Seam Shifting on Granite Countertops

I've mentioned Paramount Granite Company's blog here before, it's one of my favorite blogs to read.

Barb recently posted a great article about seam shifting. 

I was going to write my own take on it today but realized Barb said it perfectly

and I really don't have much to add. 

So with her kind permission, below is the article by Barb...

"Over the years, we have taken a number of customer service calls pertaining to uneven, or shifted granite countertop seams, which have happened over time. Unfortunately, this is an occurence that can happen that we can not control. It is often caused by house settling, or shifting and while it is common in new homes, can also occur in older homes too. According to, New Homes Experience Settling Problems, an article found on HouseTask.com, “Houses go through growing pains as humans do, and minor problems are going to come up, especially in the first year. Technically, it’s what happens when a house “settles” into its location. These problems don’t have anything to do with workmanship, or faulty materials. It’s instead the forces of Mother Nature. Simply, the earth sags or wood dries out. Houses are always expanding and contracting, but typically in the first year you will get the most amount of settlement.”

House settling, or shifting can cause a variety problems in homes including: crown molding separation; door sticking; cracks in ceilings, cracks in drywall; cracks in cement; gaps in floor boards; and granite countertop seams popping, or shifting. Most builders will warn new home owners that these things can happen, and expect to make repairs for some of the minor occurences after a years time. As for a granite seam separating, due to house shifting, it can definitely be repaired. Some fabricators will do the repair at no charge if it occurs in the first year. If additional shifting however, occurs over more time, the fabricator will most likely charge a service call fee, as the incident was not related to their workmanship from the initial installation."

Image from MGS by Design.