Repairs

Chip Repair

The surfaces, edges, corners and cut outs of natural stone countertop installations can be chipped through carelessness, abuse or plain bad luck. The inside edges of sink cut outs are a common area where chips may develop over time as heavy pots and cook wear can chip stone over time. Left unattended, chips may deteriorate further and cause serious degradation of natural stone.

Fissure & Crack Repair

Natural stone surfaces may fissure or crack. This may occur due to a number of causes, including:

• improper installation where countertops are not properly leveled and supported
• settlement or movement of the supporting sub-structure
• inadequate reinforcement of, or application of excessive pressure to, narrow components or areas of a countertop installation, particularly those which have been subject to cut outs or 'coring' (e.g. faucet holes behind sink cut outs)
• defective material
• extraordinary abuse of the natural stone material

It should be remembered that some stones are naturally fissured, which forms part of their character. For small and medium-sized cracks and fissures we utilize an innovative technology in conjunction with customized light-curing composites that result in an excellent, colour-matched, non-yellowing repair. For larger repairs, we utilize colour-matched crystalline particles and epoxy to solve the problem.

Scratch Repair

A series of small scratches are often the result of undetected grit or other hard irregular material that makes abrasive contact with a natural stone surface. Multiple scratches can dull the appearance of natural surfaces, trap dirt and further degrade the integrity of the stone. Scratch repair requires honing and re-polishing.

Stain Removal & Etching Repair

Stains can be classified as oil-based, rust/metal, inorganic (e.g. inks) and organic (e.g. mildew). A penetrating sealer helps to prevent staining compounds from penetrating the pores of the stone, which will 'buy time' for clean up. We utilize customized stain removers based on the type of stain to solve the problem. Etching is the result of acids reacting with the chemical composition of the stone, quite often indicated by 'glass rings' or 'spotting'. Etching is most common with stone such as marble that has a high calcium content. Although granite is known as a stone that generally does not have a high calcium content, certain granites such as 'Brown Antique' do and are therefore susceptible to etching. We utilize specialized compounds or honing /polishing techniques to solve the problem, based on its specific cause.