I installed the concrete countertop today. I learned a lot in this process, so if you want to do your own read on and don't be afraid to just ask.Click the pic to enlarge the details.
The cost was about $250, or $15 per square foot. Compare that to granite!
Useful sites and some notes:
Cheng Design. The book and DVD were indispensable
Although I now think that lots of the admix stuff (for strength) is selling to your fear of failing rather than helping tons
This online instructables article
Diamond polish pads Also, get a couple of hand pads and maybe an extra 50 grit if you're going to do lots of grinding to expose inlays or aggregates.
If you've done a ton of searching, but found no leads... McCoy's sells rapid set water reducer in small packet quantities, I just wanna share this because it took a while to find any leads for small batches. However, I didn't use any.
For my mix, I used Quikrete 5000 and 1/3 the suggested Cheng Pro-Fomula for a project my size (3 cubic feet). A 1 cubic foot mix kit came with the book, so I threw it in. It gave me the grey color. I'm pretty sure the color would have been nearly black had I purchased more. I think their pigments are top-notch. If you do buy them, then you gain the reducer and fibers as a bonus.
I used a gas powered, rented, mixer. I should have rented a vibrator. Check this posting for details on my sander-turned vibrator. Next time I'd pour each half separately, so I'd net out twice the time for vibrating and scribing per piece.
The counter is installed on Ikea cabinets. It's 400 lbs. I replaced the Ikea cabinet feet with pedestals made from 2x4's. I sistered the interior cabinet walls with 3/4" plywood. And I used the cross braces provided by Ikea across any spans. There's a sub floor of 3/4 plywood under the concrete to distribute the weight, and at the end near the fridge, I left a small overhang. This is because there was no room inside the cabinet (with the drawers) to sister in any extra wall strength. If I ever want to bolster that wall, I can use the lip of plywood and wedge in a sister outer wall. Otherwise, after freaking out about the weight a few times, I decided to not freak out any longer.
Thanks to all my helpers. They were great for both brawn and moral support.
