Food safe epoxy for marble countertop

This article is meant to serve as a primer on using a food-grade epoxy adhesive to help marbled stone users who are both professional and amateur fabricators of countertops. Marble countertops provide users with a visually appealing surface that is the top choice for kitchen and food prep areas and has a long durability and will maintain its safety to food users when properly cared for. However, everyday use and exposure to moisture will continually degrade the finished surface of the marble; some examples of this degradation are chips or cracks. By using a food-grade epoxy adhesive, you can easily and safely repair any chipped or cracked marble countertops.

This article will first discuss what food-grade epoxy adhesive is; again, it consists of two components when cured, will no longer exhibit any chemical reactions. These adhesives can be used to protect surfaces and also to adhere surface materials to each other and to remedy damages to surfaces that will come into contact with food. An example of a food-grade epoxy adhesive would be the adhesive of food and beverage processing equipment to one another or to correct damaged pieces of food and beverage processing equipment.

Once mixed and posts cured in accordance with the mixture ratio, food-grade epoxy adhesives will give a coating of protection to finished food and beverage products and will adhere to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulations under 21 CFR 175.300.In order for epoxy to be considered food grade epoxy, they must meet three requirements:
1. They must be approved pursuant to the appropriate laws that establish criteria for use of food contact materials, including safe for use in the manufacture of the product for which they are approved (i.e. they must be free of any ingredients that are prohibited by law).
2. They must have little or no VOC emissions or be 100% solvent free (this means they will have a very short usable life due to VOC’s).
3. The epoxy must be inert after it has cured (harden), and it must not be reactive with any food (acid or base) that touches the surface of the epoxy once it has been cured.
In addition to these requirements, a Food Safe Epoxy Adhesive can be used in environments that contain continuously running water, because such an environment contains all types of food materials (greases, acids, and bases), that cause physical and chemical degradation of the Food Safe Epoxy Adhesive during food preparation.WARNING: The uncured epoxy adhesive must not touch food and until the epoxy adhesive is fully cured, you will not be able to use the countertop to prepare food. The advantages of using food grade epoxy adhesives on marble countertops include:

Marble is a natural product; therefore, it should have added protection against all types of liquids, oils, or bacteria that would otherwise penetrate the marble and eventually damage it. If you use food grade epoxy adhesives which have been designed for food use, you will receive different results from standard non-food grade adhesives:

First, your finished product will be both inert and will create a barrier between the adhesive and your food; therefore, there should not be a concern that the adhesive will come into contact with your food. The food grade epoxy adhesive should also meet all regulations needed to design food safe compliant products for commercial kitchens and food service establishments.

Epoxies will have an exceptional bond to stone and due to the good compatibility of different types of natural stone to epoxy, this means that they can provide you with numerous years of a strong, degree of bond. For example, when using epoxy on areas of small cracks/chipped corners, and in areas where damage occurs, the epoxy will have created a successful bond within the area of repair thus creating a structure that is stable after the repair has been completed.

Food grade epoxy adhesive has a superior stain and moisture resistance; after the epoxy has been cured, the thickness of the cured epoxy will not allow moisture or cooking oil to penetrate through and will also create a barrier between the juice (acidic) from a fruit and vegetable and the moisture or oil that may have penetrated through the cure epoxy.Furthermore, using an epoxy coating will extend the life of your countertop by up to 300% due to the increased thickness of the epoxy coating. This means that your countertop will be able to withstand more wear and tear than it would without an epoxy coating.

Restorative processes for restoring the original aesthetic properties of your countertop will involve using invisible repair methods.

Acrylidid adhesive allows for invisible repairs based on the ability of the adhesive to create an invisible bond. When performing an invisible repair using an acrylidid adhesive, no visible signs of the repair will be left behind. Therefore, the appearance and functionality of the countertop will be improved.

Countertop-Specific Epoxies

Epoxy adhesives designed specifically to bond to countertops offer several advantages over other types of adhesives:

1. The self-leveling formula of the944xx epoxy adhesive will allow for smooth and level surfaces to be achieved as a result of its use as an adhesive. Multiple sandpaper patching is no longer needed to achieve smooth/flat surfaces.

2. The 944xx epoxy developed for coatings has excellent resistance to both ultraviolet rays (yellowing) due to the natural aging of the epoxy and contributes to an opalescent/transparent effect in the appearance of the countertop.

3. The 944xx epoxy adhesives provide smooth, high-gloss finishes and/or clear coatings. They resist damage from constant, repeated applications of high-quality finished countertop surfaces.

Some additional points to keep in mind concerning countertop-specific epoxies:

1. The self-leveling formula will produce smooth and flat surfaces as a result of its use as adhesives, and will eliminate the need for multiple patches of sandpaper to achieve smooth and flat surfaces.

2. The epoxy adhesives coat (or form) the surfaces of the countertop to provide a high degree of resistance against ultraviolet rays (yellowing), and contribute to the transclucent/opaque characteristics of the countertop.

3. The high-gloss epoxy adhesives provide a long-lasting and tough finish on the countertops. Specifically, because epoxy coatings are so durable and resistant to damage from repeated daily use, they will maintain their glossy finish for much longer than traditional coatings.When properly manufactured and properly applied, countertop-grade epoxy adhesives will yield true long-term usage for both stone countertops, bar tops, and any other countertops found within food service establishments. The following procedures will detail how to properly install food grade epoxy adhesives; thus, providing a safe installation that will yield maximum life expectancy when using food grade epoxy adhesives on created surfaces in respect to restaurants and food service establishments. 1.Countertop Preparation:
You must clean your marble countertops with acetone or a similar stone cleaner until all oils, dust, and food have been removed from the surface to allow for proper application of the epoxy adhesive system. Additionally, lightly sanding the area to which you will apply epoxy adhesive will ensure there are no sharp edges produced by the sanding process, as these will reduce the adhesion ability of the epoxy adhesive to your countertop’s surface. 2. Mixing:
You will mix together the epoxy resin and epoxy hardener according to a 1:1 ratio (for example, for every 10 lbs. of epoxy, you would use 10 lbs. of resin) per the manufacturer’s instructions. NEVER mix epoxy resin or hardener differently or at a different ratio, as this will yield either weak bond strength; failing to cure, creating a safety hazard, for the surface area being created between your countertop and food contact with the countertop. 3.Epoxy adhesive must be mixed and evenly distributed over the area of use (i.e., the area being sealed) using an applicator (brush or scraper) that is appropriate for the intended use. For self-leveling epoxies, an even coat of epoxy must also be provided on the countertop since the self-leveling epoxy will not level itself and will continue to flow off the countertop until it dries or sets.

When bubbles have formed in the surface of the cured epoxy after it has been applied to the countertop, they should be removed with a heat source (such as a heat gun or propane torch). Air bubbles are prone to dirt entering the location where the bubble was once located after it has been removed.

The cure times of epoxy adhesives for most countertop materials should be referred to prior to continuing with the use of the sealant.

Common Cure Time for Epoxy Adhesives:
Drying Time: 24 Hours.
Time for Light Loss: 48-72 hours subject to the environmental temperature.
Full Cure Time: Up to 7 Days (Most Commonly 5-7 Days, Depending on Environmental Temp and Adhesive Properties.)

Under no circumstances will the finished surface of the countertop be deemed food safe until it has achieved 100% cure levels. All General Safety Guidelines Should Be Followed While Working With Food-Safe Epoxy Adhesives.The use of these practices ensures that sanitary conditions are maintained while utilizing food grade epoxy adhesives.
– Cooking food on top of epoxy surfaces can create scratches, which will allow bacteria to breed, resulting in unsatisfactory sanitary conditions.
1. When placing anything on top of the epoxy adhesive, even though your object is hot, make sure that it is always placed directly onto the epoxy surface and that the amount of heat applied to your object will not deform (along with your expected epoxy coating).
2. Use only certified food-safe and/or FDA approved epoxy adhesives for food-contact surfaces. You cannot use industrial-type epoxy adhesives for food-contact applications.
3. Any colour/additive product used in a food-contact location that does not have the manufacturer’s approval will be considered non-compliant.
4. The epoxy surface has no natural anti-bacterial actions do as any other kitchen surface in your home, so you need to clean it regularly to create sanitary conditions.
Conditions Other Than Food Safe Epoxy Adhesives
Food-grade epoxy adhesives can be used in food-contact areas, but there are several other situations when it would not be appropriate to use food-grade epoxy adhesives to achieve design objectives:
• Repairing deep structural cracks in marble countertops that would require adding reinforcement to the stone material
• Repairing anything that has experienced prolonged exposure to extreme heat.
• Performing extensive cutting/chopping tasks on a wood cutting board.
For these uses, use traditional stone or mechanical materials.
In conclusion, there are many ways to create quality surfaces for food utilization you can maintain, using the proper sera of food-quality epoxy adhesives; through sufficient time needed for the adhesive to cure (as required), you create a surface that protects (providing a sanitary, moisture-resistant working surface) your marble countertops in your catered food-service operation. The most important aspect that will lead to successful results (creating the long-lasting and durable working surfaces) will be using only certified food-quality epoxy adhesives and sufficient current time has passed before actual use of the adhesive, and thus resulting in the best and most durable working surfaces.