Cracks in sink - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

ChuckEA · 06-17-2006, 04:51 PM

I have a situation where hairline cracks have begun to appear in the vanity sink of one of my customers. The cracks radiate outward from the drain flange and extend out about an inch. The sink is made of cultured marble and the cracks appear to only be in the surface coat and not through the substrate. Fortunately no leaks have appeared yet. I suspect maybe the cause is the flange being tightened down too much. Is it possible to repair these and what is the best way to do it?

Mike Finley · 06-17-2006, 05:20 PM

This is one of the flaws of cultured marble, too susceptible to cracks around the drains. I've never seen it fixed, but I'm sure if I had to fix it I could do it with some clear epoxy like West System smeared into the cracks and then wiping off the surface.

copusbuilder · 06-26-2006, 06:23 PM

My experience with this is that the cracking was more prevalent before the industry adopted standards. We used to do makereadies and this was a common problem. We had a company that would come in and repair the cracks and then redo the bowls a solid white or matching color.
The finished product was not great but was better than looking at cracks...
The cracks rarely seem to be anything more than cosmetic.

http://www.naturalhandyman.com/qa/qa...ountertop.shtm

http://www.kbrefinishing.com/culture...efinsihing.htm

Might help a little

go dart · 06-27-2006, 06:56 AM

thermal shock, not repairable, try an onyx product.

copusbuilder · 06-27-2006, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by go dart

thermal shock, not repairable, try an onyx product.

??

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Guess I need to lay off the acid

**Teetorbilt** · 06-27-2006, 08:57 AM

The manufacturers here used the cheapest polyester resin that they could buy, I used to sell it to them.

You can patch it but don't expect good looks or long term success plus it's going to be a lot of labor.

If you're determined to keep the top, you may be able to cut out the old sink and install a new one depending on the dimensions. The stuff works pretty easily.