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!