

Knowing how a crack or fissure feels when you run your fingernail across the surface of the stone can help you determine whether you are dealing with a fissure or a crack. Cracks caused by stresses during the installation process are commonly observed in straight lines near supporting structures. Cracks can be narrow or wide, usually only appear in one place on the slab, and may go through the entire depth of the stone.

Fissures often appear in more than one place on the slab and are rarely straight. The visible separation usually remains within the depth of the stone, although it sometimes can go entirely through. Fissures are elongated but extremely narrow openings along the boundaries of crystalline structures in the stone.

Knowing what to look for can help with determining whether you are dealing with a fissure or a crack. Man-made stresses may also happen during the installation process. Cracks are a result of man-made stresses, such as transport from the quarry to the fabricator or from fabricator to a residence or commercial facility. Naturally Occurring Versus Human Interventionįissures are a result of naturally occurring phenomenon, such as geological and environmental forces, crystallization of minerals, and other conditions. How does one go about determining whether a countertop has a fissure or a crack? It all boils down to observation. Sometimes these “cracks” are not cracks at all, but fissures, a feature of the stone that resembles a crack. Fabricators and restoration contractors often get calls about cracks in natural stone countertops.
