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I purchased two Swanstone solid surface vanity tops for my double-bowl sink. I trimmed them to site side-by-side and planned to use white silicone caulk between them to fill any very small gaps. They looked fine going in but the caulk sunk some after it dried and so I am thinking I need to take one out and fill the gap with something else that will have the following properties:

  • Non-porouos
  • Easy to clean
  • Same or similar color as my tops
  • Will bond to solid surface

I have considered epoxy of some sort, but I'd like to know if there is anything that is commonly used to this effect. I have seen granite tops lined up with little noticeable seam so I think it should be possible. Of course, I should have picked a darker color to hide the seam better but... live and learn I guess.

Vanity tops

UPDATE: I received a response from Swanstone:

Hi, Corian can be chemically bonded but Swanstone cannot. We do a mechanical bond and then fill seams with an acrylic glue. These products are only available to certified swanstone fabricators. If you would like information on that, give me your location and I can tell you who to get in touch with.

I already have a mechanical fastening system in place, not pictured are three 1/4"x20 bolts in the front, back, and middle of the sink spanning the vertical supports of the two halves, which happen to butt against each other.

Addendum: Good info in general re: swanstone fabrication: http://www.jlconline.com/countertops/working-with-thin-solid-surfacing_1.aspx

Update: I followed Jack's advice and used glacier white SeamIt brand solid surface adhesive (2 part epoxy). The results are not bad, the only downside is that the adhesive itself has a different sheen than the swanstone so I think I'll try to rough it up later to cut down on reflections off of the adhesive line. The finished product is pictured below.

enter image description here enter image description here

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    That looks really good.
    – iLikeDirt
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 15:39

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The makers of those tops will have the seam adhesive to join the tops permanently. If they are anything like Corian by Dupont, they want to protect their warranty. You may need to do some convincing to an installer to sell you the adhesive you need. It can be done, I have done it before. It takes a router or a belt sander to get the joint down flush after the glue squeezes out.

More later if you go that route.

12-9-13 addendum

The bond is really strong, but it is always best to insure the joint is stable on both sides. This can be done with silicone under both halves. While silicone is still fresh, position your halves and use shims from the underside if needed. From the looks of it you may not have the luxury of getting a clamp block at the back edge but you may at the front. Have everything ready, and clamp the front and shim the back like you are ready to glue. Get it right at this point after this step there is no turning back. Use a straight edge of some sort to insure surface are flat and true. Remove all clamps that block access to the joint. apply your bonding cement and reset the clamps. The stick(s) I have referred to are small hardwood scraps, maybe 1/2" square to 3/4" square and 4 to 6 inches long. When this is placed on the glue joint it will spread the glue a little, but it will sand out with the rest of the joint.

After all this is said, any of this is for worst case scenario. If the joints line up perfectly as it sets on the cabinet, which it looks real good in the picture you offer, all you need is to apply the glue and let it set which will only take minutes to set, and hour to finish.

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  • I believe that adhesive is an epoxy based product: Very strong and with all the qualities the OP requests.
    – wallyk
    Commented Dec 8, 2013 at 20:09
  • I actually called swanstone before I did this and they suggested silicone -- but the rep didn't seem to be a technical person. I'll give them a ring tomorrow and let them know that "my buddy" told me that he used a swanstone-provided adhesive in the past and where can I get some? And I had planned to sand the top down anyway as the manufacturing difference in the tops produced a very slight unevenness along the seam. I plan to just use a RO sander for that, and which grit to go with is another thing that I'll have to figure out in the future.
    – Ethereal
    Commented Dec 8, 2013 at 21:14
  • I joined my brothers tops, they were corian. I used a belt sander to finish it at 220G. He said it looked invisible to him. The pros use a Scotch-Brite pad for the finish.
    – Jack
    Commented Dec 8, 2013 at 22:00
  • The surfaces are aligned with 2 clamps and a straight stick on either edge. The small stick on the finish surface acts as a straight edge and held in place by the clamps. This should get the surfaces to be held flush on the same plane. The joint, at least with Corian is not made tight, and is actually open by a 1/16 inch. The epoxy has a small tip to squeeze the glue into the slight gap and left to harden. Then the excess is trimmed off with a laminate trimmer with 2 shim blocks attached to the bottom plate to allow the router bit to hover over the glue joint. Then sand with the RO sander.
    – Jack
    Commented Dec 8, 2013 at 22:10
  • Are there any steps needed to ensure that the two halves are stationary? It seems that the seam might be prone to cracking with any vertical movement of one side relative to the other.
    – Ethereal
    Commented Dec 9, 2013 at 14:40

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