We are in the final stages of planning for our concrete countertop project. When speaking with friends and family about our project a lot of the questions we have been getting is “why concrete?”. Most of them haven’t seen concrete countertops before, and thought we were a bit mad for taking on this project. Others thought the concrete would be really rough and look like a sidewalk. I have been breaking out my iPhone to the skeptics and showing them some examples of concrete countertops, and they have been subsequently blown away. So I thought I would show you all some of my inspiration so you think I’m less cray cray and more awesome.
First up, why did we choose concrete?
- It goes with our industrial meets traditional asthetic
- It’s durable, and customizable
- We can do it ourselves. It’s not like we can mix up some marble in the garage
- It looks amazingly high end for a reasonable price
Possible cons:
- If done incorrectly, or the wrong products are used it can crack, break and/or look terrible
- If not properly sealed & waxed it can be stained (like stone) by acids such as wine, vinegar and citrus fruit
- It takes a bit more planning & prep to make molds and some muscle to pour, finish and install
Now, for some beauty shots!
You prob know all this but: if you want a really smooth finish, you can trowel (polish) after it’s set up a bit. Also you can bond a finer concrete onto the top of your pour (topping mix) and polish that. Finally, the type of trowel you use can affect the smoothness/polish as well. Good description of troweling technique I learned the hard way hand troweling 35 bags of concrete and 6 bags of topcoat this summer with inadequate tools. Arghhh! Sewer line repair I wanted pretty again but wow, not a countertop. Good luck!
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061119063426AAN5u6p
Hi Lynne! We’ve decided not to go for the completely polished look, but something a bit more industrial. We actually found a really amazing product that I’m excited to share with you guys! (and this product can produce an amazing buttery smooth troweled finish as well). I cant wait to share it.
I love your “beauty shot” selections! Concrete counters can look amazing and I can’t wait to see how yours turns out. Good luck!
Thanks for the good luck Lyndsey, we may need it taking on a big project like this!
Can’t wait to see you start on this project!
Neither can we! Hopefully we’ll be getting started in the next few weeks.