Stone GuidesIs This Normal?
Chipped Countertop? Why Edges Chip and How It Gets Fixed
No stone or quartz is chip proof. Where chips happen most, how a professional fills one with color matched epoxy, and how to keep your edges safe.
A chip in a countertop edge is upsetting, but it is usually small and it can usually be filled. Here is where chips come from and what happens next.
The facts below come from the quartz makers Cambria and MSI, and from Use Natural Stone, the Natural Stone Institute’s website for homeowners.
No Countertop Is Chip Proof
Cambria says it plainly about its own quartz: “all stone can be damaged by force and no stone is chip-proof.”
MSI says the same of quartz in general: “Quartz is extremely durable but can chip if it is hit hard enough by heavy objects, especially on the edges.”
Granite is tough too. Use Natural Stone says “It is rare to get a crack or chip in your countertops.” Rare is not never.
Where Chips Happen Most
At the sink. Use Natural Stone warns: “If you use heavy cast iron pans, be careful when placing them into your undermounted sink. The edge of these cutouts is the most common place to get chips.”
At the dishwasher and along edges. Cambria says “Objects hitting edges, particularly at sinks or dishwashers, may cause chips.”
The pattern is the same everywhere: a hard object hits a thin edge.
How a Chip Gets Fixed
For granite, Use Natural Stone says “Granite countertops should be repaired by a professional,” and “Most of the time, a color matched epoxy can be used to fill the void and it will be virtually invisible.”
For a quick fix until then, it says “Superglue can be used in a pinch to fill chips.” For quartz, call us before you try anything.
How to Keep Your Edges Safe
- Set heavy pans down gently, especially into the sink.
- Keep pots and cast iron from swinging into the counter edge.
- Watch the area by the dishwasher, where dishes and racks pass close to the edge.
- Use a cutting board. Cambria says “no stone surface is scratch-proof,” and a board protects your knives too.
Sources
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