Kitchen work top joint broken and now dislocated

[grumpypj]

our kitchen work top is L shaped. at the 'L' there was a joint which became lose or broke. the picture shows the state of the joint. The worktop doesnt move or isnt remotely wobbly. But its just moved that much more from its original position.

The worktop used to be snugly joint to tilework & a white sealant made everything aesthetically pleasing too & prevented water seeping down behind the tap. that white 'sealant' (caulk like thing) is now tornacross the joint. attached picture shows that. behind the tap, its the same story and my concern is that water will seep down while doing the dishes and can spoil our flooring or the flat below.

Question to the experts - what should be my next steps? this worktop isnt very old, perhaps 6/7 years and there arent any cracks and works great to our purpose. yes the 'L' joint is an issue. Will it be possible to join that again?

thanks in advance.

 

[pete50]

I'm not a "tradesman" but I have done a few of those joints. It's called, or it should be, a mason's mitre joint and it is cut using a jig. They are held together by two or three worktop connecting bolts underneath the worktop and some waterproof adhesive. The cutouts for the bolts are cut using a mason's mitre jig and a router. If that joint has pulled apart the bolts have either become loose or the cutouts have become elongated. Providing the worktop is in good nick and no water has got into the weatabix, I am assuming that your worktop is of the chipboard variety, then the joint can be remade and the silicone sealant along the back of the worktop can be renewed. It will mean taking it all apart though and cleaning all the old silicone and old adhesive off then remaking the mason's joint and re-siliconing the bit along the wall. It's all quite a big job but do-able. If that joint IS a mason's mitre joint then you will need a stupidly expensive jig and a router to recut the bolt slots.

 

[James Martin]

Your worktops look like granite ??? You have an undermounted sink, and scale around your tap.
Your granite worktops can be fixed, and your joint re-done. There are a couple of reasons why this may have happened.
Either your granite has been badly fitted to your cabinets, or your granite has been fitted to your badly fitted cabinets. Either one will cause your joint to crack. It's only expoxy resin.
Find a local granite installer, and he will be able to re-fit your granite, unless he tells you that your cabinets are wobbly, and badly fitted.
I fitted kitchens for over 20 years. I could fit a ****e cheap kitchen, and it could still look good 15 years later, but i also saw many quality kitchens fitted by owners, or builders, that looked ****e after 2 years.
The answer is you either have badly fitted kitchen cabs, or badly fitted granite.

 

[grumpypj]

Your worktops look like granite ??? You have an undermounted sink, and scale around your tap.
Your granite worktops can be fixed, and your joint re-done. There are a couple of reasons why this may have happened.
Either your granite has been badly fitted to your cabinets, or your granite has been fitted to your badly fitted cabinets. Either one will cause your joint to crack. It's only expoxy resin.
Find a local granite installer, and he will be able to re-fit your granite, unless he tells you that your cabinets are wobbly, and badly fitted.
I fitted kitchens for over 20 years. I could fit a ****e cheap kitchen, and it could still look good 15 years later, but i also saw many quality kitchens fitted by owners, or builders, that looked ****e after 2 years.
The answer is you either have badly fitted kitchen cabs, or badly fitted granite.

Yes it's granite.

 

[James Martin]

I have given you the answer then. Badly fitted cabs would be my best guess. If so, that is going to cost you a few bob.

 

[grumpypj]

I have given you the answer then. Badly fitted cabs would be my best guess. If so, that is going to cost you a few bob.

Thanks a lot James.

Out of interest, do you want to quanify "few bobs" - how much is the damage going to be roughly?

 

[Leofric]

I can't see any 45 degree mason's mitre joint ! I can see a butt joint in the granite that looks as though it was pointed and some of the pointing has come away. Granite worktops are very heavy and have probably settled. Rake out the sealant to the tiling and redo with silicone sealant to keep it watertight.
How wide is the joint in the granite and as a matter of interest how thick is the granite worktop?

 

[James Martin]

If the cabinets are not fixed to the walls etc, and are moving. Then you are looking at worktops off, after taking the hob, taps etc out. Fixing the cabinets, then re-installing the granite. If you have the granite fixed, but the cabs are not fixed properly, the granite joint will crack again. i doubt that the granite has been fitted that badly. If granite is fixed to a stable surface, than it wont move..... Your cabs are your problem.

 

[noseall]

I'm not a "tradesman"

Lol. no. Best not to comment if you are clueless.