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How to Create a Lightweight Concrete Countertop

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Longtime readers of Fine Homebuilding magazine will recognize the name of Buddy Rhodes. For the last twenty years, he’s been at the leading edge of concrete design in both residential and commercial applications. Buddy was trained as a potter, but influenced by his builder father, he soon found himself working with concrete, a material that’s similar to clay that doesn’t need a kiln.  He soon switched from bowls to bricks, planters, tiles, and countertops. Lately, he’s been working with a new lightweight concrete mix that doesn’t need traditional reinforcement, so the material can be much thinner. We thought it was a good time to go visit Buddy in his San Francisco studio, where he’s in the process of making a vanity sink and counter for FHB’s very own Project House.

Read the companion article:
A New Approach to Concrete 
View more videos:
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Videos in the Series

  • Video Series: How to Create a Lightweight Concrete Countertop

    Concrete artisan Buddy Rhodes demonstrates his unique process for building a light but strong vanity counter with an integral sink

  • Lightweight Concrete Countertop: Make the Sink Mold

    Concrete artist Buddy Rhodes uses fabric, resin, and body filler to build a mold for a stylish concrete vanity basin.

  • Lightweight Concrete Countertop: Build the Form

    Join the sink form to a melamine box to create the final shape of your countertop

  • Lightweight Concrete Countertop: Spray the First Layer, Pack the Second Layer

    Learn how to build up the concrete in the finished mold using a spray gun and your gloved hands

  • Lightweight Concrete Countertop: Pop It Out, Buff, and Seal

    The easiest step is finishing the cured concrete countertop

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