Stone Care Answers · 7 of 11
Damage: chips, cracks, scratches
The stuff that isn't a stain or an etch. What's structural, what's cosmetic, and what's a fabricator call.
12 answers on this page. Tap a question to open it.
There's a chip on the edge of my counter.
Edge chips fill and blend to the stone's color and pattern. Small, clean chips nearly disappear. Large or shattered ones are visible up close after repair but stop catching on sleeves and sponges. Keep the piece if you have it.
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A chip at the sink cutout.
It fills. The cutout edge is thin and gets hit by pots, so chips there are routine. It fills the same way as an edge chip. If the chip is at a seam, we check the seam too.
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There's a crack across my countertop.
A crack that runs through the slab, catches a fingernail, or has moved is structural, and that's a fabricator conversation, not a restoration one. A hairline that's stable can be filled and stabilized. Send a photo with a coin next to it for scale.
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The seam between two pieces is separating.
The adhesive failed or the cabinets shifted. A seam that's opened a little can be cleaned out and refilled with color-matched adhesive. A seam that's opened because the top is moving needs the cause fixed first.
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A hairline crack appeared near the stove.
Usually thermal stress at the narrow strip of stone in front of the cooktop, or a support issue under it. If it's stable and hasn't spread, it fills. If it's growing, the support gets looked at before anything cosmetic.
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There's a deep scratch in my granite.
It comes out. Ordinary steel is softer than granite, so scratches on granite usually come from something with a diamond in it, or from grit dragged under a heavy object. Fine scratches re-polish. A gouge you can feel with a fingernail is filled first, then polished.
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My ring or watch scratched the counter.
Diamonds scratch everything, including granite and quartzite. A watch clasp scratches marble and quartz. Fine scratches re-polish. Take rings off before you knead dough on the stone.
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Is this line in my granite a crack or natural?
Run a fingernail across it. If it glides, it's a fissure: a natural feature of the stone, in the same plane as the surface, and it's left alone. If the nail catches, or there's a step, it's a crack, and that gets assessed. Fissures are normal in granite and quartzite.
My quartz is yellowing near the window.
UV. Most engineered quartz isn't UV-stable; the resin yellows where sun hits it daily. It's not a stain and it doesn't polish out. Window film or a shade slows it. It's the reason quartz isn't used outdoors.
The seam on my quartz turned dark.
Either the seam adhesive yellowed, or heat near the seam discolored the resin. Adhesive can be cleaned out and redone. Heat discoloration is reduced, not always removed. Photo first.
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My granite has little pits in the surface.
Natural. Granite is crystals of different hardness, and some pop out during polishing at the factory. Pits collect grime and catch sponges. They fill with clear resin and polish flush. Not a defect, and not damage.
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The edge of my counter has gone dull while the top is fine.
Edges get the most contact: hips, hands, sponges, chair backs. The polish wears there first. Edges re-polish the same way the top does, and it's usually a small job.
Pro
Nothing here matches that. Try the search on the main answers page, or send a photo below.
Sources:
MIA/NSI definitions of fissures, pits, and cracks; quartz manufacturer warranties.
Reviewed September 2026. Fact-checked against Natural Stone Institute publications and manufacturer technical data by an independent reviewer. Written by Restore My Counters.
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