Anyone here have experience with concrete countertops?

[Victor Robinson]

Going to be trying my first concrete countertop in a few weeks for a bathroom vanity. Obviously not woodworking (though it will sit atop a wood cabinet!), but wondering if anyone here has experience with concrete countertops?

I've acquired some books and bought the fancy additives and all that, but wondering if anyone could offer those golden nuggets of wisdom you only get from experience.

Thanks!

[Belinda Barfield]

Nugget of wisdom . . . don't do it. :D Joking of course. I can't offer anything other than wishes for good luck. I'd love to see pics of the finished top.

[Chuck Wintle]

Going to be trying my first concrete countertop in a few weeks for a bathroom vanity. Obviously not woodworking (though it will sit atop a wood cabinet!), but wondering if anyone here has experience with concrete countertops?

I've acquired some books and bought the fancy additives and all that, but wondering if anyone could offer those golden nuggets of wisdom you only get from experience.

Thanks!
what type of concrete mixture will you use? my concern would be to get all air pockets out before it sets...will use use a vacuum bag for this if necessary?

[Kevin Bourque]

I have a do-it-yourself book for concrete countertops. I was absolutely amazed at how beautiful some of them were. Good luck!

[Victor Robinson]

Hey Chuck...typical mixes appear to be federal white Portland cement plus aggregates (sand and gravel), plus things like plasticizers and other additives to reduce water and make the concrete strong and stain resistant. I can be more specific about my plans if you'd like. But remember, I don't really know what I'm talking about.

Some of the additives reduce the pinhole type air pockets, but the main way is to vibrate the mold as the concrete is poured and distributed into it. Apparently RO sanders can work as vibrators in a pinch...

[Lewis Ehrhardt]

Chuck, I built a small one to experiment with concrete. Here's what I've got so far. I used melamine for the framing. Got the countertop concrete mix from Lowes about $11.00 a bag, I'm thinking. Mine were one and one-half inches thick, I put reinforcement wire around the edges that ran all the way through. I also put dense foam in the middle to reduce the weight. I've not seen any problems with it as of yet. It's been about two months, and I've put it through some tough testing. I let it stay under the plastic for one week to cure. Vibrated it with an old sander that had bad bearings. I was really impressed with the top [and it takes a lot to impress me], it was really smooth and I liked the look, but wife wanted it to be more black. I made my mix according to the bag and it worked out like it was suppose to. Hope this helps. Lewis

What I would do different: I would use a stronger dye than the one I bought from Lowes, one with iron in it. I would use a 5000 lb mix on the bottom where it would not be seen. I didn't used any plastizers, so I got a few pinholes.

[Victor Robinson]

Chuck, I built a small one to experiment with concrete. Here's what I've got so far. I used melamine for the framing. Got the countertop concrete mix from Lowes about $11.00 a bag, I'm thinking. Mine were one and one-half inches thick, I put reinforcement wire around the edges that ran all the way through. I also put dense foam in the middle to reduce the weight. I've not seen any problems with it as of yet. It's been about two months, and I've put it through some tough testing. I let it stay under the plastic for one week to cure. Vibrated it with an old sander that had bad bearings. I was really impressed with the top [and it takes a lot to impress me], it was really smooth and I liked the look, but wife wanted it to be more black. I made my mix according to the bag and it worked out like it was suppose to. Hope this helps. Lewis

What I would do different: I would use a stronger dye than the one I bought from Lowes, one with iron in it. I would use a 5000 lb mix on the bottom where it would not be seen. I didn't used any plastizers, so I got a few pinholes.

Hey Lewis...did you fill the pinholes with slurry? And did you do any grinding and polishing on the top? I'm a little nervous about the polishing steps. Any sealer?

[Victor Robinson]

Nugget of wisdom . . . don't do it. :D Joking of course. I can't offer anything other than wishes for good luck. I'd love to see pics of the finished top.

Haha, thanks for the wishes. :) I'll be sure to post some pics when it's done. It's definitely an ambitious project but from what I understand it's hard to COMPLETELY screw up concrete and the results are usually satisfying even for first-timers.

[Belinda Barfield]

Haha, thanks for the wishes. :) I'll be sure to post some pics when it's done. It's definitely an ambitious project but from what I understand it's hard to COMPLETELY screw up concrete and the results are usually satisfying even for first-timers.

Since the topic of colorants came up, here's a link to what the pros use. I buy stone working tools and products from this place on a regular basis. They sales guys are really helpful. If you call, ask for Mike and he'll be happy to answer any questions you have. The first item listed is a paste for filling air holes.

http://www.braxton-bragg.com/index.cfm/m/1/fuseaction/store7products.search?cx=002052156708402726684%3Al 1u1onwtucu&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=UTF-8&q=concrete+colors&sa=Search&storeCircuit=store7

[John Shuk]

I have always been intrigued by them. All that I have seen have been stunning. This is the site of a place near me that does them. There is some good information here including videos.

http://www.getrealsurfaces.com/

[Bruce Volden]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is adding some fiberglass "flakes?" for added strength. I have watched them add this to the countertop mix on some of the DIY shows in the past. But---I have no experience.

Bruce

[Lewis Ehrhardt]

No, haven't filled the pinholes yet, they are very small, but since the color wasn't right, I haven't bothered with this piece. I built it mainly as a test piece to test the cement from Lowes and to test the strength of using the foam in the center. It was so smooth, I see no need for polishing. It's not shiny, glassy smooth, but it is pretty near it. No sealer yet either. I've read about the different ones, the importance of being food grade, but also read that some are toxic UNTIL they cure, after curing, they're no longer toxic. So, I'm still researching that.
Ron Hazelton did a mail out a few weeks ago on a guy that did a bathroom countertop for him. You might want to see what he's doing.

Sakrete 5000 I'm told is the top choice most use

[Ben Hatcher]

I made a small one, like 3'x3' for a soldering workstation. I made the form with melamine and used bondo to make the corners somewhat rounded. I used an old 1/4 sheet sander to vibrate the mix. I put it in a bag and sunk it in the mix and used it on edge to vibrate the form on the bottom and sides. I vibrated it for a very long time, passing each area maybe 4 times. I just used regular old quickcrete. I got one or two small pinholes. My top was only 1.5" thick and I used no coloring. I covered it with plastic and let it cure for about a week, spritzing it with water daily. When I installed it, I took off the sides of the form and kept the bottom of the form attached, flipping the whole thing into place. It hasn't cracked so far, but it is only a year old.

For reinforcement, I just laid some rebar on top after adding the concrete and vibrating in the concrete. They dropped into the mix while I vibrated the bottom/sides. Fortunately, concrete is cheap. Even if you have to make 5 of them, you're not out all that much money.

[George Skinner]

I have made several concrete countertops for customers as a part of my construction and cabinet business. My best advice for you would be to forget about trying to come up with your own mix and go with the "Buddy Rhodes" system. I tried all kinds of mixes found in several books and nothing just came out right. I finally gave up and just bought the "Buddy Rhodes" premixed bag concrete, colorants, slurry paste etc.. and get great results. I like the pressed in method of concrete placement then after removing from the forms you fill all the holes (that you intentionally want ) with a different color slurry mix. You then polish and wax. It comes out great and have been very satisfied with the results.
I have included a few pictures to give you an idea of how they look.
I have no association with "Buddy Rhodes" just happy with the product.
Get his video and that will help you get started.

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[Victor Robinson]

George, those look great! I took a close look at Buddy's product line but then ended up going with Blue Concrete. Probably a bit more expensive and more complicated than I needed to make this for myself, but we'll see.

If I had asked my question prior to purchasing material from Blue your endorsement probably would have steered me to Buddy's products.