Kitchens – drill smaller holes in granite

The question you want to ask is, how important is it for me NOT to crack any of the glass tiles? If I were doing it, I would say VERY important, as replacing the broken glass tiles would be a major hassle. I would recommend getting the diamond or abrasive drill bit regardless, and then using it even if you do put your screws in through the grout lines. Make sure your screws are smaller in diameter than these holes - you don't want to stress the glass tiles, whether through a grout line or directly through a tile. As a bonus, if you go ahead with the drill bit, you have the flexibility of putting the shelf anwy

There are a lot of bad fabricators installing granite these days. I have seen everything from edges that are waxed instead of polished and tops that are dyed to make them look like a more expensive stone than the fabricator purchased. If they did a bad job there is no reason to believe any of it is done right.

Do the water test suggested above. It will tell you if it needs sealing. It likely does. I would also watch the edges. If they start to go dull in a few months then you really got taken. Polished edges will last a lifetime. Waxed edges a few months. Polishing takes about 15 minutes a foot with very expensive tools. Waxing takes seconds with cheap wax. This is only one example of many tricks to pass off bad granite countertops.

All granite countertops are not created equal. If you purchased from a guy with lawn sign working with only a cell phone as many today do you got what looks like a good price for a countertop but wait until you try and get warranty work. Good luck because if your installer did not know if it was sealed and you are already doing corrective work you are likely to be even more disappointed in the future as the top ages.