Fissures Are Not Cracks

Every natural slab has lines in it that look alarming to a first time buyer, and the distinction drawn at granite countertops asheville nc firethegrid comes up on nearly every granite job in Asheville at the point where somebody sees the material in daylight for the first time. Most of those lines are a feature of the stone rather than damage to it.

What a Fissure Is

A fissure is a natural separation between mineral crystals that formed as the rock cooled, running along the plane of the surface rather than through the slab. It is part of the material and it appears in almost every granite. Some are visible only at an angle. Some you can feel with a fingernail, which is normal and not a sign that the piece is failing.

How to Tell Them Apart

Run a fingernail across the line, then look at it from both sides of the slab. A fissure sits within the plane and usually follows the direction of the crystal structure. A crack cuts across the pattern without regard for it, often runs to an edge, and is frequently visible on the underside as well. Hold a light behind the slab where you can; a crack throws a shadow through the thickness.

Where a Real Crack Comes From

Handling. A slab is strong in compression and vulnerable to being flexed, so damage happens on the road, on the A frame, at the saw, or in the lift into a house. That is also why cracks concentrate around the weakest geometry: a narrow rail between a sink cutout and the front edge, or a thin return behind a cooktop.

Living With a Fissure

Nothing needs doing. A wide one can be filled with colour matched resin during fabrication so it does not trap crumbs, and a sealer treats it like the rest of the surface. If a fissure sits where a sink cutout or a cooktop opening will land, mention it at layout, since the fabricator will usually shift the piece to keep it away from the corner. Photograph anything you are unsure about at the yard, and again once the top is in. A feature present before cutting is not damage that happened on the way into the house, and a dated picture settles that discussion before it turns into an argument.