Nelson Tile - Review of Kitchen Countertop Installation…read more
We worked directly with Chris Nelson, owner of Nelson Tile, for the installation of new quartz kitchen countertops. Our experience raised serious concerns about both workmanship and professionalism.
Installation Issues From the start, Chris incorrectly measured the backsplash, resulting in a two-piece installation rather than a single seamless slab. He claimed the transition would be unnoticeable -- the photos tell a different story. One piece is already pulling away from the wall. Other reviews describe Chris as skilled with laser measuring, but that was not our experience. The visual difference between a single slab and a seamed installation is significant, and Chris offered neither a solution nor any cost reduction for this error.
Material Quality Chris purchased the material from a distributor he admitted does little business with. Within just three months, we noticed significant chipping on both the edges and countertop surfaces. Chris sent his brother-in-law to repair the chips with filler. He acknowledged this was unusual and said he had seen it once before with another client, categorizing it as faulty material -- yet when we raised our concerns, he simply accused us of being hard on the countertops. For context, we replaced 15-year-old laminate countertops that had zero marks or chips.
Over the following 18 months, we continued to experience additional chipping, hundreds of scratches, and pitting across the entire countertop surface. We eventually switched to plastic plates out of concern that any ceramic or glass contact would cause further damage (see photos).
Attempted Resolution I had Chris return to the house. It was clear he was reluctant to acknowledge faulty material, but after some pressure he agreed to have the distributor conduct an on-site inspection. The distributor was professional, photographed the damage, and reviewed it with his team. The following week, I received an email from Chris stating that the distributor had agreed to provide a replacement slab at no material cost -- but Chris quoted $6,500 for installation, excluded sink removal and reinstallation, disclaimed responsibility for any damage to finishes, appliances, or cabinets, and required that we agree not to post any negative public statements or reviews about Nelson Tile.
Summary Based on our experience and the lack of professional accountability, we strongly recommend considering alternative companies. When you invest thousands of dollars in a kitchen remodel, you should expect quality materials and skilled installation. Unfortunately, neither was delivered in our experience with Chris Nelson.
We will have the replacement material completed by a different installer.