Tuesday, August 9, 2011

CONCRETE COUNTERTOPS

Ok.
 So we had so many emails asking how we did our countertops. Mainly how we my husband, finished the edges. We also have some tips on how to make them even stronger than we did.
Although ours are super strong, we did have a couple cracks that could have been avoided. But dont worry if you do get cracks, concrete ALWAYS cracks. Mainly around the sink, or by a joint.


So we started with the countertops as is. We lightly sanded the tile first.
Than my husband built forms around the bottom of the counter tops. Underneath he attached it so it would stick out about an inch, and then another board attached to that on the face of the counter top so there would be an inch gap from the face to the board. Thats where all the concrete would sink in and sit.
Spray the inside of the boards with WD40, so when your concrete is setup it is easy to remove the boards.


There is a gap between the face of the countertop and the board. We taped the top so the concrete would have a straight line.

Also the boards are only an inch high around the whole countertop.

So heres a tip: put down metal lathe, and curve around edges. This will give you that much more grip on the concrete.

So we poured.

It mainly levels itself out, and dries quickly. So make ure you take the boards off before they are too, dry but dry enough the front wont fall off when you take off the boards.

Then remove the boards and smooth it out with a trowel, and this will give you this look that we were going for with the concrete.

Then we used a concrete sealer to coat it with. you will get teeny bubbles from the air in the concrete coming out, so makes sure you stand with a toothpick ready to attack. Once they pop, they level out and you cant even see them. Once dry, wait about a week, and do another coat.


This is the finished product. We love the way they turned out!
I do have to say, if you can take out the tile, do it! It is always better to have it thicker.

Hope this helped...
Please let me know if you have any more questions and I will try my best to answer them.


Thanks!


53 comments:

Lou Cinda @ Tattered Hydrangeas said...

Thank you so much Cassie! I will show this to my husband tonite!!

It did answer my questions! Love them!!

Lou Cinda :)

MissPrissyville said...

I intend to try this in my kitchen...right over my existing tile as well!! I'm always looking for a simpler way to attack a project and this couldn't get any simpler!! Thanks for the tutorial!

ranestorm said...

I posted on your original post :)

You answered my first question. My second one was - did you cement in the sink? What happens if you need to remove it?

Home Fancy said...

Very cool! I wonder if my husband would go for this...

Laura at Ms. Smartie Pants said...

I would love to do this, how much concrete did it take and I am curious about what you did around the sink.

maz said...

Also--please answer how you affixed the backsplash tiles--right over the original ones? Then caulk the seam?

Nathan Nobis said...

This looks really neat. Here is what I did / had done to deal with that problem:

http://atlantacountertops.blogspot.com/

lisa in Cali said...

love how it turned out! but what about the backsplash? did you do it over the existing tile or did you go thru the hassle of removing the old ugly tile? thanks!

KHouse said...

Where did you find food safe concrete sealer?

Christine said...

also wanted to know about sealer, we did the counter tops but the sealer we used is not working, please help

Anonymous said...

The countertops came out amazing.

Was there a special concrete mix you used? It looks much thinner and easy to deal with than some of the other mixes I've seen used.

Also, how was the wood frame attached to the existing countertop?

thanks so much

Unknown said...

HI! Just wondering what you did around your sink? Also did u use a special kind of concrete?

Thanks!
Kairee

Amber Butler said...

I'd really love to know the same things that were already asked. (like how you did around your sink and what concrete mix you used)

Brandy said...

Hi there! We're thinking of doing this also, so glad we don't have to tear down and start from scratch, but we were hoping to build it up a bit. Just a quick question, how did you get the leveler to cover the lip (or front edge) of the old counter top? And which sealer did you use? Thanks so much for sharing your ideas!

Anonymous said...

Did you hand mix the concrete

Rosabeth said...

Looks awesome! I think i will have to talk to my dad about doing this with our counters , we have been trying to find an inexpensive way to do the counters in the kitchen, right now they are just a particle board that my uncle and dad put in...would the concrete lay out okay on top of that? thanks for your time! :)

Anonymous said...

looks awesome!!

what kind of concrete mix did you use? thanks!!!

Kim at Mossisawesome said...

Wow, it looks great! Wondering how you dealt with the sink? Did the sink have to be removed from the countertop first? Everything else seems doable, but the sink has me stumped.

Thanks for your time to answer this question and Happy New Year!

Kim at Mossisawesome said...

Wow, it looks great! Wondering how you dealt with the sink? Did the sink have to be removed from the countertop first? Everything else seems doable, but the sink has me stumped.

Thanks for your time to answer this question and Happy New Year!

jemeas said...

Your source for Sacramento kitchen countertops, bathroom countertops and Sacramento granite. Home remodeling, siding replacement, home additions and more!

Salvatore Aguilar said...

I agree with you, cracks can be avoided. It’s important to vibrate the mixture while it’s drying to let the air bubbles out and avoid gaps inside. Also, you should add a rebar or a mesh wire in the middle of your concrete countertop to enhance the concrete’s durability and sturdiness.

Alphonse Daigle said...

Experience and practice in concrete making will surely help you avoid cracks! Anyway, there’s nothing to worry about the cracks, they can be concealed after all. By the way, your counter top looks like it’s done by a professional! Good job to your husband.

Unknown said...

My husband and I are planning on doing this to our kitchen island. Your pictures look great! One question though.. how did you attach the forms to the actual cabinets? We can't figure that part out! Thanks!!

tinamarie said...

Hi Cassie, I'm getting ready to redo my kitchen and found your site. I was wondering if you could tell me what kind of concrete mix you used and also what kind of sealer? Thanks

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your pics. I've been looking to make a cement countertop to go outside with the barbeque pit. Can you recommend somewhere to get a cement counter top in Edmonton?

najamonline4u said...

really nice concrete work. nice idea

Unknown said...

My parents recenlty got really nice counter tops from Edmonton, they had a mishap with the sink, and they got their kitchen upgraded

Concrete Edging said...

Servicing Byron Bay to Bribie Island, locally owned and operated we are well known forConcrete Edging and carpark kerbing at very competitive rates

Unknown said...

This is wonderful! I have been looking into new counter tops in Edmonton, and I might have to try my hand at this!

Kathy said...

Hi, Is it my imagination or wasn't There a video showing how you did this? I could have sworn I saw one. I'm trying to show my husband that you can just go right over tile with the concrete and he doesn't believe me! How is this holding up btw? and do you remember what you sealed it with?

They really look amazing! Love the counter!

Unknown said...

any updates on how it has held up? love the idea

Anonymous said...

How did you attach the form, and how did the concrete cover the tile in the front?? Thanks Laurie

Abby Minard said...

This is what we are thinking of doing in my house.
What kind of concrete did you use? What was the brand and the mix etc?
Did you have to rent a cement mixer?
How did it work with the sink? Did you take the sink out and then drop it on after the concrete was poured?
What kind of concrete sealer did you use?
Thank you! I am excited to try this because countertops are so expensive!

Anna Schafer said...

There is definitely no easy button unless you are satisfied with whatever the stair looks like after you place two points to create a straight stair. This is the image that the original post included at AUGI.Cement Contractor

MysticMa said...

Hi, I love the way it turned out! Do you know of anyone doing this on a laminate existing counter top? What kind of cement and sealer did you use?

Thanks so much!

Mélisa

Unknown said...

I am seriously obsessed with this 😍😍

Unknown said...

I have tile everywhere in my kitchen and about every color. I am wanting to do this cement top so bad but my husband is so worried it wont work. I am concerned about around the sink area. I have a tile lip around the sink area and the edges . HOw do I keep cement from going into sink area? and do I cement edges as well ? I will send you pictures if needed for a better visual . Thank you so much

baileydale said...

Looks awesome! I think i will have to talk to my dad about doing this with our counters.really nice concrete work. nice idea
Concrete Protector

Rachel said...

Hello, I've read through your post and comments but I haven't seen an answer for what kind of concrete mix you used for your countertop. Just wondering what brand you used. Thank you

Unknown said...

I too haven't seen answers to many questions but the answers are at Cheng Concrete. I took a course there and he is the leader in design and developing his own products including food safe sealers. Look him up watch his tutorials and browse his supplies you'll be well informed

Unknown said...

I continuously continue coming to your website once more simply in case you have posted new contents. Website

Unknown said...

Hello! I am planning to do this to my counter tops. They are identical to your before picture. I was just wanting to know how did you do they edges? Was that the one inch gap part?

James Jones said...

how to remove tile from cement?
Handmade Cement Tile

ohgfx said...

Hello? Please contact me. I'd be really interested in finding out what you did after you applied the levelquick and took out the moulding. We are in that stage and found that the sealer we bought is no good. Counter top is still very pourous. What kind of liquid do you use? do I need to do like wet polishing?

harrytommy said...

Hi I really appreciate your all efforts which is specially for the concrete sink it's an amazing work.
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Corkco Canada Inc said...

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Anonymous said...

What was the approx SF of this project and the cost to have it done by the pros? thanks!

Unknown said...

I've read already a few articles on your blog and they're all amazing! You're great! Speaking of countertops I've chosen for my new kitchen granite worktops in aberdeen I was adviced to use granite as it's a solid material. Hope my advisors were right!

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Astrum Granite said...

This Blog appears to receive a great deal of visitors or customer who is looking for natural stones such as granite countertops, Marble countertops and Quartz Countertops.? It offers a nice unique spin on things. I guess having something useful or substantial to give info on is the most important thing.

Thank You!!!

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Corkco Canada Inc said...

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