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Home Repair Kitchens

Quartzite Counter caulk help/advice

2 years ago

We have a quartzite countertop and backsplash. The backsplash does not fit well to the countertop or cabinets. Our contractor says they are out of the material to re-cut for a proper fit. We asked him to make the caulk look as nice as possible, and he caulked right on top of the old caulk. The caulk just rubs right off when I clean off my counters.

I'm going to have do fix this myself, so I'm looking for advice. Does anyone have experience with this?

What is the easiest way to clean the old caulk out of the joint?

What type of caulk should I use?

Should I use denatured alcohol to make sure the caulk is smooth and clean looking?

Will denatured alcohol strip off my counter sealer?

The contractor is treating us like they have no idea why we are upset with this appearance, and each time they try to address the problem it looks worse.

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Comments (6)

herbflavor
2 years ago
"you tube" has many tutorials about caulk removal..usually it has to do with a run of TILE that butts to a tub or counters...... not sure if this is more or less fragile...you dont want chips . I wet the caulk keep a bowl with water and small triangle of a sponge to keep it wet while you work it...... sear it w a stanley knife and carefully..slowly ...it pulls out w a tool.....removal is routine, periodically . caulk comes in color matches to grout... daltile has colored unsanded caulk or hardware store has caulk in almond /bisque / clear/ white/ gray etc. get the best caulk you want to spend for. If you have never removed or done caulking you can get a handyman for this. I usually do not caulk over old caulk.get it out..a few fragments remaining is okay. clean the crevice with toothpick with soft cloth wrapped around tip and alcohol into the crevice to kill mold spores if that is any issue..I doubt on this recent project you have moisture that built up...but there was old caulk??? Why was a new install done over old caulk left on a surface anyway? Is that what you are saying......
maxjackjoe
Original Author
2 years ago
Since the stone backsplash does not fit well - large gap - it was done really sloppy. The caulk did not fill hte joint well, was not smooth, and did not match in color well. So, they just went over the top with a different color. The new color did not adhere to the old caulk underneath as you can see.
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maxjackjoe
Original Author
2 years ago
It's frustraing! We spent $24K on our stone and the workmanship/quality is not durable, sloppy, careless!
herbflavor
2 years ago
tile serves a purpose on vertical surfaces. walls are never even and even slight grade differences over a stretch of horizontal can be eased/compensated with good tiling. A slab can not be "worked" tile can. now you have caulk as your friend to help w the gap....get a carefully chosen color...get the old stuff out and clean it and call someone to re caulk it. It will probably be fine.
daisychain Zn3b
2 years ago
once youve removed the old caulk, you want to redo it with translucent silicone caulk.

practice on scrap first to get a feel for it. i like to tape off first. but as said above, it is worth watching some youtube videos first
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
2 years ago
Dig the old silicone out with something like an old credit card; strong enough to remove it, but no ability to scratch. Gloves if you're using denatured alcohol as skin contact causes blindness; I recommend acetone.

Push Axiom Translucent White into the gap, available from www.danidesigns.com. A large gap is better than a tight fit. No tape please. Spritz the silicone with Windex, spit on your finger, wipe off the excess silicone and Windex overspray without touching the joint and you're done.

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