Solid surface countertops have been used in kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms for decades and are highly prized for their durability and resistance to accidental damage. Unfortunately, even the most sophisticated solid surface countertop is not immune to damage, and over the years your countertops can be damaged in a wide variety of ways.
In some cases, severe damage to a solid surface can make it impossible to use safely or clean effectively, so you should always have any visible damaged to your countertops repaired as quickly as possible. Here are three common types of damage found on well-used solid surface countertops, along with the best ways to repair them:
Corner and edge chips
The exposed corners and edges of your countertops are always vulnerable to accidental damage, particularly if they overhang the cabinets that lie beneath them. Collisions and other impact damage can cause the edges of solid surface countertops to become chipped and uneven, although the unique structure of solid surface materials makes them less vulnerable to edge chipping than natural stone and other materials.
Minor chips on the edges of your countertops are usually just an aesthetic issue, and you can attempt to repair them yourself using epoxy resin-based countertop repair kits. However, these amateur repairs usually don't last, so having the damaged edges of your countertops professionally repaired and resurfaced by countertop repair specialists is always the safer option.
Surface cracks
Solid surface countertops are highly resistant to impact damage, but dropping a heavy pan or chopping board directly on the countertop can cause small, hairline cracks to appear in its surface. These cracks are generally a more serious issue than edge chipping, as they can widen unpredictably when the damaged countertop is used. In rare cases, an untreated hairline crack and grow into a huge crevasse.
These large cracks are impossible to repair, so you should always tackle hairline surface cracks before they can grow any larger and cause more damage. Small cracks can be effectively repaired with home countertop repair kits, or even superglue if you know what you are doing. However, professional onsite countertop repair is more reliable and eliminates the possibility of a crack worsening due to imperfect repairs.
Heat damage
One well-known weakness of solid surface countertops is that they are only moderately heat resistant, and placing a hot pan directly on your countertops can leave large, unsightly scorch marks behind.
If a burn mark is relatively minor (for example, if you only left a hot pan on the surface for a second or two), it can usually be removed with sandpaper or other abrasive materials. Resealing the countertop once the surface damage has been removed should leave it looking close to new. However, more serious burns will cause discolouration deep within the countertop material, and will need to be repaired professionally.