There's a Chip in Your Countertop? Don't Panic!

By: Ginger Perales

Finding a chip in your granite counter can be deeply upsetting, especially considering the time and expense of choosing and installing the perfect countertop. As one of the hardest materials used for countertops, granite has a well-deserved reputation for durability and lasting beauty, and while it is incredibly heat and crack resistant, it is not, however, indestructible and like other solid surfaces, heavy objects when dropped, can chip or damage the surface, most often around the sink or along the edges.

However, repairing a chip in a granite countertop is not as hard as may believe, and consists of just a few basic steps: cleaning the chipped surface, filling in the chip (preferably with a material like epoxy which has great bonding abilities), followed by sanding, polishing, and buffing. Easy enough, right?

Repairing a granite chip, although not for everyone, has never been easier with repair kits like Mr. Stone’s Granite Chip Repair Kit readily available. Granite repair kits include everything a homeowner will need to fill a small chip in their granite, marble, and other natural stone counters. In just a few minutes, you can repair your granite countertop yourself, saving valuable time and money.

The All Granite & Marble Chem-Set repair kit for chips in granite includes Quick Tac II (2oz Spray Bottle), a 1oz bottle of Chem-Set CA5 (Thin Set), and a 1oz bottle of Chem-Set CA2400 (Thick Set).

Ivory Fantasy Granite Countertops from Marble.com

The steps for doing your own chip repair include:

1. Prepare the work area by clearing the area of any dishes, decorations, or any other items that could interfere with your work.

2. Wash and clean the counter around the chipped area, preferably with a dedicated granite countertop cleaner like AGM Cleaner (which contains a small quantity of sealer that will help to preserve your granite counters) or with soap and water.

3. Fill the chip with the gel epoxy that’s included in the repair kit. Because of granite’s natural variations, using the translucent epoxy will make it nearly impossible to tell that an imperfection ever existed.

An epoxy, similar to the one found in the Granite Chip Repair Kit is used around the world to prepare the granite slabs that will be used as bathrooms and kitchen countertops after they’ve been quarried and before they are shipped.

4. After the epoxy has placed in the chipped area of the granite, apply the hardener spray, also included in the repair kit, and wipe away any excess spray from the adjacent surfaces to finish the chip filling.

The hardener helps the epoxy set and ensures the strength and durability of the chip repair.

5. After the hardener has had a chance to completely dry, carefully smooth out the repaired area, using a razor blade or similar tool, to make it level with the rest of the countertop.

6. Buff out the repair area using a piece of steel wool until it looks smooth for a beautiful finishing touch. You can also apply a granite polisher, like AGM Cleaner to add shine to the area.

Not every homeowner has steel wool around the house, nor is every homeowner completely using epoxy and hardeners, or even razor blades for that matter. In this case, calling in a professional to complete the repair is a perfectly acceptable option, and their work is typically guaranteed to match the surrounding granite and to stay in place.

In cases where there is extensive damage over a larger area or a large crack, the repair process should be deferred to a professional who has the right tools, and experience to complete the job. Even the most durable granite countertops will require maintenance eventually.