Concrete Countertops

[Fullback66]

Has anyone made or put in concrete countertops before? I found this cool website through my Pizza Oven Forum. This guy also sells books on how to make and polish concrete countertops. I would really like to learn how to do this. It looks like it could be expensive just for the tools and diamond pads.
If you have done this before or if you had concrete countertops put in your home or garage tell me what you think of them.

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http://www.concreteexchange.com/

 

[5wndwcpe]

There's a Pizza Oven forum ?

 

[PAToyota]

Fu-tung Cheng of the Concrete Exchange link listed above has done a few articles in Fine Homebuilding and Taunton publishes his books. I'd say that you are starting at the right place for information.

A few clients have talked about wanting them, but have never followed through. One thing to consider is that the cabinets (or whatever is supporting the countertops) must be built SOLID! You're not going to put a concrete countertop on top of your basic low-quality fiberboard cabinets!

 

[Uncle Buck]

Fu-tung Cheng of the Concrete Exchange link listed above has done a few articles in Fine Homebuilding and Taunton publishes his books. I'd say that you are starting at the right place for information.

A few clients have talked about wanting them, but have never followed through. One thing to consider is that the cabinets (or whatever is supporting the countertops) must be built SOLID! You're not going to put a concrete countertop on top of your basic low-quality fiberboard cabinets!

Ever heard the term " Built like a brick $hithouse"?

 

[boiler7904]

I'd think that concrete would make a decent workshop countertop as long as it was sealed and had a base that could stand the weight of the concrete and impact loads from "tapping" things with hammers. Speaking of hammers, how well would the concrete itself in a countertop application hold up to impact loads?

 

[ryaninmichigan]

Speaking of hammers, how well would the concrete itself in a countertop application hold up to impact loads?

Not very well. Good against abbrasion not against striking force.

 

[RWD]

Ever watch that show on DIY channel called Rock Solid? The guys made a concrete counter top. Looked ok but there are nicer things for a house. As far as weight, I can't imagine concrete weighing THAT much more then granite unless it it a lot thicker.

 

[Fullback66]

Would anyone know the cost of concrete compare to granite?

It would have to be cheaper. It look o.k. (kind of contemporary) I would not think it would be good for a garage. The top of my father's shop work bench is made from an old bowling alley. It is really nice. Super long. His shop/garage holds his garbage trucks. It use to be really clean. Why you ask. Because he made me sweep that huge thing when I was a kid. It was really cool when my father, brother and I would park our Demo cars in the back of the shop.

I wish I had a picture of that.

The pizza oven forum is:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/

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[boiler7904]

Ever watch that show on DIY channel called Rock Solid? The guys made a concrete counter top. Looked ok but there are nicer things for a house. As far as weight, I can't imagine concrete weighing THAT much more then granite unless it it a lot thicker.

At 12.5 pounds per square foot per inch of thickness, the weight of a concrete counter will add up in a hurry. I've always seen concrete counters at about 3" thick or approx. 38 pounds per square foot.

Granite on the other hand is usually 3/4" thick with a built-up edge. I want to say its about 10 or 12 pounds per square foot for that thickness.

 

[elvee]

The concrete countertops usually have a foam core in the center, giving them a similar thickness as the granite. As far as cost, to have it done by a Pro runs $70 to $100 per square foot in the Atlanta area. Granite is in the $50 to $90 per foot range, depending on color.

 

[Franz©]

One of the leaders in the ddevelopment of concrete countertops is in the old Brooklin Navyyard. They have done a couple TV programs.
The concrete isn't the simple sand + Portland cement coumpound. Much of the mix is ground recycled glass, minor amounts of very fine sand and high strength cement.
One of the keys to success is vibrating the concrete to remove any air bubbles. Interestingly, no reenforcing mesh is used.

The grinding process for a benchtop could be accomplished by running two counters together for a period of time in an orbital manner with some abrasive slurry. I'd seriously doubt the value of such a slab for a workbench since there is no impact or stress resistance engineered into the slab.

 

[Kong]

Real concrete countertops are disgustingly expensive. We looked at them for our house and they were more than granite.

Probably cheaper to buy 1" thick steel plate and sit it on top of a steel frame.

KongBastard

 

[kuhner]

I made one for a bar I was building in my den. Bought the book and materials from the site listed earlier. My bar was 72"x22"x2" if I rmember I used about 300 pounds of wakrete. Used black dye and polished it with diamond pads. Turned out great, looks like stone, I would not recommend for work bench tops.

greg

 

[ThePress]

I built a concrete countertop for use in my master bath once.
I built my form to pour the cement upside down, and allowed for a hole for the vanity sink... mixed cement with a brown tint, poured about half the cement in the form, layed a mesh screen, and pour the rest in.
I had set the form on a steel table I have outside the garage, so I used my air chisel on the steel to vibrate the cement in the form.

Once the concrete was dry, I flipped it over, then used cement sealer on it. Following that, I waxed it with automotive Turtle Wax five or six times, then installed it...that was about 6 years ago, and it's still perfect. The wax and sealer must have worked too, because water will pool on the couner and not soak in to the concrete.

 

[kbs2244]

Work bench tops and kitchen countertops are two different things.
You will need a lot more impact resistance for the bench.
Instead of trying to make something that will last forever, I just use a throwaway piece of cheap, white Melimine paneling. The white color makes things easy to see and it wipes clean easily. It will scratch up, but then I get a new one.
Since I don't need the full 4x8 size I can find cheap, damaged panels at the local big box.

 

[Fullback66]

ThePress,
It was smooth enough that you did not have to polish the counter top?
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do you have pictures?

 

[ThePress]

Yep, I poured it fairly thin in the form and really vibrated the air out of it...

Like I said, sealer and car wax, plus a bit of buffing, created a smooth, resistant surface.....as for pictures, I don't have any here, and I'm not sure the ex would allow me into her master bath to take photos now!