Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - countertop splice sealed?

our countertop on our island has a splice in it near the sink. It's been less than one year and that splice has spots that are swollen on it due to water.

This countertop is less than one year old. The person who built it is building a replacement but wants us to pay for the labor involved with the plumbing, etc that is involved with replacing, which to me does not seem right. When a countertop is spliced together like that, shouldn't there be some type of seal or something to prevent water from seeping into the splice and causing the swelling? They tell us no but I see no reason with where the splice is at that it won't just happen again without sealing it somehow. Are they correct in that no seal is done and does that make sense to put a splice so near the sink? Does that seem right that we should have to pay for anything involved with this?

I assume that this is a preformed plastic laminate countertop. The slabs usually come 8', 10', and 12'. On runs where counter exceeds 12', there is usually another seam. It is always best to locate the extra seam near a corner. Although this tends to look like a wedge, it is out of range of water at the sink. Countertop designers usually discuss optional seam placement when it appears necessary to locate the seam at the sink. Once water enters seams, it swells the particleboard base.

Seams can be filled with matching sealer to make them moisture resistant. It is recommended that the exposed particleboard slab under the counter edge in areas above sinks and dishwashers be sealed with a couple coats of polyurethane for additional moisture protection. Avoid exposing seams to water.

Many countertop manufacturers and installers do not do plumbing. Even if they know how, they do not want the responsibility in the event of a plumbing leak because they are not licensed plumbers.

If there was a warranty on the counter, as with many warranties, replacement parts fall under the warranty but not the labor.

This just does not seem right that we spent $15,000 on cabinets and countertops and they won't reimburse us the $250 that we had to pay a plumber to fix what they didn't properly seal, especially considering it happened before we even had it for a year.

They tell us that they already had the expense of having to provide a new countertop but wouldn't that be a manufacturer warranty that the people we bought it from would cover and not be out their pocket expense? Do you think it's a waste of time to try taking them to small claims court over this? It's not that big of a dollar amount, but it's more the principle of the whole deal that really bugs me. I see them on tv commercials talking about their products and service and it really fries me.

If you feel they are unjust, report them to the BBB. The BBB can put some pressur eon business not working with their customers.

If they installed this seam near the sink, they should have sealed it, it's common sense.

Keep bugging them. If they don't pay, take them to small claims.

The damage to your countertop is due too their negligence and poor worksmanship.

You state that this countertop is on an island? How long is the island? The average island is not large enough to require seams?

The fabricator should have discussed seam placement with you. In general, warranties cover replacement materials but not labor.

It is best to never place a seam in the area of the sink where moisture will be an issue. When moisture penetrates seams of laminate countertops, the particleboard substrate swells.

If you can get by with paying $250 for labor and no cost for materials and get the seam placed away from the sink area, I'd jump on the deal.

Read the warranties on nearly any product, and you will see that labor is rarely covered. When I make an oops, I usually pay for it, but not all do business that way.