How To Repair A Granite Countertop Crack

How to Repair Cracks in Granite Countertops

Granite Crack Repair Advice & Solutions

QUESTION:

Nosotros just recently had 2 cm Santa Cecilia granite countertops installed.

We found a crack in the granite in the corner. The cleft goes from 1 wall of the corner to the other.

Not too noticeable, but we are concerned about any additional problems it might cause.

My husband also realized that there is no plywood support underneath the countertops, which actually raises more concern for usa at this point.

Could the lack of plywood support be the reason for this crack and should we insist that they come back and reinstall with plywood?

ANSWER:

Certainly yous should have the installers return to assess the damage and, if needed, mend the granite crack. Although, your installer may not be the best one for the job.

There are ii types of granite cracks:

Hairline cracks typically cannot be seen or even felt easily, do not accept a lip, and no gap or separation of the fissure.

A hairline cleft tin can occur during install as the extremely heavy and rigid slab is moved into identify. Typically, such cracks happen around sinks or other cutouts with thin sections of granite.

Naturally, many homeowners want the cracked slab replaced. But it can happen fifty-fifty with the well-nigh careful install and in that location'south no guarantee it won't happen with the replacement slab.

Hairline cracks generally do non demand repair, will non get worse, and do not affect the use, cleaning, or integrity of the countertop. In some cases, additional support in the surface area could be beneficial.

Separated cracks have a gap, are hands seen and felt, and accept a lip.

Separated cracks happen from a heavy affect, standing on the granite countertop, or foundation movement and crave repair.

Granite Crack Repair Options

An experienced granite repair specialist is preferred for cracks in granite, marble or any natural rock.

The typical granite installer is not experienced enough to artfully repair a scissure in granite. You'll end up with an ugly scar filled with epoxy. Installers can do minor repairs, just granite crevice repair is a major repair (with a separated crack).

A person who has made crack repairs before knows the products and methods required and won't be experimenting or learning equally they go.

Cracks in granite are repaired first by filling with an acrylic or using a colour-matched epoxy to glue the pieces dorsum together. The option hither depends on the nature and severity of the crack.

Either way the fissure will remain easily visible and palpable unless the surface is so re-polished.

Filling or gluing the scissure together could exist a DIY job or something your installer could exercise, notwithstanding, re-finishing the surface definitely is not a DIY projection.

Polishing granite cracks to remove the edges of the scissure and knowing how to alloy the crevice itself with the surrounding surface colour and polish requires experience, knowledge and skill.

This is why you want an experienced granite counter repair pro. Most fabricators / installers focus on installing and not repairing.

Luckily, since it's in the corner, fifty-fifty a mediocre repair won't be very noticeable and isn't a structural consequence.

Doing nix is also an option. When the crack in a granite countertop is simply a short, hairline crack it rarely presents any existent problems or gets worse. If it does, then you have it repaired.

Information technology may not be worth the expense and hassle

to repair a single, short or surface hairline crack even around a sink.

Pocket-sized cracks ordinarily don't pose any cleaning problems, and stains are rarely a problem, but applying a little actress sealer over a cleft isn't a bad idea.

Long or full-thickness cracks and/or areas with multiple cracks likely need repair.

Granite Crack vs. Crevice

Any discussion of cracks in granite countertops must too include an explanation of fissures.

Fissures are lines formed in the design of the stone by the borders of diverse crystalline groups within the stone.

Fissures tin can exist short or long... wide or narrow... just in the surface or total thickness... or may run through the countertop edges. Many granite countertop colors don't have any fissures, others just a few and some patterns have many running all over.

Fissures are similar to cracks. In fact, you lot could say a crevice is a naturally occurring "crack" and sometimes can fifty-fifty expect virtually identical to a scissure. The key difference is separation.

• Fissures maintain structural integrity of the stone. No separation or space exists. It's a crack that hasn't actually cracked or dissever.
  
• Fissures occur across the slab... not just in i or two spots.
  
• Fissures are level, experience smoothen and do not have an edge.
  
• Fissures are typically curved and do not run in straight lines or have angular zig-zags, merely sometimes wait like cracks.

Fissures are weak points and can become a "crack" from touch on or stressful forces during transportation, installation or after.

• Cracks are lines of physical separation. The stone has split.
  
• Cracks take an edge you can feel or grab with a fingernail.
  
• Cracks in granite are most commonly "hairline", but can be wider.
  
• Cracks tin can be short, long, surface or full-thickness of the slab.
  
• Cracks typically occur at sink and cooktop cutouts, edges and corners.

Plywood Back up for Granite Countertops

Nearly/all granite slab countertops are installed right onto the cabinets without a plywood substrate. This is normal and provides plenty of support.

A tile countertop would need the plywood or backer board underlayment, but it's unnecessary for a slab countertop. Of class, yous should non stand on granite countertops and exist mindful to follow granite care guidelines.

I don't call up the supposed "lack" of support had anything to practice with the cracked granite.

A plywood substrate is sometimes used to create a level surface when cabinets/floors are not level. Or to elevate the kitchen countertop when a laminated edge is used, which helps keep the border from interfering with the drawers.

The cracked corner probably occurred during moving and installing the granite counter top slab. Slabs are large, heavy and difficult to motility... tin go some accidents. Yes, I know you didn't pay for a croaky corner, but is information technology really worth the hassle to replace?

If information technology was an edge or in an obviously visible area, and then it may have to be redone. But it tin can likely exist repaired reasonably well, and if in a dorsum corner, y'all merely won't find information technology that much (if at all). Possibly you can put some appliance or other decoration in that location as well.

Contact your installer or a granite repair specialist and run into what is needed to set up the croaky corner. Just you may make up one's mind just to go out information technology. If it'south a hairline fissure with minimal lip, it likely won't go worse or crusade any future problem.

Granite Countertop Crevice at Sink Corner

by Barbara
(Portland, OR)

Uba Tuba Granite Crack

QUESTION:

Uba Tuba granite countertop. The elevation is 11 months, 3 weeks old.

In that location is a fissure at the corner of the sink.

I don't know how it happened...no one has confessed to causing it. Should this be covered past the warranty?

Could this have been acquired by the undermount sink not being installed correctly?

Respond:

Cutting outs for sinks and cooktops are weak points and the most probable spots for cracks in granite to occur.

The sink area receives a lot of corruption. A crack could develop from direct impact, someone sitting or standing on the countertop, or stress from using the sink.

Yes... information technology also could have happened during installation of the granite countertop.

Ordinarily this happens simply considering a granite slab is extremely heavy and difficult to maneuver. Despite all best efforts and intendance sometimes a crack develops in weaker areas.

If a major crack occurs during install any reputable fabricator will, repair the crack, cut out and supercede the surface area if possible or but eat the cost and start over.

But if just a hairline crack it may get unnoticed or fifty-fifty when noticed installed anyway considering these are almost never a problem, will remain stable and do not affect the performance of the counter peak.

Highly unlikely it developed considering the sink was installed "incorrectly". Not much to spiral up with that.

However, 11 months subsequently install it'south impossible to tell if the installers are somehow to blame, then not really fair or productive to charge them at this point.

And it may exist zero to worry well-nigh. If the crack can only exist felt by running your finger tip or fingernail over it and at that place isn't any lip, then information technology probably won't be an event.

All the same, if the crack has a lip and/or information technology looks to go all the way through the entire slab, then you may have an issue and it could become worse, particularly around the sink.

Cracks in granite countertops around the sink most often are only hairline cracks without a lip and never really present a problem other than a bit of frustration that information technology exists.

Possibly a simple repair or actress support could be added to stabilize the area. Check with your installer.

Of form, you can't expect them to do this for complimentary since at that place'south no way at this point to fault them for information technology.

If there is a lip, you may still be able to level the surface, repair and stabilize the surface area to eliminate any problem. This will crave professional granite repair of class.

Worst case scenario is replacement of a part or the unabridged granite counter top, but almost never needed.

Hairline Cracks in New Granite

by Donna
(Philadelphia)

QUESTION:

Nosotros accept just installed new granite countertop.

The cutout for the stove top was too small-scale, but the installer shoved the stove top into the space.

Now there are hairline cracks radiating out from iii of the four corners of the cook top hole and the stove acme is cleaved.

One of them goes all the style through the slab. The others seem to be on the surface.

Should we make them supersede the granite countertop? They haven't fifty-fifty hooked upward sink or stove elevation yet. They claim epoxy will solve the problem.

ANSWER:

I'd make them supplant the granite. Considering they couldn't retrieve alee or be patient enough to do the job correct, I wouldn't trust any countertop repair job they were going to attempt.

A single hairline crack somewhere, I wouldn't worry about, but multiple cracks radiating from three corners of the cook superlative cut-out... no good.

You volition exist constantly stressing this area too with additional weight and pots and pans banging around (if you cook like me anyhow!).

Plus, with then many cracks concentrated in minor areas, they may get worse with more condign total thickness.

True, epoxy or polyester resin could repair the cracked granite and better the integrity in the area, but cut-outs are weak areas.

Even with repair and any support that they may be able to add the entire area is compromised.

Epoxy can be very strong and a stellar repair may be sufficient, simply I'd want a granite repair specialist to do information technology.

Now, I don't know how long or how many cracks there are, so maybe it sounds worse than information technology is and y'all're thinking perchance just to negotiate a much cheaper cost and an adequate repair.

That'due south an option...

However, at that place is withal the issue of the broken cook top.

You need a new one... the aforementioned one won't fit this cut out. So, you demand ane that will fit this cut out considering enlarging the cutting out now is risky... could wreck the slab.

Perchance y'all go lucky and find one, only this is a bassackwards way of doing it.

I say start over.

Source: https://www.countertopspecialty.com/repairing-cracks-in-granite-countertops.html

Posted by: aguirresplight.blogspot.com

Share this post