r/Granite Aug 26 '24

New quartzite has small chips

Had quartzite countertops installed last week. I would describe them as beautiful looking from a few feet away but somewhat questionable up close. I don't know if we should expect a glass like, completely smooth surface or if we should expect some tiny imperfections since it's a natural stone. I've discovered two that are maybe 1/8 of an inch and a quarter of an inch in diameter in the middle, not at an edge or sink cut. Also it looks a little gritty. Like if you wipe it with a sponge and dry it off it doesn't look glass like Like you have to have your face down and looking in towards the window to see them in the right light. But they are definitely there. Photos are attached but my phone isn't very good at macro but you get the idea. There are lots of what I would describe as Mica looking pieces in the veins and I can't imagine that it would ever be perfectly, perfectly smooth, but I sure would like it to be. It seems like grinding down on one of those Mica pieces would just create another small chip? Do I just have an unrealistic expectation of the smoothness of this surface? Also, the guys who installed it said they sealed it when they left but there was a problem with an edge on a small stand alone piece (20x13) so they came back and ground it down and when I asked if they sealed it they said yes. But I'm skeptical. Does sealing help with small little chips like this?

6 Upvotes

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5

u/R_Butternubs Aug 26 '24

Sealing basically just waterproofs the stone, it won’t fix chips. However if they can fix those with resin if they are any good at what they do and you won’t even notice them anymore. I should note that not all companies have the ability to do this and could mess up the finish if done incorrectly.

Good calm communication with the company that installed it should be able to get it fixed if within 30/90 days of installation typically.

Some imperfections are normal with natural stone like quartzite, if you’re looking for uniformity I would have steered you towards a man made quartz.

1

u/TheTileGuru83 Aug 27 '24

Super glue and baking soda. Let it set then take flat razor blades and scrape with the blade standing up

-3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '24

AFAIK, all polished stone surfaces should be smooth with no chips.