency of the granite and marble once the Customer has inspected the completion of the job and signed the Inspection Form as approval.

The warranty does not cover against scratches or staining by human errors, or pitting/fissures (natural occurrences) in the material.

The warranty will be 100% void if our final invoice is not paid in full. This is called breach of contract, and will negate all warranties.

Thank you for reading our company's policy. We try to provide as much information as possible to our clients to ensure they understand the process and our policies.