Broken kitchen granite worktop

[alex_m]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum so sorry if this is the wrong place for this topic, I wasn't sure where it would fit.

I'm not sure how fixable this will be but I've cracked my kitchen worktop in three places when I leant on it. My thoughts are to place some wood between the oven and the worktop and then just try and glue this back together. The cracks will still be visible but hopefully it will be secure.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

[dewaltdisney]

These types of cracks are usually fixed with a tinted to match epoxy resin. I do not think it is a DIY job as you need an expert eye to work out why it cracked and repair it properly. It looks like a weak point where the hob cut out is. Have you checked with your building insurers, they may have a contractor to do this sort of thing?

DWD

[alex_m]

Thanks DWD. Yes there is nothing supporting it and a 2cm gap between the oven and the worktop which explains why I've ended up this state.

Trying to get an expert to for a quote but it's proving harder than I thought. Good idea with building insurance, I'll give them a try as well.

[Job and Knock]

I agree with DWD. We see this sort of repair being done on stone bar tops from time to time and they use the same materials to repair as they do to joint in the first place - tinted epoxy resin. Getting the joint to close up nice and tight is one problem. Supporting it so that there wont be a repeat crack is another

[alex_m]

I agree with DWD. We see this sort of repair being done on stone bar tops from time to time and they use the same materials to repair as they do to joint in the first place - tinted epoxy resin. Getting the joint to close up nice and tight is one problem. Supporting it so that there wont be a repeat crack is another

Yeah it doesn't look like there has ever been support between the worktop and the oven so there is about a 2cm gap between the two. Do you know if it's normal for that part of the worktop to be unsupported? People I've spoken to have said that it's too broken to be fixed and would require an entire new worktop.

Would supporting the gap with MDF be an option, at least to hold it in place for now?

Thanks for your help.

[alex_m]

Would something like this hold it together do you think?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07BXY5WNH/ ... 3743562787

[wine~o]

Might well work, but you still have to hold it all together whilst the adhesive goes off.

A bit like glueing together ceramics with superglue... it works but you can always see the join...

(Eric and Ernie anyone ??)

[alex_m]

Yeah, not sure what I can do about holding it together

For £15 I might give it a go though. Don't think I can make it look worse

[dewaltdisney]

Well, you can have a go at fixing it as if it turns out crap then at least you can look at replacing it with a granite looking conventional worktop and know you tried. I still think it is worth having a chat with your house insurance people (I hope you have one) as I see this as a legitimate claim.

The main issue is the support underneath. You can see the gap under the granite and this needs to be supported to stop any slight flexation causing another crack. The epoxy resin is only a filler really and it will not bond it back into a continuous slab again, it will always be weak.

Have a go at the insurance route

DWD

[Job and Knock]

Yeah it doesn't look like there has ever been support between the worktop and the oven so there is about a 2cm gap between the two. Do you know if it's normal for that part of the worktop to be unsupported?

I would say not. I've installed the structures to support stone (granite, marble, slate, concrete, etc) bar tops and vanity unit tops loads of times and they are always fully supported either by plywood or by a steel frame (often just a 25 x 25 thin steel tube ladder frame) painted black and tucked away unobtrusively underneath. Never seen an unsupported stone top, presumably because they can break if subjected to too much loading. DWD is right in saying that in addition to the repair you'll need to get some extra support in there

I'm currently designing a new kitchen for my own house and I'm toying with the idea of a concrete or concrete/resin composite worktop. Either way the top will need to be fully supported as my span is going to be about 1200mm (over a washing machine and dryer) at one point. Still trying to work out how I minimise flexing without it looking too obvious

[alex_m]

Morning folks,

Thanks for to everyone for their advice. Unfortunately all I got from the insurance company is "isn't something we cover". I've found a company who said they will be able to repair it but the cracks will still be visible. The only option to avoid seeing the cracks would be to replace the entire worktop, which is too expensive an option of me at the moment. I still my get the cracks repaired as it was going to cost ~£200.

For now a piece of MDF is supporting the worktop and the cracks aren't too bad (the big one was already there before I broke it).

If I get the repair done I'll post pictures of the results.

[Job and Knock]

Looking at the position of the three cracks in the worktop, together with the shape of the worktop itself, I have to wonder if the units either side of the oven are actually level with each other. What is for sure is that with so many cracks there isn't really enough support beneath the front edge of that worktop over a 600mm(?) length and that there can't be a great deal of support to the right side of the hob either (because of the triangular shape of the unit). I also have to wonder whether or not something has happened to the worktop to overload it - such as someone climbing up on top of it or a heavy object being dropped onto it.

If the worktop is going to come out I'd seriously consider beefing up the top of the oven carcase with at least a combination of plywood and possibly a softwood batten glued and screwed beneath it (if there is space) as well as a full top on the triangular carcase. Better yet might be to get a steel tube cut to fit across the top of the oven carcase with drilled and countersunk flange plates at each end so that a more rigid support could be provided. Even if replaced I suspect that with that layout there will always be a higher chance of the top breaking again in the future because of the marginal nature of support to the right of the hob cut-out

[deanos102]

Morning folks,

Thanks for to everyone for their advice. Unfortunately all I got from the insurance company is "isn't something we cover". I've found a company who said they will be able to repair it but the cracks will still be visible. The only option to avoid seeing the cracks would be to replace the entire worktop, which is too expensive an option of me at the moment. I still my get the cracks repaired as it was going to cost ~£200.

For now a piece of MDF is supporting the worktop and the cracks aren't too bad (the big one was already there before I broke it).

If I get the repair done I'll post pictures of the results.

are you not covered for accidental damage ?

[arco_iris]

This thread is five weeks old and OP has not returned since. Where are the mods?

[moderator2]

This thread is five weeks old and OP has not returned since. Where are the mods?

Busy moderating. FYI the OP has been back several times. Lastly Thu Jan 24, 2019 3:48 pm