NABman

I am hoping somebody can offer advice on how to stop water seeping through the worktop joins into the cupboards below.

We have a rather large marble worktop in our outdoor kitchen and due to the size there are two very thin joins which appear to have been sealed with some kind of ‘cement’. Initially it was watertight but now water gradually seeps through the join, presumably the ‘cement’ has dried out and become a bit porous. Living on the Costa Del Sol we do not get so much rain but it is still a nuisance to find puddles on the cupboards shelves.

I think some kind of liquid sealant that can be carefully painted into each join may stop the water getting in. The trouble is I and the local suppliers do not have any idea of whether such stuff is available.

Any advice or product suggestions would be gratefully received.

growinspain

Find a new supplier..

Simple silicon will work but might need to be changed every year. An unsanded grout for swimming pools will work also.

lechada para marmol is what you should search for. Many products available.

NABman

Thanks growinspain, appreciate your reply

snikpoh

Normally, they use silicon (special one for just this purpose). In 15 years, never had to replace it.

NABman

Thanks snikpoh, if they had used this as the worktops were assembled then I think your right, no need to replace for years. Unfortunately I was working away at that time so now I need to deal with this after the ‘event’. Using silicon on these fine joints will probably leave residue on the surface either side of the joint so the best bet seems to be try swimming pool grout.

Pulaski

In the US they typically use expoxy these days - in other words the pieces are glued together with a chemical adhesive that holds the granite together so tightly that it would probably risk breaking chunks off the granite if you tried to separate the pieces. .... The joints are coated in epoxy before the pieces are pushed together.

Obviously you aren't going to be able to clean out the gap (unless it's a big fat grout line), but if you can remove 2-3mm depth of whatever is currently in the gap and then use pigmented epoxy you should have a joint that will last many years. Our granite countertops are about 10 years old and the colour-matched expoxy is still virtually invisible. I know where to look for the join lines, but the joins haven't separated, stained, or worn in any way to make them noticeable.

NABman

Thanks Pulaski, going to try and ‘excavate’ the joints a bit then try the swimming pool grout. If this doesn’t work then it’s back to the drawing board🤔

VEDShappy

I've used this with success on various surfaces.
Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure

Palmerston

What Pulaski said +1

"MagicEzy stone repair" is used as a seam filler (for joining granite and marble counters) as well as repairing chips and cracks in those surfaces. It's sold on Amazon and is a simple DIY job. I've used it in the past for the same task as yours.

If you were to show a local granite/marble supplier the product details from the web page, they should be familiar with it, or be able to source something similar.

It's a resin that comes in a syringe, so it can be applied with precision. Any overfilling of the seam is simply scraped away with a blade and polished out. It's available in different colours to best match your granite counter, and so gives you a near seamless finish.

Be cautious not to fill the seam with just any waterproof sealant. Products can potentially leach into, and react with, marble and granite. Worse case, you could end up with a mottled or stained counter.

That's why I suggested this product - it's specifically for granite and marble bonding and repairs. I'm not promoting it; there are sure to be other brands that do the same job, or are better, and are used in the trade local to you.

Hopefully, food for thought for you.

Best

NABman

Thanks VEDshappy, this looks interesting

NABman

Thanks Palmerston, will search the web for this

airways

I have just had new worktops fitted and they used an epoxy to make the join which is 100% waterproof apparently.

Pulaski

OK, that's great .... If it's anything like ours, it will give many years of trouble-free, and crack-free, service - our counter is about 10 years old and is as good as new. I have reason to believe that our kitchen has subsided very slightly, so the cabinets have likely moved by ¼"-½" (6mm-12mm), but the counter epoxy seams have remained intact despite experiencing significant leverage if there is any movement in the floor as the counter is actually two giant L shapes on either side of the cooker.