Colour-matching crucial to fixing countertop seam

Insights from professionals could be helpful if larger problems are at play

Our how-to guru advises a reader who is looking to repair a seam on a granite countertop.

Q We have dark granite countertops, I think called Ubatuba, that were installed in our kitchen when our house was built in 2003. There is one major seam between two slabs on the L-shaped main countertop. The seam was filled with some substance during installation. I think they mixed granite “dust” with caulking material to match the colour. That caulking has worn away over the years. Is there a way I can restore that? Or do I need to contact someone with access to the same kind of granite dust to do the repair?

A If you want to fix this yourself, you should pry out all the loose filler, then refill with two-part epoxy tinted to match the stone as closely as possible. Tape along both sides of the seam first so the epoxy doesn’t smear over the stone surface. Mix and apply the epoxy, remove the tape, and let the epoxy harden as recommended on the label. Then scrape off the excess with a sharp razor blade.

Or you could call a professional, which has a few advantages. First, you’d get someone experienced in matching colours. And you would get advice about whether there is a larger problem.

Q I have a small antique mirror, 12 inches by eight inches, that needs to be resilvered. It is part of a three-piece set for a dining table centrepiece. The centre rectangular piece and the matching piece for the other side are fine, but the tarnish on the third piece spoils the look. I haven’t been able to find anyone who resilvers mirrors. Do you know who can do it?

A Tom Huisman of Huisman Glass and Tom Eddleman of Eddleman Etching both recommended that you consider having all three pieces resilvered. “If one has a lot of deterioration, chances are the others do, too,” Huisman said. “If I resilver one and the others are a little tarnished, the one will stand out.”

Eddleman said customers often opt to have a newly resilvered mirror “antiqued” so that it conveys a sense of its age. “Basically, when you antique a mirror, you do a regular resilvering and then

When you antique a mirror, you do a regular resilvering and then you distress the silver.

you distress the silver,” he said. “It can change colours, depending on how you do it. More than likely it will show some of the backing paint — dark brown. But here’s the thing: It’s a random thing. There is no way to match a truly antique mirror.” But if all three pieces are given the same treatment, they will look like they belong together.

If you leave the job to a pro, pack the mirror or mirrors carefully to avoid breakage. Wrap each mirror in padding, putting the padded pieces in a box, and stuff any empty spaces with more padding. Then place that box in a larger box that has additional padding. For The Washington Post