The Case of the Countertop Crack
Slow Morning at Flo’s Diner
It was one of those slow mornings at Flo’s Diner, the kind where the coffee tastes like it’s been reheated three times and the locals argue about fishing more than politics. I was halfway through a plate of eggs when my phone buzzed. The caller ID showed a number I didn’t recognize. Against my better judgment, I answered.
“Are you the stone detective?” the voice asked, a little nervous.
“Depends,” I said. “Who’s asking?”
“My name’s Linda. You came highly recommended. I’ve got a crack in my granite countertop, right in front of the sink. It wasn’t there a few months ago. Now it’s getting worse.”
A crack in front of the sink? That’s like hearing there’s a puddle in the desert. It happens all the time, but the reasons are rarely simple. I told Flo to keep the pie warm and headed out.
Arriving at the Scene
When I pulled up to Linda’s place, she was waiting at the door, looking more worried than someone should be about a countertop. Inside, she pointed to her kitchen island like it was a crime scene. Sure enough, a long, jagged crack ran right in front of the sink.
“I don’t get it,” she said. “I don’t put anything hot there, I don’t drop things, and I’m careful when I clean.”
Examining the Evidence
I crouched down, ran my hand over the surface, and noticed something right away. The edges of the crack weren’t clean breaks. They had a little rust stain bleeding out of them, the kind that tells you metal’s involved. I grabbed my flashlight and mirror, got under the sink, and there it was, the culprit.
“Linda,” I said, “your countertop’s got a steel rod running under it. It’s supposed to strengthen the granite, especially across the front of the sink cutout. Problem is, that rod’s rusting. When steel rusts, it expands, and that pressure’s what’s causing your granite to crack.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding. They put metal in my countertop?”
“Yep. Pretty common trick in the fabrication world. Works fine if it’s properly sealed. But if water gets in, and it always does around a sink, eventually that rod starts corroding. Once that happens, it’s just a matter of time.”
Can It Be Fixed?
“So can it be fixed?” she asked.
“Oh yeah,” I said. “You’ll need a good stone restoration contractor. They’ll have to cut out the bad section, remove the rusted rod, clean and dry everything, then epoxy in a new one or reinforce it properly. After that, they’ll repair and polish the crack. It’ll look almost new.”
She looked relieved but still annoyed. “Why didn’t the installer tell me about this?”
I shrugged. “Most don’t. It’s one of those industry secrets that stays quiet until something cracks.”
Case Closed
I gave her the name of a contractor I trusted and told her to call me after it was repaired if she wanted me to check it.
As I got back in my car, I couldn’t help but smile. Another mystery solved. Back at Flo’s, the pie was still warm and the coffee just as bad.
I sat down, and Flo raised an eyebrow. “What was it this time, Doc?”
“Rust,” I said. “The sneaky kind that hides under granite and waits for its chance.”
She shook her head. “You sure do find trouble in strange places.”
“Yeah,” I said, taking a bite of pie. “That’s what keeps me in business.”
