I think it's very odd that your fabricator said the crack is too small to be filled.

I recently remodeled my bathroom and there were a few cracks very similar to yours. I could only feel them with my fingernail. My fabricator came out and did some kind of process and they are now filled and just look like veining.

I don't know what he used specifically but neither he, my GC or my designer told me that it couldn't or wouldn't be filled - they told me these kinds of small cracks are not uncommon with natural stones which may have inherent small fissures. At any rate, it now looks fine and the surface is completely smooth when I run my fingernail on it.

Yea, the fabricator has already filled a couple of areas with epoxy and they just blend right in. Those spots were slightly larger. I'm just not expert enough to know what the minimum crack width is in order for epoxy to be a workable solution. I'm continuing to research it as we speak. Thanks!

I suppose you sealed the quartzite before you installed it. A quartzite professional can restore and repair, polish and hone your quartzite counters. I would wait to hear what fabricator has to say but I think they should make this right.

FWIW, here is a picture of the "crack" which was filled. The only way I could "feel" it was with my fingernail. This is BEFORE it was filled :-)

My counter is marble and there is a portion that is lower and meant to be sat in which is my makeup/grooming area. I have the MB Stone care which I purchased on the advice of some pros on this forum - it is also good for the mirror and I wanted to make sure I didn't have ANY products that someone could use which would damage the counters.

I also got their wipes because I wanted to have an instant solution to wipe down the counter for the inevitable little splotches and blotches of skin care products and makeup and hair products that would hit the counter.

Thanks Helen. Do you have a picture of AFTER it was filled? This crack looks almost identical to the one I'm dealing with. Do you know if they dug out any of the marble to make room for the epoxy? That is something I'm trying to avoid because it can end up looking much more noticeable.

"Quality sealers can prevent these cracks and it's best when this is done professionally."

How does a sealer prevent a crack?

I'd pull the top, break it, decontaminate, and color match glue it back together. You won't feel it, it will never contaminate, and it will look like a natural fissure. He's right, you're not getting adhesive in there otherwise.

I broke a customer's kitchen countertop installing their sink last week, but fixed it before they ever saw. Musta looked pretty good.

I’m curious about this magic sealer that prevents cracks?

I'd like to hear of a sealer that prevents cracks as well!

My 15+years experience in natural stone has taught me that there is no such thing as crack preventive sealer! Any fissure can be filled with epoxy, just has to use flowing versus knife grade.

It appears that the post that alluded to the miracle sealer has been edited with that part of sentence removed.

@Bohemian Stoneworks...can you explain what you mean by flowing versus knife grade? That is a stone repair I'm not familiar with. I will be meeting with the fabricator soon and I just want to be as educated on the options as possible. Thank you!

@Bohemian Stoneworks...so since the vanity is installed, can the polishing after the flowing epoxy be done on site, or is this a process that would need to be done in a fabrication shop? BTW, this fabricator is one of the most frequently used in my town and has a good reputation so they will probably be fully aware of the options. I just want to be sure I'm educated before I enter into a discussion. I really appreciate your input.

For best results is polishing with water recommended which will provide the best finish for the fix. But that would mean that the plumber has to disconnect and reconnect, which is often an extra cost that the fabricator/installer would like to avoid.

Yes, it can be done on site but the fabricator should be very careful with the epoxy not 'flowing' on other surfaces (cabinet, etc). The polishing can be done dry as well but will take longer, maybe not as 'shiny' and very dusty if no vacuum with attachment is used when polishing the epoxy our.

Excuse my ignorance but why would the plumber have to disconnect in order for them to polish the cracked area? The cracked area is not in the immediate area of the faucet hardware.

I am not an expert but as posted upthread, I had a similar looking hairline crack in my marble.

The fabricator came to my house and filled and smoothed it. No water needed to be disconnected and when I went into my bathroom, there wasn't any kind of construction dust or debris around. I can't imagine how or why the whole counter would needed to be disassembled or broken apart in order to fill the crack.

I have been through a gut remodel and a LOT of work has been done since I've moved in and all of the tradespeople have been exemplary in cleaning up after themselves. They all seem to carry a small high power vacuum cleaner which makes a racket which seems to be noisiest in the 30 minutes or so before they leave :-).

" I can't imagine how or why the whole counter would needed to be disassembled or broken apart in order to fill the crack."

This is fabricator discretion. If the crack is fresh and wide enough to fill, have at it. If not, completing the break is a very effective and permanent repair.

@Joseph - I understand there might be cracks that transect the slab so there is actually something to break off.

However in the example posted by the OP and with my very similar hairline crack, it is very short and so my comment was specific to those kinds of cracks where there would be no place for it to be "snapped" off. There is no place where it could be broken apart and disassembling and removing it would seem to create potential problems without providing any kind of benefit in terms of filling a small short crack in situ.

But I speak completely as a lay person whose only experience was having a very similar small hairline crack filled without having the counter removed - the water shut off - or having my bathroom left with construction debris. The end result just looks like an additional small grayish "swirl" :-).

@Donna I assumed that the vanity counter is already installed and 'in use' meaning the drain on the sink is connected and the faucet as well. So, if the fabricator decides to take the vanity back to his shop to fix/fill the fissure and WET polish for a nice finish, THEN the plumber would have to disconnect drain/faucet......

Gotcha @Bohemian Stoneworks

I'll bet the crack existed before installation. If so, the fabricator took a gamble that the homeowner would accept it. If he properly set customer expectations, that may have not been a problem, however, if he didn't and it is, he is to blame.

He could have chosen to get approval before before fabrication. He could have chosen to repair the crack before you ever saw it. He could have told you he offers crack-free surfaces; Corian. He took his shot and lost. No sympathy here.

So, after meeting with the fabricator, he offered several things. 1) Rip out the vanity and start over with a new slab. There is only one slab of Bianca Parma remaining out of this bundle or anywhere in town. 2) Do an on-site fluid epoxy application and re-seal 3) Warranty the stone in the event of any future issues, discoloration, expansion of the crack, etc. The crack on its own doesn't bother me. With this stone, it definitely passes as a vein because there is a great deal of movement and veining in the stone. My biggest concern is that the crack becomes larger and more problematic over time. Anyway, I think the options he offered were fair and reasonable. I'm going to start with the epoxy route and go from there. Thanks for everyone's input.