Marble Repair Tips for Chips & Pits

QUESTION:

I recently installed a new polished Carrara marble vanity top while remodeling my master bath.


Now, a couple of weeks later, it has "pitting" on one side, like several little nicks or chips in the marble.

I thought it was damage from work tools being laid on the vanity top by workmen while the remodel job is being finished, but the supervisor said it was "pitting".

What is pitting? What causes it? How can it be repaired?

ANSWER:

Pits and chips in marble are not common. Repair is easy enough in most cases. I'll discuss the whole deal and all options below, but "spoiler alert"... here's the bottom line...

The easiest chip repair method is to fill the pits with a clear acrylic like this Marble & Granite Repair Kit for Chips and Pits.

You can fix one pit in about 15 minutes with this product. Once you learn the simple steps, you'll be able to fill 6 or 7 in 30-40 minutes (if you have that many).

The product is very easy to use, effective, permanent, and provides the most invisible repair. A big advance over previous techniques and products.

What is pitting in marble and granite?

Granite can sometimes develop pitting since it is composed of a variety of different coarse-grained minerals of various sizes that can come loose and pop out.

This usually occurs with repeated applied force or impact like around the sink where you constantly set pots, pans, and dishes.

Marble is composed of highly compressed crystals, and " pitting " rarely occurs. However, a high-force impact on the surface can cause a pit or chip in marble.

Learn more about common issues and marble repair solutions.

I'm 99.9% certain it is not natural pitting in this case since these nicks occurred suddenly in the last two weeks, are all basically the same shape and size and in the same area.

Likely the pits would have been present on installation if "natural."

Scratches and nicks can easily occur when using the vanity top as a workbench and setting tools or other heavy objects with sharp edges on the surface.

So, you have to ask yourself...

"Did these nicks exist at the time of installation and you just now noticed them?"

Or...

Are you certain the countertop was in perfect condition upon installation, and the pits were revealed as the remodeling contractors finished.

Or...

They appeared after the contractors had long ago left the scene.

It could be any of these three.... maybe you never noticed them (possible if the vanity top was not visible or cleaned up right away), or the contractors caused them, or you did somehow.

A telling sign that these resulted from trauma is that they are a much brighter white than the natural Carrara marble color.

Stun marks are a different type of damage to marble that may be mistaken for a pit.

Stun marks occur when something pointed forcefully crushes the crystals of the stone. The compressed crystals are almost always lighter in color and often very white.

So, repeatedly setting a heavy tool down could do it.

What you have could be more like focused dents than pitting. Or possibly the pits were both stunned and chipped out.

Marble Repair Options for Pits & Chips

No matter how the pits were caused, or if they are dents, the possible solutions are the same.

Wax: You can rub some wax into the nicks and buff it smooth using 0000 steel wool. Depending on the color this can make for an adequate, but not necessarily permanent or invisible marble repair.

Color-Match Epoxy Mix: Epoxy or resin granite & marble chip repair kits are available, however.... they have some drawbacks....

• You have to mix 2 or 3 ingredients, which is a pain


• Application and clean-up is messy


• The best you can do is try to "match" the color. Not easy.


• Repair is usually totally visible....especially on stone without much pattern or color-variation.

Clear Acrylic Gel: This is the best and easiest option. Fill the nicks with the Pit/Chip Repair Kit (see link at beginning of answer).

• No mixing, matching or mess with this product.


• The gel is pre-loaded into an applicator syringe to make filling pits effortless.


• Inject the acrylic into the pit and it cures quickly for a hard and permanent repair.
  


• The best part is that the clear gel allows the natural color and pattern to show through for the most invisible repair possible.
  

A note on stun marks... these are virtually impossible to repair without evidence. The clear acrylic is still the simplest and easiest method, but the brighter white color will show.

You could opt to try and match the color with an epoxy, but it's a gamble. Not likely to be successful. On a rather plain white surface even a slight difference in color will stand out.

Of course, if you think the contractors did it you can fight with them about it, but the answer they gave obviously tells you they will dismiss it as not their fault.

Although, why would they install a marble vanity top that already had pits in it?

It's easy enough and cheap enough to just fix it yourself, why stress yourself arguing with the contractors. They can't fix it any better unless they replace the entire vanity top.

There is one last option, but it is expensive... that's to have a marble repair professional grind down and re-finish the surface.

Really, this is only an option if the pits are very shallow and not much grinding is required.

Deep Chips In Marble Table

QUESTION:

The worst possible nightmare has occurred!

Slippery hands allowed a heavy object to drop onto our marble table causing a deep dent.

While our table is very large and thick, the dent nevertheless also penetrated the surrounding surface to appear cracked, although not loose.

It measures 2cm in total circumference, but only 1cm for the actual indent.

We are absolutely flabbergasted.

We read elsewhere to use silicone to fill in the gap after carefully washing with plain water and drying completely.

Since we are in absolute horror, we need to check with you before further damage is caused because we trust this site and the information provided.

What would be your evaluation? Thank you again for your assistance, experience and patience.

ANSWER:

Hi Lys, thanks for your trust!
Using a color-matching caulk/silicone can work (it will fill the dent and may be reasonably inconspicuous), although I don't think it's the best solution.

You really can't create a clean, seamless transition from the caulk to the surface of the table. There will always be a small lip or depression.

So, the edges will peel or get ragged, and generally, it will be a noticeable patch.

I'd suggest using the Pit & Chip Marble & Granite Repair kit designed for just such an issue.

The above marble chip repair kit is most effective for smaller pits and chips, although it will also work on a dent and help fill in contiguous cracks radiating from the damaged spot.

This product is super-easy to use compared to the old-school color-matching epoxies. It's a light-curing acrylic product that fills the pit or "dent", can be sanded and buffed to be even with the surrounding marble (no dips, lips or bumps), and cures to a hard clear finish allowing the natural color/pattern of the marble to show through making an unnoticeable and permanent repair.

Also consider calling a marble repair - restoration pro take a look. You may have damage that could need more elaborate treatment than just filling a hole, such as repairing the surface finish, etc.

But if the dent/chip is a well-defined area and the borders are pretty sharp (the cracking of the surrounding surface is the issue here), then the granite and marble repair kit will do the job well and save you a bunch of money on a pro.

New Marble Countertop Has Shallow Pits

QUESTION:

We recently had new marble countertops installed in our kitchen.

We have noticed many shallow pits in the surface.

Can you tell me what these are, and what should we do about them?

Do our marble guys need to take the counters back to their shop, or can they be fixed on sight?

ANSWER:

Pits in marble countertops are unusual and are generally more like chips or slices. A simple repair can be done in place.

This type of blemish happens when surface crystals come loose and pop out, or impact from a dropped object (plate, pan, appliance, tool) nicks the stone.

Fix chips, pits & nicks yourself using this marble chip repair gel / paste, which is waaaay easier to use than epoxies and resins, and the marble repair is almost invisible.

Chips and pits will typically happen in areas of higher use and/or from repeated impact like around a kitchen sink.

The pits could have been in the slab prior to installation. Your countertop fabricator/installer is not likely to blame.

Anyway, we highly recommend the acrylic-gel Marble Chip Repair Kit above. It will be the quickest and easiest way to permanently fill these pits.