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Lady called me to ask if her Solid Surface countertop could be repaired. She said her countertop is about 20 years old and it had developed a “couple” of cracks at the front corners of her cooktop cutout.
I told her, sure it can be repaired. Along with the usual questions. How long are the cracks, do they go through the front edge, what product is it and what color is it, is there extra material on site.
All the answers lead me to believe it would be a stright forward repair.
Here is what I found. The back right crack goes about 7″ straight to the right.
all the other cracks were about 2 to 3 inches.,
The only part of the cutout that was done correctly was, it was cut out with a router. No sanding smooth, no corner blocks and no rounded edges top and bottom. The heat tape that was left only came up over the top by about 1/8″.
I have kept most of my previous repair plugs and have them in my truck. Who knows maybe I will get lucky and get to re-use them.
One patern I got to use twice. I just had to flip it over.
Rough cut the plugs on the band saw in my truck.
Preliminary bevel on each piece in my truck to minimize dust in the house.
Hot Glue the female jig to the countertop.
Bevel all of the countertop patches with the same depth setting on the router. Just deep enough to break through.
Test the preliminary bevel cut of the plugs. Close but gotta go deeper.
Just right. Now cut all the other plugs with the same depth setting.
Glue all the plugs in at the same time. I used scrap pieces of Corian as spring tension clamps. Just hot glue them to the countertop with a small additional piece at the ends to provide spring.
Needed to remove the tops of the cabinets to make room for reinforcent blocks. I used my trusty Harbor Freight multi tool.
The crack at the front right went through the front edge. I needed to patch the edge so that the seams did not align with the countertop patch seams.
I Added high strength corner reinforcement and seam reinforcement. I simply used thin wedges to provide clamping pressure while gluing them in place. I almost forgot to remove them when I was done.
Finished cutout ready for new cooktop.
What I thought would be about a 4-1/2 hour job took me 9-1/2 on the jobsite. Not including the 60 mile drive each way.
I was tired when I got home.
Johnny C
As a bonus for the for this job I got to give their dog a tast of my left calf. But the customer said she was sorry.
I think I will be OK. Doesn’t feel so bad this morning.
Johnny C
Johnny,
What did you use to get that beveled cut all the way back on the front edge? I trust that drawer front already had the finish taken off. Heh.Am I right in thinking this was a drop face construction? Looked like Canac Cabinets or the similar.
Posted By David Gerard on 16 Aug 2013 02:04 AM
nuther nice save! I would have talked her into a new top….you did say 20 years old?
Thanks David. I considered that as one of the solutions once I got to the job site and saw the extent of the failure.
With the trip charges, the sink involvement and the plumbing disconect and re-connect. A new Island top would have been about double the cost of doing the repair that day. Granted she would have a new warranty to go along with the new top. but the logistics and cost and having it completed the same day, all went toward doing a repair vs replacing.
Actually in my experience there have been very few problems that warrant replacing rather than repairing.
Trust me, there was nothing pleasant about getting upside down with my head inside of the drawer units on either side of the stove do the cabinet cutting necessary to make room for the corner reinforcement blocks. From a work standpoint, I would have much prefered to build a new top.
Johnny C
Posted By Tom M on 16 Aug 2013 07:20 AM
Johnny,
What did you use to get that beveled cut all the way back on the front edge? I trust that drawer front already had the finish taken off. Heh.Am I right in thinking this was a drop face construction? Looked like Canac Cabinets or the similar.
Tom,
To make the angled cuts on the self edge I used that same multi tool I used for cutting the cabinet. It cut a pretty straight line and I wasn’t too concerned about the precise angle. I made the insert piece fit whatever angles I ended up with.
To adjust the angles and make a seamable surface I actually have two multi tools along. On the other one I have the scraping bit attached. I use 80 grit PSA file board paper stuck to the face of the scraper. The rapid vibrating of the multi tool combined with a flat and hard sanding surface makes final adjustment of the end cuts rather simple.
Yes the paint on the cabinets was worn off long before I got there. Not saying I’m not capable of screwing something up like that. I just didn’t do it this time.
Johnny c
I wish I had the patience to pull this off. I get confused with one crack, let alone 20 on one cooktop cutout.
Johnny C,
Kudo’s. That cooktop repair was really something inspirational. Thanks for the post. It’s amazing what a master craftsman can accomplish with solid surface. I always emphasize repair-ability as one of the great attributes of solid surface material. I have bookmarked this post for future reference to show the “unbelievers”.
I have seen this about 10 times. Other than fix, I just sell another top.
Have you ever thought you are a victim of your skills?Not sure what you charged, but looks like you might have passed up at least 2k+ on this job. Even if I sell them up to quartz or granite, I’m still compensated very well for my time
for taking an order. I am amazed at your skill level on repairs, you are certainly the best.In fact, I think you should think about a doing a class/gathering and teach some of us some of what you do . It has lots of value to us , and you could get some extra spending money!!!Sign me up !KCI think it’s also fair to say that Johnny has some excellent people skills that leaves the customer feeling great about having not had to buy a new top and minimal disruption to the home and the check book. Ya just cant teach that.
Chef Johnny can make chicken soup from chicken poop!
I am ready to learn this repair template procedure properly, thats for sure!David, Somewhere on this forum is a detailed series of posts that explain everything about his technique. I don’t know the best way to find it, but I may have it bookmarked somewhere.
When I am repairing a job with several cooktop cracks, I will recommend a custom fabricated stainless steel cooktop collar. If the cooktop is white or balck, I have it powder coated to match. The opening in the collar is the same size as the cutout. The overall size is 1″ longer and wider than the cooktop, so 1/2″ is visible all the way around. After doing the repairs as shown, I will enlarge the cutout and build a plywood support frame just slightly proud of the countertop surface. I also add Nomex insulation. The cooktop collar covers all of this up, and looks like part of the original cooktop. This greatly reduces heat transfer into the countertop, and future failures almost never happen.
The downside is two visits to the jobsite, and a delay while the collar is made. But I’ve saved many large, complex countertops this way.
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