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Anybody poured their own concrete countertops?

T

thedarkwolf

Diamond Member
I"m thinking about giving it a try and wonder how over my head I would be 🙂? Any good websites out there on how to do this? I've looked a bit but haven't really found much. I'd be doing the poured in place style and most likely just plain non-fancy edges to keep things simple and easy.
 
I have down this, Have lots of help. I poured 22' by myself, by the time I had mixed and poured the countertops I was pretty much whooped. Mine has a few humps and bumps. That beings said I would do it again but get lots of help. They are extremely cheap if you do then yourself. I got a book from amazon about doing them.
 
Cheap is what I am aiming for here 🙂. My cabinets aren't all the nice anyway and I really don't feel like blowing the money to replace them, doubt I'd make the money back in this area either. Any flaws we will just have to call character.

cabs 1
cabs2

Those are old pics and I have since painted the cabinets and will have to paint them again but they show the simple layout. The two cabinets on either side of the stove are movable so I'll probably drag those outside and try this out on them first. If comes out okay I'll try the L shaped part. I don't think I can really make things look any worse then the 70s white laminate with greenish gold flecks running through it thats on them now. They do match the lovely 70s floors which will be another project 🙂.
 
I've seen concrete counters done before and it looked like an involved task, to say the least. Can your cabs handle the weight?

Have you thought about wood countertops?
 
My cabs aren't pretty but they are sturdy and shouldn't have any problems holding the 20lbs per sq-ft the concrete would add. I'd probably go tile before wood. I just know I don't want to go laminate. I want something to make the dump stand out a little from the rest of the dumps around here for whenever I do go to sell the place.
 
i have a seen a few DIY jobs but the concrete tends to be slightly bumpy and not very smooth. most "pros" use machines to grind and smooth and then buff the concrete so it has a shine. then several layers of sealant on it. I think it is a very DIY capable project, i just don't know if the results will make you happy
 
If you are doing it to save on costs, I think it would come out looking pretty sloppy. Especially if you aren't used to working with concrete.

From what I know about the more "professionally" done ones, there is A LOT of work done to them to get the end results. The chemicals, dyes, and tools that are required to get a high polished and "unique" finish are not cheap. Plus they are fairly high maintenance requiring resealing/waxing every year and somewhat prone to staining.
 
A number of years ago, Fine Homebuilding did an instructional article about this. You might want to check for an archive. I think it's published by Taunton.
 
I poured 24' of countertops for about $200. They are actually fairly smooth, Just has some humps and dips. If you take your time that would be easy enough to fix. Have help. I mixed like 14 bags of concrete by hand then carried and poured and finished it, its a lot of work. The cabinets are about the cheapest things you can buy but haven't come crashing down yet, that was about 3 years ago.

Basicly what you need is
Quickcrete high strengh concrete, cement board to cover the top of the counters, some wood to form the front and sides, a little duct tape for the seams on the cement board, and if you so desire coloring, mine are Terra cotta, all of this you can get at lowes or home depot. You will need some basic cement finishing tools, maybe a viberator (an obital sander in a plastic bag will work and away you go.
 
Weather is looking alright this weekend so I may drag my two small beside the stove cabs out to the garage and give it a shot. If I totally screw those up I'll hardly be out any money and can just slap the ugly laminate back on. I'll take pics if I do it to impress you with my manly skills.
 
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