Does anyone have experience with concrete counter tops, specifically in kitchens? Durable? Expensive? Did the installation take forever? Anything you can tell me would be appreciated.
My friend has cement counter tops (not the same but pretty similar) he is always complaining about how hard it is to clean them. They’re sealed but it is still hard to wipe them off.
They look great in his kitchen, but I could see them looking really tacky if not done right.
We made our own in a house we renovated recently. They were black and two inches thick, built by pouring into a mold and polishing with diamond pads. This site: http://www.concreteexchange.com/ is helpful. I recommend buying the book, it has great step-by-step instructions. We also bought our diamond grinding pads from them and they were good. The dye we bought at our local concrete supplier (this was when we lived in the states). Total cost was about $400 IIRC, for about 35 sf of counter top. They turned out absolutely gorgeous–I don’t have a pic on my computer but I’ll try to get my sister to send me one to show you. They’re heavy–installation required 4 men and you may need to reinforce your cabinets. The installation didn’t really take all that long, though. Couple of hours. They were durable for the time we owned the house, which was about a year.
They’re fabulous, and once installed (in other words, ignoring costs of fabrication and installation) the only downside is that they abrade more easily than some other surfaces. So you can’t scour them, but if sealed properly and tinted a dark color that’s not likely to be an issue.
They feel good, and look wonderful.
Here are the photos of our project: http://picasaweb.google.com/raenjapan/6thSt/photo#s4997298500335960082
The last photo is the “before” shot.
I highly recommend Fu Tung Cheng’s Concrete Countertops I’ve got the book and it is chock full of great info. There’s a dvd too which I’ve heard good things about.
Is it code. I found my concrete sinks in the basement had to be replaced because code said they were not able to be cleaned well enough. It was a porosity issue.
Thanks everyone. Renee, your counters look wonderful & I love the backsplash. What did you seal the counter tops with, or did they arrive sealed?
Is concrete the same as terrazzo?I’d absolutly love a terrazzo countertop for my new house, but they’re incredible expensive.
I couldn’t afford concrete for my kitchen counter, so I had mine done in asphalt. Not bad, a little sticky on hot days, but much better than the gravel counter my mom had when I was a kid.
my guess is that his countertops are indeed concrete. Cement is binding agent that is used to make concrete, mortar and grout.
concrete is composed of cement, aggregate (generally gravel or sand), and water – think interstate highways. Terrazo is a polished marble or shell aggregate on top of a concrete base.
Gravel? You must have lived in town; why, when I was growing up, our counters were red Georgia clay. Clouds of choking dust in summer, sloppy red mud in winter. We didn’t know no better.
Thanks! We made them ourselves, so we had to seal them. We used sealer designed for concrete countertops sold by the website I posted above It’s kind of a paste wax that you need to apply ever 6 months or so. Were you planing on making your own counter tops or hiring someone? They need to be custom formed for your space; if you hire someone they should seal them for you. They are also going to cost a lot more.
It basically is. With the terrazzo you add an aggregate and then grind the concrete down to expose the aggregate. It takes longer but looks pretty.
I’ve heard that they stain very easily, that even water can stain them if allowed to dry because it deposits minerals. Has anybody found that with theirs?
As long as they’re sealed properly there shouldn’t be any problems, however you do want to wipe up acidic things (lemon juice, ketchup) within a few minutes.
Not quite the difference. In conrete, there is an agregate, it’s usually gravel or sand. In Terrazzo, the agregate is usually marble, somtimes shells, and, like you wrote, it’s polished.