I need your opinions.......did the countertop installers screw me up or not???

[Mark Rios]

I have a kitchen remodel that I am in the middle of. The maple cabinets are installed and they are sanded and (were) ready for finishing, but they are yet raw wood.

Today, the countertop installers installed the full height backsplash. The bottom of the upper cabinets meet the backsplash at six places. The installers caulked the gaps between the backsplash and the wall, including the joint between the backsplash and the cabinets in those six places. At five of those junctions, they wiped/smeared the clear caulk on the raw wood maple plywood. The spots range in size from 3/4" x 1" to 1" x 1 1/2".

I believe/assume the caulk is a latex product but I don't really know exactly.

How can I remove the caulk and will I be able to remove it completely so that it doesn't affect the finish?

I will need to back charge the installers for the needed repairs (to this issue and for the dings that the guy who did the template put in the faceframes). Any idea on a charge for this repair to these five areas?

Thanks very much for your help, suggestions and advice.

[Anthony Anderson]

Mark, try some acetone or lacquer thinner with a small brass bristle brush going in the direction of the grain. Work slowly and patiently. If this doesn't work, then you could cut veneer to size and use contact cement to repair it/ cover it (if worse comes to worse), before you finish the cabinets.

As for how much to charge. Your labor rate/hr X amount of time estimated to complete repairs +20%.

Good Luck. Regards, Bill

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello Mark,
You need to find out what caulk they used.
If it's latex or vinyl, then acetone or denatured alcohol might be able to remove it before it has a chance to cure.

If it's silicone, then it's pretty much a done deal. I'm not aware of anything that will remove silicone.

[Steve Schoene]

A little gentle scraping can also work wonders.

If I understand this correctly the patches you are talking about are on the underside of the top cabinets close to the back splash. The client will have to work hard to see them. No excuse for sloppy workmanship, of course, but the world isn't ending here.

I also don't quite understand why countertops are installed before any of the finishing. Wood is pretty vulnerable to finger prints and dirt before any finish has been applied. If a coat of sealer had been in place the caulk would just about wipe off with little hassle.