[RickFLM4]

This is a relatively small but long overdue project.

When we bought our home in 2002, one of our first projects before moving in was replacing the Formica countertops with granite. We purchased something common but decent in 2cm thickness (mistake #1) and a white sink (mistake #2). Over the years, the white sink started to stain and we wanted to replace it, but the granite behind the sink started to crack and it was impossible to replace the sink without doing something about the granite. The crack we learned was because the original installation required a metal rod to support the thin stretch of granite and it was not properly dried and started to rust, which led to deterioration of the granite from below. We had the granite crack repairs (basically filled with crush granite and epoxy) and the sink resurfaced / sprayed (mistake #3). The granite repair separated almost immediately and within a year, the sink started to peel. So we got it sprayed again (mistake #4), and I filled the visible granite cracks with silicone to avoid more water getting in from the top. The faucet was precariously attached to the counter at this point and we thought the faucet could fall over, or worse the granite fail and sink collapse.

We were thinking of remodeling the kitchen but we had bigger priorities (impact resistant glass, master bath and roof among them) and inflation ran prices wild so we started looking for a temp solution - maybe something to put off a remodel 3-5 years. We tried to find a slab that was a close match but couldn’t find one in 2 cm, and this would be costly anyway. So we found someone who could cut out the bad granite (and metal rod) and replace it with a piece of scrap he had and purchased a drop in sink with a ledge / lip behind it to cover up what was done. The reason this was necessary is because we had scrap granite from the original install in our garage that I threw away (mistake #5) when we had an ac air handler leak in 2013 resulting in mold over a bunch of items.

Anyway, we spent about $2,200 all in for the granite repair, Kraus stainless steel sink, Delta faucet, new garbage disposal, granite guy and plumber. Before and after pics - I think it looks 1000% better and just hope it doesn’t somehow turn into mistake #6. Also glad we don’t need to think about it for a while because this dilemma has been going on for about 4-5 years.