Larry Edgerton - Answer to your Countertop Question

[Belinda Barfield]

Belinda, I had no idea. A countertop Guru! Cool.....

Not to steal your thread Joe, but what do you think of concrete countertops? I agree with the "Not lived in" look that is the rage it seems. I hate granite, tried it, didn't like it. Always cold, broke all my glasses, and sucked all the heat out of any dish set on it.

In my schoolhouse reproduction I want something that looks old, so I was thinking of trying my hand at concrete.

Oh, add mustard to your list of stuff that stains Corian. Had white Corian in one house, with a big mustard stain. Couldn't get it out so I rubbed the whole countertop with mustard.... That worked.

Larry

Not a fan of concrete countertops. This has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a natural stone gal, just don't like the look. Having said that, there are some interesting things that can be done with the newer colored concretes. Check out this website http://www.buddyrhodes.com/pages/concrete_signature_colors.cfm

Tell me about your cabinet and floor selections for the kitchen (or shoot me photos in an e-mail or post here). Are you going for a somewhat rustic feel? My first instinct when I think schoolhouse reproduction is to use soapstone. If you really want to get into DIY you can fabricate soapstone with standard router bits. I also think soapstone would be a perfect fit as that's what was used for most school chemistry lab countertops. Another option would be slate. Large farm sinks are sort of out of vogue right now, but in the right setting in my opinion they are timeless, particularly with a reproduction wall mount faucet set up.

[Greg Portland]

Hey Belinda, do you see problems with concrete besides the look? Any problems from a durability or usability standpoint? Thanks!

[Belinda Barfield]

Greg, I really cannot speak intelligently about concrete countertops as I don't know a lot about the subject. For me it's the appearance, but it is possible that I've only seen ugly concrete countertops.:) If the only color granite I ever saw was Ubatuba I wouldn't like granite either.

It is my understanding that concrete countertops are very durable. I could argue that it's possible for bacteria to grow in the microscopic openings of the concrete, but that is true for granite as well so not a valid argument. I always tell clients to use a cutting board and not to cut on their countertops. If you use stone countertops as a cutting board for raw meats, etc., two things will happen. One, you will have very dull knives very quickly and two, you risk contamination. On the other hand, marble and soapstone make great surfaces for making pastries, butter cookies, breads, etc. I had a client at one point that made candy. We fabricated a large marble "candy" board that he could stick in his freezer. Using the cold board prolonged his working time for the candy.

[Rob Fisher]

I have a different opinion than Belinda in that I love the look of concrete countertops. That's said I agree that soapstone or slate would probably look more period correct to a schoolhouse reproduction. I also think that you could have a concrete countertop look great as long as it doesn't have to look period. Concrete countertops can be a lot of work. The form work needs to really good and water tight. Any imperfections from the form work will be in the concrete. Then you should have reinforcement, typically steel or could be glass or nylon fibers. Next you can polish the concrete with diamond pads or it could be good straight from the form. Straight from the form is tough, it requires nearly perfect form work. this is assuming you precast the concrete then install like a typical counter. You can cast in place but that's a different beast. Buddy Rhodes is supposed to make really good concrete for casting. It is more refined and consistent than the normal bagged stuff. I have not tried it but I want to.In the end concrete countertops can be nearly as good as granite or quartz, but it takes some skill to make them. Taunton has a pretty good book about making concrete counters.

[Larry Edgerton]

Belinda

I don't really care what is in vogue. I "am" building a schoolhouse in case you missed that.:p More than one person has had a confused look on their face when they see it.

The # 1 question. "Why?"

My #1 Answer. "Why not?" :D

I have seen concrete in books and magazines that I liked the look of, kind of a japan brown sort of patina, but in real life.....

Not so much. That is not to say that I can not do it to my liking, but I have not met the man that can show me how. I don't trust books, sometimes books are written by idiots. I would trust a book recommended by someone with talent however.

I am not to the interior yet. Paying cash as I go, this month is a heating system. Boring, but being 60 miles from Canada it comes in kind of handy. But I like to think ahead.....

I do have my bell however!

Thanks for the link, Larry

[Larry Edgerton]

Ok, checked out that site. Those are indeed all UGLY! I would varnish OSB before I would put those in my house.

The one I saw that I liked was sort of the color of rusty metal that has been oiled, kind of mottled warm brown/rust color.

Later, Larry

[Belinda Barfield]

I don't really care what is in vogue. I "am" building a schoolhouse in case you missed that.:p More than one person has had a confused look on their face when they see it.

I do have my bell however!

I love the idea of building and living in a schoolhouse! Congrats on the bell. I've always wanted to remodel and live in an old church. There is one that I pass occasionally that somehow ended up in the possession of the county. It's a monstrous gorgeous building and I hate to see it just sit there and decay. Unfortunately, I don't have the kind of money the county would want for the land. There was another building I wanted out of Tybee Island, the old Fort Screven Bakery. A couple bought it around 2007 or 08 and turned it into a stunning home.

If you consider soapstone you have two options for the finish, well three actually. You can leave it natural and let it age and develop some patina through use. You can have an oiled finish - my preference as it really brings out the natural features in the stone. You can use a color enhancing sealer. If you go with oil or color enhancing sealer you will have to reapply periodically. Soapstone scratches easily but surface scratches can be buffed out with a Scotchbrite pad.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I've always wanted to remodel and live in an old church. There is one that I pass occasionally that somehow ended up in the possession of the county. It's a monstrous gorgeous building and I hate to see it just sit there and decay. Unfortunately, I don't have the kind of money the county would want for the
Not to stray OT,,,but,,,doesn't that just irk you to no end?

There's this great older house sitting empty that's on land owned by the National Park System.
I'd love to get my hands on it and restore it. The lines on this place & it's old "tin roof" are things of real beauty.

Sadly, the NPS is just going to let nature reclaim the woods & let that old palace rot.
Grrrrrr..

Re: concrete counter tops.
IMHO, a solution is search of a problem. Again, IMHO, they are "trendy" and almost @ the "fad" level.
Unlike shag carpet & Harvest Gold appliances though - they will be a lot harder to get rid of...

[Larry Edgerton]

Checked out soapstone, too much money.

Thats the other part of the deal, I am building for cash, and I don't have boatloads of it. But maybe I'll win the lottery.....

[Belinda Barfield]

Soapstone is pricey if you buy the countertops. If you are willing to do the fabrication yourself you can save a good bit of money. When you are ready check with a local countertop fabricator and see if they will sell you the slabs, or cut the tops to size for you. You can finish them from there. Better yet, keep an eye/ear out for demo of an old school and get the tops for free.