Fissure Cut Bait (June 2007)

I hear it at least once a week. Homeowners claim it’s a crack, and installers insist it’s a fissure. Unfortunately for all involved, it usually ends up messy and in court.
So is it a natural fissure? Or is it a stress- or installation-induced crack? And more importantly, if you are a restoration professional being called in to fix this … well, should you?

How to Tell
Fortunately for those who can’t tell whether it is one or the other, the MIA (Marble Institute of America) has come out with a definition of the two in the Dimension Stone Design Manual Version 7. There it states (and this is paraphrasing, but it’s the gist of it):
Fissures occur naturally in many stone types. A fissure is defined by the American Geological Institute as “an extensive crack, break or fracture in the rock, which may contain mineral-bearing material” The term “fissure” is used commercially in the stone industry to describe a visible separation along intercrystalline boundaries. This separation may start and stop within the field of the stone or extend through an edge.
Cracks occur in stones as a result of mechanically induced stresses during handling, fabrication, transport or installation.
A layman’s way of determining whether it’s one or the other is simple.
1. Fissures do not naturally occur around sinks.
2. Fissures do not change the plane of the surface, meaning that if you were to place a level across the area in question, you shouldn’t be able to slide a business card under one end, and light will not bend or reflections change shape across the fissure.
3. Fissures will show up in multiple places and not just over a counter support. And finally ….
4. You should not be able to lose your car keys in a fissure. Yes, that.s a little exaggerated, but at least you should not be able to shove a business or credit card into a fissure.
On the other hand, cracks do:
• Somehow “mysteriously” appear around sinks (mostly due to transport);
• Change plane (following the setting material) and allow light and reflections to “bend”;
• Show up around supports and usually follow a straight line; and
• Allow you to catch your finger nail, business card, car keys and/or chicken wings in the void.
So how do you handle each situation once you know what you are up against?

If it is a Crack
Personally, when I hear of these types of situations starting to develop, I like to know up front who’s paying for the repair (or consultation), and if it is going to end up in court in the long run. These situations are Pandora’s Boxes just waiting to be opened. How so?
Suppose it is a crack, and you quote the homeowner $1,500 to fix it. Then, you later find out that it was installed by a fabricator who sends you a lot of business, and they are being sued for the repair. All of a sudden, you’re listed as a witness in court against a friend, and you haven’t been paid a penny for your efforts (unless you’re charging for estimates). And, let me tell you, court cases can last days, costing you money.
Court cases can also ruin good business relationships, because lawyers will do everything to discredit you and/or your fabricator friends, and that could cause them to quit calling you with paying jobs in the future based on your comments. Also, if they have to pay for the repair, they could be stuck paying a higher price for the repair then the favorable rate you would’ve charged them (because of the regular referrals they send you). Either way, it hurts you.
Most (but not all) of the fabricators and kitchen remodelers we work with would just replace the top if informed of the problem and save themselves the hassle of a bad reputation. For this reason, we ask the end user (if they contact us first) right up front who supplied/installed the tops, and if the customer has contacted the supplier to discuss/resolve the issue with them.
If the end user contacted the supplier and claimed to have been treated unfairly or ignored, I’ll put in a friendly call to the supplier (if I know them) and ask them if they truly were made aware of the situation. This gives them an opportunity to make it right before it becomes a court case.
If we’re contacted first by the supplier/installer, we let them know upfront that the possibility of a crack is high (if it’s bad enough for the owner to complain) and that we can’t state it’s a fissure just to save them a few dollars. Our reputation is too high to diminish for one little white lie. (Also as my father told me years ago, “One lie can turn into thousands of lies.”)

If it is a Fissure
Chances are the customer will not complain endlessly. Many will realize, after being shown the MIA’s definition and hearing a detailed explanation by your staff, that a fissure is a natural part of a natural stone. Many of the “perfection-conscious” customers that aren’t satisfied by logical explanations can be weeded out, pre-screened and/or educated during the initial buying phases.
But the world is not perfect, and these people do exist to make sure the whole stone industry is on the same page. Therefore, it takes self-education to be able to identify and explain the differences between cracks and fissures. If a customer still wishes to pursue the issue after getting an explanation by a neutral party, it’ll be their loss in court.

Before a Restoration Pro Goes Out
As was touched on earlier, these can be stressing (pun intended) situations for the repair professional. It’s another reason why charging for estimates, and asking questions over the phone before you do an onsite evaluation, are wise choices. If I can determine from the outset that the end user is just looking for ammo in a war against a fabricator, I want them to know that they’re going to pay for the bullets upfront, and I’m not going to get caught in the crossfire.
I’ll do an evaluation (at a higher cost than for an estimate) and prepare a pre-court report (in case it can be settled beforehand) but only after I’ve been paid. Why? Because some people don’t like to pay for an honest report when it doesn’t say what they it. Basically, if someone wants me to get involved in their battle, they need to pay me to be interested.
Enough of the debate – can’t we all just get along, cut some bait, and go do real fishing?
Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.
Tom McNall is founder and owner of Great Northern Stone Care, a Huron Park, Ontario-based stone-cleaning and -restoration company servicing all of southern Ontario. He also serves as the director of training, technical assistance, and operational support for Stone Restoration Services, a division of Stone Shop International. Tom also offers corporate and private consultations, serves as a trainer for the Marble Institute of America, and is also on the organization’s board of directors. He can be reached at tom@greatnorthernstone.com.