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Orange Park family blames ugly granite countertops on contractor error

Granite countertops changed from pretty to ugly after the stone begins changing color. Is the granite company liable?

We met John Soares at Maple Street Biscuit company. His complaint is with the contractor who installed his granite countertops.

"December of last year we started noticing that the edges of the counters were darkening," he said. 

Granite is a natural stone and subject to a degree on imperfections. But is this an this an issue of a defective product or installation problem?

"They did not put any sealer on it," he said, "we were told about it six months later."

His wife, Angelina, is very unhappy with the countertops. It is not a case of buyer remorse, it is the fact that the color abruptly darkened in some areas.

She pointed out the affected areas.

"As you can see this is all discolored here," she said. 

The granite counters were installed in June of 2017 and the problem wasn't discovered until nearly six months later in December 2017.

"We put four thousand dollars in this countertop and they look horrible," said Soares. "It is kind of almost embarrassing to have company over."

The work was done by Art Stones Design Corporation. The owner Marco Pertile said he has made several attempts to correct the problem.

"The stone didn't decide to change color," he said. "We believe grease was absorbed into the stone and caused it to change color."

Pertile said he recently offered to replace the granite with quartz for another $2,400.

Soares said that is simply too much money. He wants the company to stand behind its product.

Pertile said his goal is a satisfied customer and he has tried to live by that goal for the past 14 years. He said he is still willing to work these issues out. 

"I am not satisfied, not now," Soares said.

Unfortunately, there is no warranty on the granite, just on the installation. So as long as the company is willing to correct the problem, Soares should give them a chance.

If the two fail to reach a resolution, he can always take it to court. 

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