Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 13, 2000 04:02pm | #1

   *
   Craig, click on the "Search" button, and enter "concrete countertops" for lots of discussions. Mongo is one of the resident experts on them, read his discussions. Good Luck.

   regards, jim

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 13, 2000 04:05pm | #2

   *Craig, check back in a month or two & look in the "Frequently Asked Questions" section. Or if you need it now, use "Search" (it's the second button from the left, towards the top of the page) and look for "Concrete Countertops" or maybe just concrete. Joe H

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 13, 2000 04:06pm | #3

   *Jim L, you weren't there when I started. Joe H

2. 
   Gary_Wibracht | Jun 14, 2000 02:39am | #4

   *
   Hi guys,

   I've poured several concrete counters and have evolved my style. I now use white silica sand, white portland, powdered color and a latex admixture replacing about half the water. I use rebar around sink cutouts and stucco netting on the flats.

   For kitchen use I finish the tops with a parking lot sealer sold by Specco. I apply about 6 or 8 coats then sand the top. I finish the top with pastewax buffed with a buffer run by my compressor.

   Use some small gravel with the sand mix, or you don't have much to float, and you tend to have bubbles in the surface. I recently ground a series of kitchen counters to make a rougher surface, then sealed and waxed the top.

   I experimented with a bunch of mixes and practice tops, and faces, and "art" forms before I settled on a mix, so you might want to experiment yourself. The good thing is cement, sand and gravel are cheap.

   Good luck

3. 
   Guest_ | Jun 28, 2000 08:50am | #5

   *
   Hey ya'll! I've done several concrete counters pretty much the same way as Gary:

   I mix 1:2:2 portland to sand to pea gravel and place it into a tight rebar grid and/or doubled 6x6 mesh (so the holes are 3x3).

   If convenient, I add latex, but it's not been necessary-they've never cracked, and thorough curing is pretty easy in this case. I've cantilevered 14" out using 2 1/4" thickness, which looks cool. I pour straight grey concrete and scree it.

   Then for coloring, I use oxide powder pigments, or water soluble universal paint tint mixed with white cement and fine sand 1:1. After the basic pour has set up enough to pull the forms (3+ hours?), or the next day (with bonding adhesive) I place a heavy cream of colored cement/sand in a 1/8" layer and work it. This allows me to get a troweled finish on the edges.

   This technique is cheap and gives you a lot of control over the finish. The thin color layer does set up very fast and it's a lot of work to micro-plaster the edges, especially with the chamfers I favor. I then cure it as long as possible (2 weeks?) and seal with vegetable oil.
   The vegetable oil has to be renewed constantly, like a butcher block counter, but looks and feels great.

   BTW I'm curious about staining after the fact. It seems like you are forced to accept a sanded edge (as in the recent FH article) but otherwise it would be much faster. Can anybody tell me more about the acid stains?

   Steve

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 28, 2000 08:44pm | #6

   *Craig, sorry I'm late to your thread. JimL, thanks for the kind words.I thought the recent article in FHB was detailed enough to explain the pour-in-place process fairly well. The only point of the article I really took issue with was having the concrete delivered. I prefer to tightly control the quality of the mix, esp the quantity of water added, myself.I also prefer to cast the tops, inverted, in a mold. Far superior surface. Sure it takes a little bit of effort to install...but the surface is primo and there's virtually no troweling and no leveling compounds to be applied. Edge details are also very very simple. I also prefer an integral color vs an acid stain.Sealers can be a urethane-type curing film, which is easy to screw up, esp for a DIYer, a penetrating silicone-type sealer, which is easy to apply but less likely to get renewed, or a simple paste wax renewed every six months or as required. The paste wax is easy for the homeowner to understand and apply...very user-friendly.

4. 
   Jeff_W | Jun 28, 2000 11:53pm | #7

   *
   First of all I should say Hi. I'm new to this forum as far as posting goes although I've lurked here for quite some time. I'm just a DIY'er who enjoys listening to some pros talk about construction stuff. I'm in the process of a major whole house remodel and find all the info very valuable.

   As far as using vegetable oil goes, I've always been told to use mineral oil instead as vegetable oil has the chance of going rancid.

   This has been a particularly interesting thread to me. I really like the idea of concrete counters. I'm going to do some experimenting soon.

   Jeff

1. 
   Kris_Abshire | Jul 14, 2000 01:51am | #8

   *Wow, guys. All this great discussion/advice on concrete countertops - 'wish I had inquired when wewere building last fall. Anyway, I'd like to slidea teensy tidbit in here, based on learned experiencewith materials of like kind, specifically tiles.Because I wanted a w-i-i-i-de countertop with a 12"overhang to accommodate bar chair seating, I came up with the nifty (looking) idea of beautiful, coordinated floor pavers. My cabinet and tile guys did a great job. It's really unique, and really good looking. However! Had I to do it over again, I would probably check seriously into laying some sortof heating wire underneath the tiles. Tiles are COLD! Presumably, concrete would be, also. So, if your countertops will be "leaned on" by homeowners/guests while 1)reading the paper, 2) drinking coffee (or margaritas) 3) visiting with the cook, you might give this some consideration. (If your homeowner bakes a lot of pies, just put the wires under the perimeter - pastry rolls out best on a cold surface). 'Just a suggestion.Kris

1. 
   Patti_LaBounty | Jul 27, 2000 02:14am | #9

   *I am planning a new kitchen and am considering using granite countertops. I do not like the high polish of most of the granite countertops I see, however I have found a quarry that will sell me granite that has been polished less. I have had a few people warn me about doing this, as they say that if granite isn't highly polished it will stain easily. Does anyone have any suggestions or insight?Thanks,Patti

5. 
   Guest_ | Jul 27, 2000 10:39pm | #10

   *
   Concrete countertops ? How do ya back that big truck into the kitchen ?

6. 
   Tim_H | Jul 28, 2000 06:46pm | #11

   *
   make sure it's a union driver and his mirrors are dirty.

7. 
   Craig_Johnson | Jul 30, 2000 07:46am | #12

   *
   I am looking for information on how to fabricate (construct) concrete counter tops, also how to apply the acid stain. Seem's that I recently saw an magazine article regarding same.
   Craig

8. 
   Guest_ | Jul 30, 2000 07:46am | #13

   *
   Patti,

   I'm in full agreement with you in finding a "honed" finish more attractive than a gloss finish.

   Your fabricator/installer should be able to steer you in the right direction regarding a sealer for your granite. Granite can stain, regardless of the finish.