How to Repair Broken Granite Tile Table

Corners

I had a client who recently moved to her new home and needed a few things that were damaged from the move and needed some repair.  Her large outside patio table happened to have one corner Granite tile piece on the that was completely broken off at a diagonal direction.  It was not only broken, the broken piece was missing. Rather than replace the table she loved, she asked me if I could fix it. After giving it a little thought, I came up with a great remedy and told her I was up for the challenge.

Challenges

I knew it was achievable, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy.

• First, how was I going to shape the corner?
• Second, how would I support it while it was drying?
• Third, how will I router the edges to match the rest of the tiles?
• Finally, and most important, what kind of material will I use that will be strong enough to hold?

I had the perfect solution! J-B Weld is a two part epoxy cold weld system that forms a permanent bond, It can be shaped, taped, sanded, filed, and drilled. It withstands high temperatures and it is waterproof.

Process of the Repair

• Tape the corner under the bottom of the table so there is enough room to build up the product in creating a corner piece.
• Mix the two-part epoxy and apply to the table with small flat tool like a Popsicle stick, for instance.
• Keep applying every few minutes, until there is enough to create a new corner piece.
• Shape it into a corner as close as possible.
• Then, add a piece of masking tape around the piece to keep it’s shape while it is drying.

Note: Apply a little extra so you will not have reapply more. It can easily be sanded down.

Final Steps

Once it is completely dry, remove the tape. I started sanding it with 80 grit sand paper, then smoothed it out with 220 grit sand paper.

Tip: Whenever you are using sand paper that is too coarse, rub two pieces together until you get a more desired grit. To get the routed edges, I folded the paper and sanded them in until they matched the adjacent edges.

If you are handy and confident in using small hand tools, a Dremel would work well for this type of project. There are a variety of tool bits that are used for grinding and polishing.

After it is shaped to match the table, it is time to apply the paint. Since there are a variety of natural colors and grain found in the granite tiles, it was easy to match and blend the paint to the existing tiles. I used acrylic artist paints of black, white, burnt sienna, and a hint of yellow.

• Mix and apply the paint into a few different shades and tones until you get it matched.
• Once it is completely dry (overnight), spray or brush on a clear flat water-base polyurethane sealer.

Conclusion

The synthetic piece that  you create from the J B Weld creates a strong bond to the existing part of the table. The new piece is not even noticeable and should stay secure for a few years if you don’t lean on it. It is a lot cheaper than replacing the table.