Fix those granite chips!

13 years ago

My kitchen reno is 3 years old, and for over a year, I've been staring at a couple of chips in my granite around the sink. In anticipation of my MIL visiting (such a motivator!) I called the granite fabricator for a fix. It took one hour and cost $100, but I now have *perfect* granite once again! The repairs are absolutely invisible.

Featured Answer

RyeMarble

13 years ago

As owner of a granite shop I can assure you that almost any crack or chip can be fixed by a capable fabricator. However for very small surface chips, Cat Moms techniques is not all that different then a professionals.

To fix a small chip in your granite countertop yourself follow these steps.

Purchase medium viscosity CA glue (super glue) from a local hobby store. Should only cost about $4 - $5.

Make sure the chip is clean and dry. Clean with acetone or nail polish remover.

Depending on the stone you may want to darken the affected area with a marker (as cat mom did) or a crayon. For lighter stones, or stones with a lot of quartz this step is usually not needed.

Apply just enough CA glue to completely encapsulate the chip, (you don't want to apply way too much or the next step will take a while) and wait for the glue to completely cure, (CA accelerators are sold which cure the glue immediately for less than $10 but be careful on light colored stones as they can create what we in the industry call a 'bloom' which is an ugly green stain which is very hard to remove.

Take a single edge razor blade and hold it perpendicular to the stone, and with a quick back and forth motion 'shave' the glue off a little at a time until you remove all the excess glue. This process will only take a couple of minutes, and will result in a filled chip undetectable to the human hand.

If desired the completed are can be polished up a little with extra fine steel wool or toothpaste.

Hope you found this information useful. For any questions relating to granite countertops, or hiring qualified pros, check out the Stone Fabricators Alliance Forum.
Alex DiPietro

Here is a link that might be useful: Stone Fabricators Alliance (SFA)

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Comments (13)

sugar_maple_30
13 years ago
I'm guessing there's nothing like a MIL to motivate one to do all those nagging fix-ups! My DH's mother died when he was 16, so I have no *encouragement* from that quarter!

I'm happy your results were good. I had our fella in to fix one little chip, no one except us knows it's even there.

I have to call him in again for another chip (I bashed the corner when I was taking a full pot of soup out of the fridge, and a tiny piece came out), but I think I'll wait until after the holidays, just in case...

It is grand, isn't it, to cross those annoying little *must do's* off the list :)
sabjimata
13 years ago
I have chips in my marble but don't care because I know if I ever need perfect countertops, I can call the fabricator to fill in with epoxy. Love it!
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ellendi
13 years ago
So, how is exactly is it done? I have giallo ornamenta,which has many colors. Do they match the color?
coolbeansw
Original Author
13 years ago
I didn't watch him work, but he used a resin and another product to make it dry and then polished it. My granite is black diamond. I can neither see nor feel the fixes.
tracey_b
13 years ago
You can fix these little nicks ("holes")??? Great news! My 8' island has 2 small ones that are driving me crazy just because I know they're there.

Thanks!
islanddevil
13 years ago
What granite do you guys have? Ours is 10 yeares old and has taken a lot of abuse without chipping. Are some more prone to chip? Would like to know as a consider this remodel. Thanks.
homeagain
13 years ago
We have venetian gold (5 years old) and I bashed the side of my island with a pampered chef stoneware one day and chipped a fairly large piece. Our granite installers are 2 hours away. Will any fabricator fix it or does it have to be the installer?
sugar_maple_30
13 years ago
Mine is antique brown.

It's very, very hard, but also one of the brittle ones, so I was told (after it was in of course!)

When it's been in for 10 years, I'll know then if it was a mistake to go with a *brittle* granite. But just that word makes me a bit nervous :)
boxerpups
13 years ago
One more reason I love granite so much.

I had no idea they could fix chips. Currently, there are
no chips. But...because I have a wildly active,
clumsy, forgetful, accident prone, athletic yet gangly,
ham-fisted, loud, boisterous, lumbering, and foolish
style family that could create a chip in Iron. So I can
assume that there will be a chip.

I now can take a small breather and not have to diligently
watch my granite like it is a newborn. I have had one
stupid child with his spindly arms climb the counter to
reach a dish from the top shelf. IDIOT! Another who
tossed her 70 lbs goalie sports equipment on the ledge.
So you can see I am thankful that IF something were to
occur the granite could be saved.

~boxer
cat_mom
13 years ago
I have chipped the granite by our sink (dropped a bowl for the first chip--granite chipped, not a mark on the bowl--gotta love that Mikasa Maxima!). I actually "fixed" (filled in) the chips myself using super glue and a Sharpie. I darkened the chip with the Sharpie, then filled in the chip with glue. I waited for the glue to dry, then "buffed" it with 000 (or 00 or 0000) steel wool 'til it shined up (a dab of this one sealer we have helped with that, too).

For larger chips/repairs, I would call in the pros with epoxy.
boxerpups
13 years ago
Catmom,
That is Awesome! You must be very talented, I don't
mean dropping the dish (lol) I mean fixing the granite.
I would have serious fears. I am impressed. Now post
an image so I can see it.

~boxer
cat_mom
13 years ago
I will try to photograph them, but not sure how clear a pic I can get--it's shiny black granite, and the chips were small.

I have to admit, I am pretty talented at dropping things.

:-)