Just chipped your $4000 granite kitchen island? Don’t panic! Granite is easy to repair if you have the right tools. Let’s look at some different granite projects and find out what adhesive is best for each.
No time to read? The best glues for granite are:
Loctite PL530 Construction Adhesive – Bonds most surfaces but dries white. Great for where the join won’t be visible.
LamLock Rocketgel epoxy and pigments – Perfect for visible seams where you need the join to be invisible.
HIMG Surface Repair Kit – The best tool for repairing small chips or cracks in Granite surfaces.
How to glue Granite
Granite as a material is really not all that difficult to bond. Any construction adhesive and many household glues will do the trick.
The problem with granite is that it’s usually polished to a very high standard, so you will want to ensure the finished product looks good. There is a different solution for every type of granite project, depending on your desired outcome.
For most projects, I recommend Loctite PL530 Construction Adhesive. This version of Loctite’s popular construction adhesive is specifically tailored to be strong enough to adhere even to polished surfaces, including granite.
For chipped or cracked granite where you need a completely flush and invisible adhesion, the best option is to pick up a cheap granite repair kit.
Best glue for Granite Countertops
The best glue for Granite Countertops depends on what specifically you need the glue for.
For non-visible repairs/joins, where it doesn’t matter if the seam is visible:
For adhering your countertop to other surfaces like drywall or wood, or for any repairs that will be hidden from view the best option is Loctite PL530 Construction Adhesive. This is an extremely strong adhesive, it will grip almost any surface, even polished surfaces like Granite.
The downside is that it is white, and it stays white when it’s cured. This may or may not be a problem, but it means it’s not useful for gluing two pieces of granite together where you want to hide the seam between them.
For highly visible joins where the repair needs to blend in with the countertop:
If you’re joining two pieces of Granite to form a large worktop, you may opt to use a strong two-part epoxy along with a color paste or color pigment.
The epoxy keeps the granite together, and the pigment helps the seam to blend into the existing granite surface. Granite comes in many different colors, so it can be difficult to find an exact match without mixing your own.
Some granite epoxy kits come with pigments included, like this LamLock Rocketgel granite repair kit, whereas some come without and you will need to buy your own pigments separately.
Best glue for Granite repairs
Although granite is extremely strong, it can sometimes chip or crack at the edges, exposing the rough surface underneath which is a magnet for bacteria and moisture.
Thankfully, it’s fairly easy to make small repairs with a clear epoxy granite repair kit.
You can use any kit you like, it’s just resin in a syringe for easy application. This HIMG surface repair kit on Amazon is available in Clear, Black, or White.
How to repair chipped Granite:
- Thoroughly clean and rinse the chipped area using an old toothbrush and soapy water
- Apply the granite repair putty to the affected area
- Shape the putty flush with your countertop
- Use the provided UV light to harden the putty
- If necessary, sand, polish and seal the final repair
Best glue for Granite to Metal
The best option for Granite to Metal is definitely to use a strong construction adhesive.
Loctite PL530 construction adhesive is specifically designed to be strong enough to use on polished materials like Granite and will grip very strongly to both Granite and Metal.
Best glue for Granite seams
As I mentioned above, the best option for hiding your granite seams is to use a two-part epoxy, which is color-matched perfectly to your granite.
This LamLock Rocketgel epoxy comes with pigments in the package, so you don’t need to buy any 3rd party pigments.
For highly visible seams on your countertop, you will want to make use of a Seam Setter to make sure the seams are flush, and to keep pressure on them while the epoxy sets.
How to get a great seam on your granite countertops:
Best glue for Granite to Wood
The best option for adhering granite to wood is to use a strong construction adhesive.
Most construction adhesives will work fine, but I recommend Loctite PL530 adhesive since it is specifically formulated to be able to adhere to polished surfaces like Granite.
If you don’t have construction adhesive available, some other household glues will work too.
Cyanoacrylate (Superglue) will work well for small joins, while Polyurethane like Gorilla Glue will work pretty well on both Wood and Granite, however the downside to Gorilla Glue is that it needs to be clamped firmly, since it expands as it cures.
Best glue for Granite to Concrete
The best option for concrete to granite adhesion is once again a strong construction adhesive like Loctite PL530.
If you’re adhering to polished/finished concrete, you may opt to use a clear epoxy with pigments, to make the seam less visible.
Conclusion
In general, the best option for granite is going to be Loctite’s PL530 construction adhesive. It’s specially formulated to be able to adhere to polished surfaces, including granite.
When you need to fill in a small crack or chip, your best option is to use an easy-to-use granite repair kit like this HMIG surface repair putty. (Available in Black, White, or Clear – pick the one that best matches your surface)
Finally, for large and highly visible granite seams, you will want to use an epoxy solution that you can mix in color pigments to match the color of your surface.
LamLock Rocketgel is a two-part epoxy that comes prepackaged along with several pigments to help you get a perfect color match and blend your seam in with your surface. Perfect for large granite joins with visible seams.
I really hope this helped, Granite is expensive and it is gut-wrenching if you damage it by accident. Luckily it’s not too difficult to repair if you have the right tools.
Thanks for reading!
-Bill
