Concrete Counter Top

Brent Dowell

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Decided a house isn't a house without a utility sink for washing out things like paintbrushes, rollers and such. Just doesn't feel right doing it in the kitchen sink.

Decided to remodel 'my' little bathroom. Kind of an odd room between the den and the garage. They even put a shower in there. It had a basic lavatory, but we thought it would make more sense to put a cabinet in there with a utility sink. And the brilliant idea is that I was going to make a concrete counter top for it.

It's going into a very small little nook in "my" bathroom. I made a cabinet for it with a poplar face frame and doors made out of poplar with birch ply panels. It's not great, but it's not that ugly. I actually think it will work. Here's a pic of it with the utility sink mounted and a temporary melamine counter top.

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Got the mold made and the rebar fitted.

Still have to do some cleanup on the mold, and will probably do the pour in a day or so. I'll keep you posted...

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dont they put some silicon in the corners so you dont have sharp edges? or some other type of filler..a router wont round over the crete very well and will end up being rounded over itself if you try it:)
 
Brent, that unsupported "wing" on your current counter, I assume you are recreating that with the angled area on your pattern. I am not expert, but would think it can't "hang" like the current counter top even though there is wire in it. Some type of support brace front and rear from the counter to the wall is going to be needed.
Are you going to leave the wire in the pattern and pour or are you going to pour then vibrate the wire in. Hear it is a bummer when you vibrate the wire to the pattern's bottom so it shows up in the top of the counter. I have considered building one of these from time to time and figured I would use string and fender washers so I knew when the wire reached the center.
I don't know about the exertions of the concrete, but a diagonal brace inside the sink cutout would insure no unwanted angles.
So, adding color? Hope you take pictures and document this as you go. Would really find it interesting. Good luck and have fun. If the first one doesn't work out, going to put it out for a flower bed?
 
dont they put some silicon in the corners so you dont have sharp edges? or some other type of filler..a router wont round over the crete very well and will end up being rounded over itself if you try it:)

Need to take some more pictures. I used some black caulk, but kind of made of mess of it. I'm cleaning it up and will be redoing the front edge...

Brent, that unsupported "wing" on your current counter, I assume you are recreating that with the angled area on your pattern. I am not expert, but would think it can't "hang" like the current counter top even though there is wire in it. Some type of support brace front and rear from the counter to the wall is going to be needed.
Are you going to leave the wire in the pattern and pour or are you going to pour then vibrate the wire in. Hear it is a bummer when you vibrate the wire to the pattern's bottom so it shows up in the top of the counter. I have considered building one of these from time to time and figured I would use string and fender washers so I knew when the wire reached the center.
I don't know about the exertions of the concrete, but a diagonal brace inside the sink cutout would insure no unwanted angles.
So, adding color? Hope you take pictures and document this as you go. Would really find it interesting. Good luck and have fun. If the first one doesn't work out, going to put it out for a flower bed?

I've got cleats on the wall on the back and side. I'll also be putting a support strip across the front when I go to install it.

My plan is to mix up a fairly dry mix and to hand pack it about half way, put in the rebar, then pack it the rest of the way. Good idea about doing something to keep it from vibrating to the bottom. Maybe I'll just use some wire and screws around the edges.

For color I'm going with some black iron oxide. We'll see how dark it gets.

The whole thing is kind of an experiment, which is why I've got the temporary counter top in place.

If it doesn't work out, I've already got a huge pile of busted concrete the previous owners left for us. I reckon a counter top won't add much to the pile...
 
I just don't get the attraction to granite and concrete counter tops. Both are very heavy, prone to staining and cracking and expensive. Formica or Corian make fine tops, IMHO, with less fuss and bother.
What am I missing? :huh:
 
Durability, appearance, etc..

I like the way granite, stilestone, concrete counter tops look.

I've seen formica counter tops that looked pretty worn our after not too long a time due to abuse.

Different strokes for different folks!
 
I just don't get the attraction to granite and concrete counter tops. Both are very heavy, prone to staining and cracking and expensive. Formica or Corian make fine tops, IMHO, with less fuss and bother.
What am I missing? :huh:

Frank,
we've had these granite counter tops for 3 years and love em. Had tile in the first house and 3rd house and formica in the second house. The groute gets satined in the tile ones and the formica will scratch and discolor. The granite well what can I say it's granite so it'll outlast me. This is how they look today and this picture wasa taken Feb 2007.
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Most fun I had when we redid the kitchen in our old house was busting up the stupid white tile counter top. Hated the tile. Uneven surface and like Don said, the grout stained easily...
 
Frank,
we've had these granite counter tops for 3 years and love em. Had tile in the first house and 3rd house and formica in the second house. The groute gets satined in the tile ones and the formica will scratch and discolor. The granite well what can I say it's granite so it'll outlast me. This is how they look today and this picture wasa taken Feb 2007.
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Hey Tom!!!!!!!!! HEY TOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did you see the picture of Don's kitchen????? He said that's how it looks today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! His isn't done yet either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:dunno::huh::rolleyes::rolleyes::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
I just don't get the attraction to granite and concrete counter tops. Both are very heavy, prone to staining and cracking and expensive. Formica or Corian make fine tops, IMHO, with less fuss and bother.
What am I missing? :huh:

Oh, and it's also a tactile thing. We did corian solid surface in out last kitchen. Looks great. Love it.

But the feel. Well, There's just a whole other feel to something made out of rock. It feels more solid and less 'plastic', or 'man made'.
 
well i can say one more thing on this kitchen don is showing ,,it doesnt look like that now frank,, its got alot more character and when i saw it, it was full of food:)
 
We too had Corian and after about 10 years we replaced it with granite. The corian cracked from a corner and with a different color of an inset it could not be repaired. It also cracked from a corner of a counter top stove. That was repaired but the repair was visible to anyone who looked. Good luck with the concrete top.
 
I just don't get the attraction to granite and concrete counter tops. Both are very heavy, prone to staining and cracking and expensive. Formica or Corian make fine tops, IMHO, with less fuss and bother.
What am I missing? :huh:

I'm with you Frank. Concrete has three constant features, It's Hard, It's Heavy, It'll Crack. All other thoughts are opinions.

Corian or any Solid surface is a much better choice and cheaper.
 
Here's a little info on cracking. Still think it's a matter of taste. If you don't like it, well, nobody is forcing you to make one or buy it. ;)

Go ahead and keep using that harvest gold or avocado green formica you got back in the 70's! :rofl:

From http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/countertops/do_concrete_countertops_crack.htm

Do Concrete Countertops Crack?

Q: Do concrete countertops crack?

A: Yes. Not always, but concrete countertops can develop hairline cracks. The cracks tend to be non-structural and result from the natural shrinkage of the concrete. However, some countertop cracks can be prevented.

As Buddy Rhodes Studio, Inc. notes:

Imperfections are part of the appeal. In fact, hairline cracks and slight irregularities are a natural part of the wear and tear and will not affect the structural integrity in the slightest (such fine cracks are also too narrow to trap food and debris). And while hairline cracks can be patched, such attempts often look far more obvious than the cracks themselves. Most people prefer the aged appearance that this natural occurrence bestows--in contrast to the cold and unvarying smoothness of plastic products such as Corian and Formica.

Each concrete countertop contractor has their own reinforcement method (see "How Concrete Countertops are made"). Soupcan Inc., for instance, uses fiber reinforcing technology. They believe their proprietary formulation drastically reduces the chances for both structural and hairline cracking. And that conventional wire mesh and rebar reinforcement acts only after cracking has occurred. Other contractors have success using rebar, mesh, fiber reinforcement, and/or other methods of reinforcement.

No matter what reinforcing method is used, hairline cracks may still occur. The hairline cracks are non-structural and should be considered part of the character of each slab.
 
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