- May 22, 2011
- 133
DIY concrete countertop
- Thread starter mikeginder
- Start date
Ive done everything from making picnic tables and benches to well alot of things out of concrete, give me a little more info on what exactly your trying to do and I can point you in the right direction. Ive got a really nifty tip for making rounded edges on it 
Riles_J
0
Yes, I have done a DIY concrete counter on my outdoor kitchen. My thread is below and has a few pics. I went with Cheng products and cast it offsite and moved it into place. I absolutely love the way it turned out and I would do it again in a heartbeat. It is a bit of work, but very doable for the DIY'r. If you have any specific questions then go ahead and ask away. I would recommend that you get Cheng's book on concrete counters, as it goes into a lot of detail on the various techniques.
Riles
Riles
- May 22, 2011
- 133
Bones said:Ive done everything from making picnic tables and benches to well alot of things out of concrete, give me a little more info on what exactly your trying to do and I can point you in the right direction. Ive got a really nifty tip for making rounded edges on it
i have a 4' x 12' area, bar sink cut out and 30" grill cut out. Will be pouring in place. was thinking about pouring using syrofoam form for edge and pouring on treated plywood or cement board. want to put some fiber optics in it if i can.
looking for info on : should i color the mic or stain it?
i would like a glossy look, maybe some speckling, what kind of concrete? water reducer? glass fiber additive? brand names? I plan on using wire and rebar around the edge..
what more can you tell me?
- May 22, 2011
- 133
Riles_J
0
mikeginder said:Bones said:Ive done everything from making picnic tables and benches to well alot of things out of concrete, give me a little more info on what exactly your trying to do and I can point you in the right direction. Ive got a really nifty tip for making rounded edges on it
i have a 4' x 12' area, bar sink cut out and 30" grill cut out. Will be pouring in place. was thinking about pouring using syrofoam form for edge and pouring on treated plywood or cement board. want to put some fiber optics in it if i can.
looking for info on : should i color the mic or stain it?
i would like a glossy look, maybe some speckling, what kind of concrete? water reducer? glass fiber additive? brand names? I plan on using wire and rebar around the edge..
what more can you tell me?
I think you would be fine using styrofoam to give your edge some sort of profile if you can find it. Just make sure it is very well supported.
I think you mean fiber to put in the concrete. Many are using glass reinforced concrete for counters and I think that would be fine. I live in an area subject to many freeze/thaw cycles so I was more comfortable with steel. Really your choice.
If this is your first go at this then I would use either Buddy Rhodes or Cheng products. They come premixed with all the add mixtures you need and I would also color it verses staining, though you could color and do a acid stain if you wanted that sort of look. Again depends what you are looking for. The glossy/speckled look is achieved by grinding and polishing to expose the aggregate in the mix (or the glass or whatever you add to the mix to expose).
I am thinking of doing this with some fiber optic lighting - this would be about 20 feet from my pool and I think the lights would be a cool look (maybe broken up chunks of sky vodka bottles for a blue look)?
Any advice on this besides search the web?
Any advice on this besides search the web?
- May 22, 2011
- 133
panamagixxer said:
i bashed the fiber optic ends with a hammer then glued them to stones i bought over the net. It would have been easier if the stones had a flatter area to glue. glue them good so you dont lose them in the pouring process. I would think you will have to do a form pour, basically poured so that your glass is laying flat on the bottom of the form ( which is actually your top when flipped over) Take your time wet polishing and top with gradually finer grit . If i had it to do again i would make sure my crete was wetter as to really get it flowing around my stone in the mold and vibrate it good.
