SFA: What's the Answer?
Quartz Corner-Crack Repair
Jonathan Vanderheyden
Aside from the "told you quartz is crap" answer, how you guys deal with a repair on this? A little hole and fill it? The crack is so tight, can't get glue in. Not sure if corner is 90° or radius under the trim. But here we are anyway.
Andrew Klassen
What's the stone? Is there a minimum 3/8" radius under there and, if so, will they at least help you with slabs?
Jonathan Vanderheyden
Probably not honestly. Learning the hard way here.
Andrew Klassen
Ah shit. Sorry to hear that. It's a tough repair but hopefully someone here has a worthwhile suggestion.
Jonathan Vanderheyden
Help is a maybe.
Paul Evangelista
Had the exact same crack in a slab of LX. Less than a year after install. Customer filed a warranty claim. Denied at first, but after customer sent a second letter on his law firm’s letterhead, we were paid to replace the counter.
Andrew Klassen
Always helps, that letterhead.
Paul Evangelista
Yup.
Robbie Decker
How thick is the material?
Jonathan Vanderheyden
3cm
Robbie Decker
OK
Cody Burton
With quartz I have learned tight inside corners makes weird stress. Iin quartz have to have radius inside corners.
Josh Lingofelt
Is this a job you were just called to fix, or did you guys do the original fabrication/install?
Jonathan Vanderheyden
We did the install.
Josh Lingofelt
I’d be replacing.
Tim Howard
Problem is, if they pull it out and it’s a 90° corner, no warranty and technically not the client’s fault. If it does have a radius, then warranty only eats the material, not the labor to replace, so again it’s costing them money. Either way.
Darin Ericson
Problem is getting supplier to honor a warranty is usually difficult. I’ve never had them pay for labor -- only material. Also using an inside radius does not stop these cracks. It may lessen the chance, but in reality, it buys the manufacturer time. Plastic continually shrinks, cracks in older jobs, and will become more common as time goes on.
Tim Howard
That’s what I’m saying. If all else fails they’ll rub their little crayons over it and say it’s heat-induced. NO WARRANTY! 🤷🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
Nicholas Aikey
What process did you use for prep under the quartz?
Benjamin Salinas
To be honest man there is no fixing that. I would remove and replace. Wish that there was a better solution. But I feel like you’re wasting your time trying to repair it.
Veronica Flynn Grieve
Gotta have a radius inside that corner.
Mark Brooks
Your customer would appreciate it replaced. Allow more room and radius the inside corner. Yes it's costly. But look at it as if you are buying your reputation.
Ryan McManus
A thin liquid glue will find its way in. I would make sure the stress crack reaches its destination before fixing. I’m a natural stone guy but quartz isn’t crap, it’s a money maker.
Morgan Thomson
I don’t think the repair will pass if client is aware of it already.
Alex Erd
There is a pressure point somewhere. Does either end tuck under something? Also need a little radius in all inside corners.
Steve Walker
Chisel it into a vein then put grey glue in there to match the others.
Serapio Jr Roblez
By the looks of the tape measure it looks like you're trying to do things by the book. Improvise, use ingenuity, works all the time
Andrew J. Frey
Put a carpet down. Won’t see it anymore.
Dustin Warren
There is no fixing it. Whether or not it's 90° or radius or if the material is covered or not, you should do right by the homeowner and replace and install correctly.
Mello Cello
Is it still flat, or is one side higher than the other? If it’s flat, then use some super glue (I really like Loctite. I’ve used a bunch of different ones and Loctite seems to work best) with an accelerator and scrape it down smooth with a razor or five. Yes, you’ll still see the crack, but at least it won’t be open
Sheldon Etter
Always have an 1/8” radius in all corners.
Jason Fallon
Piece is damaged, replace it. If I had to guess the window is putting too much pressure on that benchtop, it does look tight under there.
Matthew Leblanc
It’s definitely a 90° in that corner, this is one of the most-common sintered material repairs I have to do. I get a 1/16" concrete bit and drill a hole at the end of the stress crack at least half the way down. Then I take this little scrapy Dremel bit, and very slightly widen the crack by hand. I usually have to scrub everything pretty hard with whatever solvent I have on hand to get all the metal marks and dirt out/off the crack/hole. After prep, I usually go with a slow cure penetrating acrylic. Face polish and send it!
R.J. Matiskella
I always level my pieces and shim the voids. That’s the biggest problem I have seen with others work. I never over-manipulate pieces; my seam is flat before I set it, just trying not to over manipulate it. I always check my helpers as well with my fist to make sure they are filling voids as the silicone to cabs.
Kinsey Jacobs
Hey there’s a new vein, 😂 Looks like a replace.
Chris Tullos
I could fix but it takes a lot of time.
Jadon Sumthing
Dremel it out slightly jagged and fill with a flowing epoxy to match vein color.
Bre J. Benjamin
I don't have much experience with this, but could you Dremel it out, and then use a chip-repair kit to match the finish? I would imagine you'd want to Megapoxy® the bottom for reinforcement too. Don't even know if this would prevent it happening again either.