You want to build up the edges pretty thick. Here is the story of our concrete counters. Concrete is a high-end material when used in kitchen countertops, and fabricating them requires the skill and experience of trained technicians. No need to polish, just make sure all the excess slurry is removed. If you’re a rookie, keep your goals simple. This would have come to $2,125. After 4-5 days, Slowly flip the concrete. Quikrete countertop mix has much smaller aggregate that is the size of sand. Drill We bought all our materials and got ready for concrete pouring when Quikrete reached out to us and offered to provide their countertop mix for us to try. Concrete counters will stain if not properly sealed. LEARN HOW TO MAKE CONCRETE COUNTERTOPS Free online step-by-step instructions for DIY and pro projects. Round the corners as needed. You won't expose the aggregate with a 200 grit pad and it is much quicker and in my opinion easier to get a nice looking finish by a beginner. I created my own mix design because I didn't want to have exposed aggregate that is standard with sakcrete. Feb 18, 2018 - Explore Jessica Baumann's board "Polished concrete countertops" on Pinterest. Remove excess paste with a plastic putty knife and by rubbing the dry mixture with your hands. This will save you time, money, and energy with your next countertop project! concrete countertops over existing countertops. Concrete counters can be any shape, thickness, texture, and color. They're Customizable: What people love most about concrete countertops is that they are 100% customizable. Sometimes having the template can help make this process easier to ensure the counters are built correctly. Concrete countertops are on-trend right now, for many people even replacing the granite that was the elite countertop material of choice for the last 10-20 years. Concrete Countertops. Rubbing alcohol and a clean microfiber rag work great too. We built our concrete countertop forms and we were ready to rock the counters! They will instantly give your kitchen a high end look and feel. Do this according to the manufacturers recommendations. Our proprietary formula and sealing process permanently seals both the concrete surface and in-depth, and unlike topical plastic sealers will never peel, yellow or fade. Add glass fiber reinforcement fibers into the concrete for around the sink area to help give it additional strength and to prevent cracking. … Still love them but they do take a good amount … I'd get a sink like this one next time. 3. Enter Concrete Countertop Solutions, I found them while searching and researching all I could about pour in place concrete countertops. 1. Concrete countertops are being noticed as the number one material that is both highly functional as well as decorative for taking cooking and entertaining activities outdoors. This list is the best DIY countertops around the web–you are sure to find the perfect one for whatever room you are working on! While you can get your own custom solid surface look with granite or another material, you cannot change the color or the look of the counter. Concrete countertops are on-trend right now, for many people even replacing the granite that was the elite countertop material of choice for the last 10-20 years. DIY Concrete Countertops by Run to Radiance. Like the little blue hippo watering can in the picture below….you just gotta keep on ... Read More about DIY Concrete Countertops Tutorial I do not recommend building counters for your first concrete project. Making a concrete countertop does require an understanding of the basics of working with concrete. Concrete counters are an art that does take time and experience to get good at. Prying against concrete will chip it. 8. Which is why I'm going to be using Omega Sealer from ConcreteCounterTopInstitute.com. Tap the sides with a rubber mallet to help get additional air bubbles out of the concrete. You don't need to polish the entire underside, but at least go around the undersides near the sink, and around the underside fronts where someone might run their fingers. If you start out with dark stained countertops, that will be less of an issue. Then, find some strong friends to help you lift and install the slabs. The ball pushes the excess to each side, so you can simply peel off the excess once dry. Another method I've recently learned about is to use a cake fondant tool to create the perfect caulk bevel. After all the planning and forming, now it seems like you are getting somewhere. Step 3. I’ve scraped stuff off of my countertops with the point of a sharp knife, and it won’t damage them. I was watching the DIY network and they built a kitchen island. Wipe away excess with and use a blue scotch pad to lightly go over and clean the surface. However, this is optional. It also is nice to have a more finished feeling underside that will require less polishing. 7. This gives the concrete a rough surface to adhere to. We’re not professionals, so we can only tell our story and what worked for us. Making your own DIY concrete countertops may require some dedicated time, but the result of your effort can be gratifying. Again, do this very lightly. This means it will polish up nice! March 24, 2014 at 9:47 am. Let dry for 10 minutes, then apply a second coat. One solution? Lift the countertops and apply a bead of … Coloring can be added during the mixing process if you'd like. Transfer your measurements to the melamine. You will need to invest in materials and perhaps a few new tools, but you'll still come in cheaper than hiring a professional. DIY Concrete Kitchen Countertops: A Step-by-Step Tutorial. A good mix for concrete countertops should: Have a low water-cement ratio to prevent shrinkage cracks; Provide sufficient compressive strength Remove the tape while the silicon is still wet. Add concrete to the molds. How To: Make Concrete Countertops Concrete is a striking and practical choice for countertops, made from a DIY-friendly materials that enables any confident homeowner to achieve quality results. This means you need to work rather quickly. Cheers from Montana! First is the price. This is especially important when doing counters with a sink knockout because it will help minimize the chance of cracking. Concrete countertops are becoming more and more popular, mainly because natural stone is durable. For 2 inch thick countertops, cut the strips to 2 3/4 inches in width. You are in the right place if you are interested in learning how to make concrete countertops for your home. See more ideas about concrete countertops, countertops, stained concrete countertops. Foam Pipe Insulation for sink faucet knockouts: $4.00 ( Or buy rubber knockouts on Amazon ) I actually prefer to mix by hand because I don't have to clean out the big mixer when done, but a mixer can make the process a little less labor intense. You basically run a beat of caulk, then use the fondant tool ( which is basically a ball bearing on a metal stick ) to round over the bead. Polishing will expose the rock or items embedded in the concrete because it grinds off the cream surface. They had a system that made it so easy to DIY your concrete countertops, I practically begged them in an email to work with me on this post! Once you have a table or two under your belt, you'll have some priceless experience that will help tremendously with your first concrete counter project. Polisher Rental if you do not own one: $50.00 – From Concrete Counter Institute, (Or use normal sander technique) – Video coming soon Z Counterform - Concrete Countertop Solutions Finally, a countertop form that was truly designed to allow you to build beautiful, cast-in-place, concrete countertops.With the patented Z Counterform you simply place 1/2" cement backer board on top of the cabinets and fasten the Z … I found a Koehler pull down faucet that I really like. Step 4. Since this is concrete, I really like the industrial look and so the seams are not a big deal to me. Plan for basic color treatments and plain edges, and also plan to spend a few weekends on the project. Read More. Basic Concrete Countertop: This instructable shows how to build a simple concrete countertop. Concrete Countertops and Concrete Stair Treads Downing Designs Concrete Countertops and stair treads are unusual. Make sure it is centered and exactly where you'll wan the sink to be. Learn how to make concrete countertops. Very fluid mixes that can be vibrated to reduce surface pinholes need to … Respirator. I centered the faucet hole and made sure it lined up with the pre-cut hole in the metal sink. We have matched 1000's of color formulas...come touch our polished concrete counters and feel the… Anything about 400 grit is more of a polishing pad that will take off very little material. Take the time to do a good job with this process. Silicon the faucet knockouts in place. His latest endeavor was coming up with more traditional designs for vanities and countertops, as those make up the bulk of J&M’s sales. The cheaper Quikrete 5000 has quite a bit more working time in my experience. Garden Designs. My total counters came to 25 square feet. With wet polishing, you can get a higher gloss finish and can bevel edges etc with ease. We read tutorials and watched YouTube videos and generally felt prepared and confident…but honestly, the … KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST POSTS FROM THE EXCHANGE. There are traditional mixes as well as more expensive mixes with special additives. They are Quikrete 5000 and and the Quikrete Countertop mix. My Cart: 0 item(s) x. Concrete countertops are just one of the many kitchen countertop options to choose from. If you aren't into the plumbing thing, hire a plumber to help. I use this type of mesh which is available at Home Depot or your local supplier. I would definitely recommend ordering this re-usable rubber faucet knockout kit to make the process even easier. YES! Let the concrete firm up slightly before adding the reinforcement. You love the white concrete countertops just as much as me, and I'm so happy about it! The first layer is carefully pressed into place by hand, filling about one-half of the form. But obviously, concrete is very porous, and if it’s not sealed well (and I mean REALLY well), then it’ll stain. Cut the sides for the concrete counter molds on a table saw. I used a caulk tool for this, but a cake fondant tool would work even better. You can embed fossils, crushed glass, metal designs, tiles, trivets, coins, bike chains, saw blades, and other hard items to customize them. You can either wet polish or dry sand the concrete. Adam and I spent hours and hours (and hours) researching this before we did it. The “Pop a Perfect Slab” Forming Method for Concrete Countertops. Let this set up, then do a final polish with either 800 or a higher pad. GFRC ( glass fiber re-enforced concrete ) is also becoming more mainstream and DIY friendly. DIY Faux Granite Countertops by Love & Renovations. http://www.AsktheDecorator.com host Meghan Carter visits ACE Concrete in Sun Valley, California to discover the basics about concrete countertops. Quikrete countertop mix is about $23.00 per bag and Quikrete 5000 is $6.50/bag. This gives it a professional touch. We just posted a YouTube video of how we made our DIY poured concrete countertops, so make sure to check out the YouTube video if you haven’t already. Enjoy your new countertops! I wanted to show the wet polishing process in this video, but I've had great results with sanding using an orbital sander. Concrete countertops are just one of the many kitchen countertop options to choose from. Label the template sides with a marker. So while I think the countertop mix is a bit easier for a beginner, I still prefer the Quikrete 5000 because I can get just as good or better results. Building the molds will take between a couple hours to a full morning depending on the complexity of the counters. Concrete apprentice Mike Ferrara shows how to build a custom concrete bathroom countertop. :) Reply. It will expose aggregate and remove material much quicker. 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