Granite worktop chip repair
We only repair chips in Granite worktops.
We do not repair cracks.
We do not remove stains.
We do not repair burns.
We do not repair chemical damage.
Granite worktops can be chipped on their edges as this is the most vulnerable point since the material is not supported on the open edge and a hard object like a pot can clip it and knock a bit off.
The central sections are more impervious to impact since the material is really strong and impacts disperse their shock through the whole surrounding area.
So granite worktop edge repair is most commonly needed. These chips can be visible and annoying as the edges present themselves towards one and can also be caught in the light, felt by the fingers and are generally a distraction. The areas around the sink are also at risk because pots and pans get moved around in that area and they can slip out of soapy fingers – oops!
To put the matter right one has to make up a number of the unique colours of the particular granite worktop in question when we get there. The colours are custom built for your particular surface before rebuilding the granite to its original contour and colour composition where it is chipped.
We don’t repair cracks in worktops or burns or chemical damage or remove stains – we only repair chips out of the surface
Granite worktop chip repair full step by step procedure:
The first action that is needed is to build up the individual colours that are needed for the section that is damaged. This is based on the spectrum of colours that exist on the general surface. This will usually require making several independent colours simultaneously and tinting and adjusting each.
Perception, judgement, experience, skill and a deftness of touch are required of the operator at all points of a worktop repair.
The second action of the repair is to prep the original surface so that it will accept a bond with the new material. There is no point in going to considerable lengths to reconstruct a part of something if it falls out later.
The next step is to replicate the form of the surface which means to rebuild the area that has been chipped with a colour pattern.
Sometimes it is best to incorporate the pigments into the filling compound; sometimes it is better to rebuild the area with filling compound and then, when it’s been faired to match the original contour, layering up the colours then. This filling and fairing step unusually needs to be repeated many many times in order to recreate a matching reconstruction of the base material.
The next step, if one has not built the pigment into the filler, is to layer up the various colours into a similar pattern to the original in the area you are repairing. Every worktop repair needs to be addressed individually.
You really have to be a bit an artist to do this well. Patience is a necessity as you just have to keep going until you get to the sweet spot where you know that one more adjustment will be too much and you will have to start again. Many repairs go like this so you have to have the patience to keep at it but know when it’s as good as it’s going to get.
When I get to a point that I don’t think I can improve on and think I might go backwards I confer with the client to make sure the result is fully acceptable to them before risking over-repairing.
As you can see it’s a complex procedure requiring many different materials and good judgment and an artistic touch.
Clients are impressed with our results.
The lady I was working for the other day couldn’t find most of the repairs because she had forgotten where they were. She could find the one that had most irritated her because it was in a highly illuminated area that was directly under a halogen downlighter – at the sink where she stood a lot of the time. When she moved her head back and forth back and forth so as to reflect the spotlight of that area she could pick up a very slight change of character in the surface when she stared at it for a while. She was nevertheless very happy with the result.
Her friend who didn’t know where it was couldn’t spot it so it depends how closely you look and how discerning you are. We are only saying that a repair will not draw attention under normal use – that’s what we are going for and we will do the very best we can to achieve that.
The point is that the purpose of such a repair is that it will not flag up on a rental property check out survey but we can’t always hide it from the person who knows where it is and takes steps to study it in detail.
Get in Touch
07967 182 599
4 Halsbrook Rd, London SE3 8QY
Monday - Friday: 8am - 8pm
Saturday 8am–5pm
Sunday Closed