Just discovered a crack in my granite countertop... (subfloor, granite tile, foundation)
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Just found it on my countertop. My counter top is a thin granite top (maybe 1 1/2 inches thick. It starts right where the inward corner is to my top (hard to explain but where they countertop meets up with the otherside of the countertop- like the inside of an L that my countertop makes). It looks to be all the way through and then becomes a hairline crack alittle further in. We just bought this house a little over a year ago and I have no idea who had done the kitchen remodeling. Any help in fixing this or making sure it doesn't get worse?
Might have been there a while or maybe just happened...
If this is something that is "new" , as in the crack just happened to start, then it might be due to changes in the supporting structure. If those changes are due to improper cabinet installation or even settling of the overall house it is probably worth investigating. If it gets worse it may be an early sign of serious problems.
That said, it is more likely that this happened during or shortly after installation. In such cases it is unlikely to get worse. Most granite fabrication / installation companies can use a very stable adhesive / epoxy to completely seal the crack so that it does not absorb liquids and become more noticeable.
Worst case the granite guys will want to replace the whole top. Unless there is a very obvious difference in heights right now I would recommend against this.
A little bit of a lip on the crack where it is its worse (actually all the way through the countertop if I look under the edge). I am not sure exactly when it was installed- I am guessing more than 5 years ago. I usually put my crockpot in that corner and I just read that you should not put heat appliances directly on the countertop. It is also in the corner where my "lazy susan" cabinet is.
The damage from a hot-off-the-stove pan/ pot is that it rapidly can cause a thermal shock. Crock pot has insulated base / legs to isolatate heating element from counter.
Lazy susan, so long as properly installed, will not lead to problem.
I DON'T understand i have granite and many of my friends and family do. Some of them put hot pans and glass pans on the granite, nothing has never happened. None of us have had a problem with cracks or hairline cracks, now i do now that some granite themselves have cracks in the rock. But never a problem from a hot pan on the granite doing this. I will have to look into this.I do not make it a practice to put hot pans on my granite, but friends do, and it has not hurt it in anyways. Will ask questions to my granite guy about this.
As it has been explained to me, natural stone countertops actually draw the heat out of the cooking container. Therefore whether you want heated food to remain hot, or if you want to protect your natural countertops from thermal shock, one should use trivits or potholders.
The OP mentioned thin countertops which could be part of the problem in the crack's appearance on the granite surface.
is this a random crack or is it a crack along the seam? A quality top installation may be done that the seam is near invisible unless a crack forms along it.
The damage from a hot-off-the-stove pan/ pot is that it rapidly can cause a thermal shock. Crock pot has insulated base / legs to isolatate heating element from counter.
Lazy susan, so long as properly installed, will not lead to problem.
My guess is this happened a while ago...
Recently a friend of mine had five-year old very expensive (read thick) granite crack due to a crockpot. Crockpots can have temp and/or insulation failures -- especially older ones. My friend put her often-used one on the counter, set it on low, and went out. She came home to find steam pouring out of it, her food overcooked, the lid cracked, and the black granite underneath the pot cracked, too. She had the installers who put the granite in her custom home do a repair. They claim they fixed against the crack getting bigger, but it's still visible.
I used my crockpot without incident for a decade and suddenly one day there's no temperature difference between low and high. It's best to aways put a crockpot on an insulated mat. Belt and suspenders.
I do use a crock pot on my very expensive granite. However, my New Crockpot, is on a Granite Tile. I have never had problems with my granites, but apparently some people seem to. There are some great new looks in granite, great new colors and patterns, so much more then 7 years ago. I take very good care of everything i have, i keep my home looking like new, but that is just how i like things. So of course i take care of the 4 granites i have in my home. However i would never still put a hot pot on my granite, even though i was told it is almost as hard as a diamond almost. I still would not do that. I have a tendacy to overclean, and this even makes me nuts. I will now make sure to keep an eye on my crock pot, it is a very new one, but i guess one never knows. My crock pot is temp control, then when done go's to warm.
Given it's location and direction, and it sounds like this crack is new and not there when you bought the house, I'm guessing you have some sort of settling problem... either in the cabinets or in the floor/foundation in that corner that is making one side of the L higher than the other or they are actually separating out of square.
Out of curiosity, where are the sinks and dishwasher (or the fridge if you have a plumbed icemaker)? A lot of times you can get small leaks that cause the base of the cabinets or the subflooring to rot out making the cabinets unlevel. Is the L counter on an outside wall that could be experiencing some foundation settling? A foundation normally doesn't settle too much after the first few years (in non-earthquake areas), but if there's been a change in the water table lately, or you have a french drain or gutter downspout that isn't working properly then your foundation may be shifting or more susceptible to frost heave... hopefully it's not termites or dry rot.
In any case, a good granite guy should look at all the cabinetry reasons the crack occured, and then you can get a home inspector or pest control specialist to come look for floor/wall/foundation reasons if the granite guy thinks there's something more serious.
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Might have been there a while or maybe just happened...
