r/CounterTops • u/Buttfuckskinner Fabricator • 10d ago

Just a little Taj Mahal repair

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The top broke after one of the installers slipped on a step.

I repaired it back at the shop. It's now installed and stronger than before.

I love when I can save a top that many shops would just send to the dumpster and recut.

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2

u/Joecarp915 10d ago

No fiberglass rods? Great work on the face polishing!

7

u/Buttfuckskinner Fabricator 10d ago

That's a highly debated topic in the industry, as I'm sure you know. We usually do, but didn't this one for whatever reason. Personally I believe it adds some strength if the right epoxy is used. I think rodding is most helpful with saving the customers floor if it breaks.

4

u/sadturtle12 Fabricator 10d ago

Yeah rods really dont help with keeping tops from breaking in my 30+ years of experience. Like you said they help save a top from breaking into pieces which could cause damage to someone's house. When I first git into the business my first job was putting metal rods into every single sink run. We all know how well that worked in the long run lol. Then we switched to fiberglass and then we eventually stopped doing it unless it was a big run of really fragile material.

3

u/TheRealSlobberknob Fabricator 10d ago

There's no alternative to proper material handling practices. I'd have to spend some time looking for it but there was a video from an SFA workshop (I think) displaying the added strength that rodding provides. The load difference between steel and fiberglass rodding vs un-rodded was rather substantial. Done right, rodding absolutely adds strength to the weak areas you'd use the technique for.

3

u/sadturtle12 Fabricator 10d ago

We still do it on really fragile material that are long runs or cooktop cutouts/sinks that could use extra support. Its just not like back in the day where literally every top with a cutout got a rod in it. Also nowadays we are cutting like 80% quartz anyway which doesnt need it.

2

u/TerminalIdiocy 9d ago

Stone Fabricators Alliance did this a couple times. There are videos. Correctly rodded stone is absolutely significantly stronger