Filling seam in granite countertop

[Jdandover]

Hello all,

Could you kindly advise how to fill the seam in a granite countertop? Pic is attached.

I recently moved into this house and noticed that the filler in the seam in the kitchen countertop was degraded. I can't determine if the filler was grout or resin but, regardless, I want to repair it the correct way.

If it needs grout, would it be unsanded? If it needs resin (which I read about on the web), can you recommend a type (there are expensive products!). I doubt it would be caulk, but I'm no expert!

Thanks very much for your time and advice.

Jim

[Carbidetooth]

I'll wager you'd like grout even less than what photo shows.

Seam filling is typically done with tinted epoxy. The critical elements are:

1. Getting color right
2. Getting fill flush with adjacent slab
3. Getting sheen to match adjacent slab

DIY doable, I imagine, but there's an art to it.

Google "seam fill granite" for lots to read and products to buy.

[Radas]

You can also pay a local granite shop to come and fill the seam for you. Those guys can do the job in a few minutes and already have the epoxy/tints on hand. I'd wager it won't cost any more than $50...

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[Jdandover]

Carbidetooth - Thanks for the advice. In looking online, there is a wealth of info, you are right. I just want to make sure this highly visible fix is done well.


Radas - Thanks for the suggestion. Will call a few places, as I do want to get this right. Unfortunately, there aren't many shops servicing this area. Will see!

Jim

[Davy]

They may need to shim up underneath if it's not already flush on top. Like the others said, some guys can make the seam practically disappear.

[Tool Guy - Kg]

Akemi knife-grade transparent epoxy is the most widely used product in my neck of the woods. Type that into Amazon and you’ll see the colorants, as well.

By the looks of it, I’m guessing that the filler you’ve got has some flex to it if you press a knife into it? That’s the only way I’m imagining the adjacent surfaces suffered such damage. If you had a local shop come out, I think you’re looking at at least $200 to clean out the old and install new.

[Pirate]

While it may be a $50 job to fix, I can't imagine a granite company coming out for that amount.

[Tile & Stone Guild]

Needs to be heated up and old material removed. It really should be pulled apart and reset. Probably cracked because it wasn't filled and pulled together correctly. $250 is reasonable, it will take a couple hours to do it right.

[Jdandover]

Davy, Tool Guy, Pirate, Tile&Stone -

Thanks all for the continuing advice.

The pieces do need to be aligned (see pic). Good call on that. No luck so far getting anyone out to do the job!

Don't know how to align them myself, so I might give that epoxy a shot.

At the moment, the filler is dried and cracked, so I'd imagine a dremel grout tool or narrow grout saw should remove whatever that is.

It's a shame the issue is in such a visible area - no way to cover up any mistakes lol.

Thanks

Jim

[Davy]

If you remove a drawer or two, you might see some wedges between the bottom side of the granite and cabinet. I doubt they installed the two pieces out of line that bad, maybe a wedge came out.

[Tool Guy - Kg]

Pro installers commonly use an alignment jig that straddles the seam consisting of two vacuum blocks to hold onto each piece of granite. Then they adjust the heights and spacing with micro-fine adjustable screws.

But nothing to stop you from using shims underneath like a Davy is talking about.

Are the pieces still joined? Or are they separated?

[Jdandover]

Thanks, Davy and Tool Guy.

Davy - Thanks for the advice. I removed the drawer and saw both the black resin and wedge (see pic). The wedge raises the back of one side, but the pieces are off in a number of ways. One is higher than the other, there is a gap, and one protrudes farther than the other. Fun.

Tool Guy - Thanks for the note. The pieces are separated. Unfortunately, as noted in my reply to Davy, one piece is higher than the other, and one is farther out than the other.

Oh and now I spot a chip, right where everyone can see it. Will the resin fix that as well?

Thanks for your continuing advice!

Jim

[Davy]

Jim, it really depends on the experience of the person doing it. I've seen guys make 1/4 inch chips disappear.

[Tool Guy - Kg]

Is the smaller granite piece able to be pulled away from the other so that you can use a belt sander or something to gently grind away at the filler?

[Jdandover]

Hi Davy - Hopefully I will find someone with those skills!

Hi Tool Guy - Unfortunately, the pieces are huge and wont budge.

My overall takeaway is that I should find someone to correct the alignment issue before sealing. Barring that, I will have to simply re-seal it with resin. Hoping for the former!

Thanks

Jim