Granite and soapstone are among the hardest counter top materials – they
are heat, water, scratch and even stain resistant. But when cracks,
chips or scratches occur on kitchen counter top made from these
materials, they are easy to repair by paying attention to the following
tips:
If the scratch, chip or crack is to be found on a
horizontal face, you should go for a liquid Super Gel that has a thinner
viscosity. But if the chip, scratch or crack is to be found on a
vertical surface, you will have to go for a Super Gel that has a thicker
texture. Keep in mind that the better application of such repairing
solutions is going to depend upon the position of every area that needs
to be repaired.
- First, you will have to clean the area by
using Acetone – remember to take all the necessary precautions when
using this substance: wear gloves, drop clothe and eye wear in order to
avoid any hazards. Then, you will have to thoroughly clean the affected
area with acetone and allow this cleaning agent to fully evaporate
before making your next move.
- Next, you will have to
fill the scratch or chip in some thin layers thus allowing the glue to
cure in right between the layers of the material in order for the
scratch or chip to be fully cured, from its bottom to its top. Keep in
mind that you should overfill the scratch or crack in order to have too
much glue in the cavity to be repaired. Once you notice that the scratch
or crack is slightly overfilled, the excess glue must be shaved from
the surface by using a razor blade.
- But be aware that
the way you are holding this razor blade when doing the job is critical
to your finished repair. So, you will have to make sure that the excess
isn’t cut off even if you are prone to believe that this is the simplest
and easiest way to remove the excess glue. In fact, you will have to
scrape all the excess glue instead and you will to do this slowly by
holding the razor blade at an exact 80 degree angle. Make sure that you
alternate your shaving motions from various approaches in order not to
pull all the glue out of the scratch or crack.
- Pay
attention in order to get all the excess glue that has already hardened
on the surface completely flat with your counter top surface. But if you
do not manage to avoid pulling out all the glue from the cavity or if
the finished repair doesn’t look as you have expected, you may add extra
glue and try to re-scrape the top layer of glue later.
- Also,
you will have to pay attention to the color of the material from which
your kitchen counter top is made – keep in mind that clear super glue
will look quite good when used to repair a scratch, crack or chip mainly
because it can take on the exact color of the surrounding stone. Clear
super glue will blend it quite well.
- However, there
are some limitations and exceptions you should consider when using super
glue. For instance, if you have a very dark tone of stone, you should
go for a pigmented epoxy in order to blend the color in the right way.
Deep scratches and big chips are likely to be better off with some
pigmented and well-chosen as opposed to the common super glue.
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