Does stone come with a warranty?
Stone has no warranty in the consumer-electronics sense, but three kinds of liability must be written down: material defects, processing deviations, and problems that appear after installation. Written clearly it is protection; left vague it is just talk.
Why is there no one-year warranty on stone?
Because stone is a natural material, and its condition after installation depends on fixing method, service environment and cleaning practice, none of which the supplier controls. So the industry works with acceptance criteria at delivery plus a division of liability, not a warranty period. Spelling those two out is worth more than obtaining a warranty promise.
What does a supplier normally commit to?
Three things: full quantity, specification matching the approved sample, and absence of defects that affect use — through-cracks, large colour patches, excessive chipping. All three can be verified on arrival, which is exactly why they can actually be enforced. Negotiate them concretely, such as colour judged against the approved sample with a stated remedy beyond it, rather than the words quality guaranteed.
Is colour variation a quality problem?
Depends on the degree. Slight variation within one batch is normal for natural stone, and the industry controls it through same pit, same colour code. Variation clearly beyond the approved sample, or visible between separate deliveries, is a legitimate claim. That is why keeping samples matters — without an approved sample there is no reference point and the argument becomes assertion against assertion.
Who is responsible for efflorescence, rust stains and water marks?
Usually not the stone itself but the installation and maintenance stage: no six-side sealer, wrong bonding mix, damp substrate, wrong cleaning agent. Granite has low absorption, so efflorescence generally means water entering from the back or through joints. Investigate the workmanship before blaming the supplier.
Where is the line between installer and supplier?
One clean boundary: the condition when the goods reach you belongs to the supplier; the condition after installation belongs to workmanship and use. The arrival inspection record, with photos, is therefore the key document for allocating liability. Without it both sides push the problem to the other, and the owner pays.
How should after-sales terms be written?
Four things: the acceptance standard and its deadline, the remedy for falling outside it — replacement, credit or return and in which circumstances, the freight and lead time for replacements, and the basis for resolving disputes, meaning the approved sample and third-party test reports. With all four on paper, after-sales stops depending on goodwill and volume of voice.