What You Need to Know About Concrete Countertops
Throughout the years, concrete countertops have gone through a number of refinements. This has been accomplished via a number of advancements. As a result, today, it is a very viable choice when designing your space, especially if you’re looking for something that comes with natural sensibility. It adapts well with virtually everything unless you are someone looking for something perfect. Otherwise, it may be a very great option for you. However, before we dive any further, let’s first outline what concrete actually is.
Concrete is made out of aggregates, such as rocks or sand, and mixed together with a cement binder like calcium sulfate along with some water. Don’t get it mixed up with cement as that is merely a component of concrete and is typically used to make sidewalks! A finished concrete countertop will end up weighing around the same amount as granite. Previously, they had been much heavier and would crack and stain more often. That has been combated now as most of them have polymers mixed inside of them.
Many often ask whether they can make it on their own to make it as personalized as possible and the answer is yes! In addition to being able to purchase precast concrete counters, you can also DIY concrete countertops by casting them in place. Keep reading to find out how you can do it on your own!
DIY Concrete Countertop
When working on creating your own concrete countertop, we recommend visiting our site Concrete Countertop Solutions as not only will you find all of the tools and ingredients that you will need to make your counter, but you will also find a number of helpful guides. However, without further ado, let’s dive right into the process of making your own countertop.
The first thing that you’ll need is to place and screw in your Z-Counterforms into Durock while ensuring that all of the corners fit in properly with one another. Then, in a bucket, mix the cement along with some water, based on the instructions. Once you’ve made a perfect consistency, start pouring the solution into the forms. The pouring process is a bit more complex so make sure that you’ve got some time to spare when you start!
As you pour, you need to constantly smooth out what you have poured, smearing it across the entire form to ensure that the look and the feel of the countertop will be consistent. As you pour and smooth it out, you have to make sure that you add vibrations to the solutions to limit the number of air bubbles that you get. You can do so by tapping the outside of your form with the end of a tool. Since there are so many moving parts to this process, we recommend that you enlist some extra help to make sure that everything is done properly! Once, you’re done, you’ll need to give the solution a bit of time to dry before you can move on.
As soon as your concrete countertop has dried, you’ll need to remove the forms. It may seem difficult at first, but by applying a bit of pressure, they should snap off without any more work. If you’d like to sand your countertops, we recommend using our Gem Pads to get the proper finish. However, you can choose from a variety of finishes including anything from rough-hewn all the way to diamond-polished ones.
Now that your concrete countertop is bare and smooth, it’s time to stain it. It’s important to do so as it is porous so, in order to keep it from staining, you need to seal it. By using our Z Aqua-Tint, you will be able to accomplish whatever look that you are going for. In the case that you’d like a monochromatic look, we recommend using a spray bottle. For a personalized color design, a spray bottle would work best. Regardless of the design you end up going after, we offer fifteen different colors to choose from which you can mix and match to get just the perfect shade. In fact, the beauty of concrete countertops is the fact that they can be made into any color. That being said, the stoney gray color is very popular. Once you’re done, all you have to do after is seal it just to make sure that your concrete countertop is well protected. We offer Z SiAcryl 14, which is a great penetrating sealer that you can count on to keep your countertop in good protection. If you would like to add a bit of shine, you can spread our Z Counter-Shine right on top. It’s also yet another way that you can add a bit more protection.
So, how much do concrete countertops cost?
A big factor that plays into the cost is whether you get a precast one or if you end up casting it in place on your own. Much like everything in the world, it is always cheaper to do things on your own. However, just to give you an idea, they can range anywhere from $70 to $140 per square foot as many other variables come into play such as the materials chosen.
Conclusion
Concrete Countertops are the way to go if you are looking something fairly inexpensive and highly customizable. After all, as you’ve just learned, you can easily make it on your own that way it’s truly handmade while perfectly fitting in with the design of your space. There are also a variety of colors to choose from that way you can mix them together to match the color palette of your space. In addition, even though it is a hard surface, it’s actually one of the best ways to create a soft and textured feel to your space. You can also count on them to last you a long time, granted you seal and maintain them well. You can even use them both inside and outside and expect them to last you a while in both locations.
