Expert: Jim Lyon - 11/17/2008

Question
I have a tiled floor that is surrounded by the standard 4 inch wide marble surround.  Lately, I've noticed a small crack that goes across one of the sections and small pieces are beginning to crumble away from it.  Is there something I can use to fill in the crack or do I need to remove the entire section and replace it?  I have a 7 month old crawling around and worry abut sharp edges and pieces.

Answer
Hi Gary,

There is a technique you can try to fill the crack. If it doesnt work, the piece could be replaced.

First off, I am assuming the cracked piece is against the wall? (baseboard). Is the crack caused by movement behind the marble? (is there a crack in the wall or something you can observe that would indicate that what's behind the marble is not solid?)If the piece of base is loose don't bother with the repair, remove and replace it.

If the marble is solidly set and there is no movement when you push on it, you can fill the crack with clear epoxy mixed with marble dust. Take a spare piece of marble with similar coloration. Buy some epoxy in a tube from a hardware store [support your local hardware stores or they wont be there in the future] that has a longer set time- not the 5-minute stuff which tends to not adhere as well. Clean out the crack and any loose chips. Take a hammer and pound away at the spare marble piece until you have a powder, mix this with some epoxy until you have a very stiff paste. It will need to be stiff to keep from sagging as it sets. With a toothpick or small tool, push epoxy into the crack and scrape off any excess with a putty knife. You can smooth the epoxy before it sets with lacquer thinner. I would definitely practice on a piece first to develop some technique.

After the epoxy sets if there is any oozing out or other mess, you can try scraping it down with a utility knife blade.
If this doesn't work well for you, you can break out the piece and replace it, which might be easier anyway. Good luck and feel free to ask any follow up questions.

Jim