Concrete Countertops

It’s hard to describe enVisions using words alone. The plastic casting mat, which is laid into a countertop form before the concrete is poured, creates a genuinely unique, shimmering visual effect on a concrete surface.

2008 Concrete Countertop Design contest winners in both residential and commercial categories

The resort was buzzing with people talking about the improvements that were transforming the grounds and some of the facilities on the resort. From pools and walkways to countertops and floors, projects were conducted by seasoned professionals and completed by novices and decorative concrete veterans alike.

After an afternoon spent walking around the Rocketown campus, Jason Geiser and his team saw a great opportunity to not only enhance the area but also showcase the unlimited possibilities of concrete.

Bright colors are not usually what come to mind when thinking of concrete, even for concrete countertops in kitchens and bathrooms.

However, Stone Soup Concrete has noticed a lot of orders being placed with the company for just that.

Custom countertop design evokes the look of a lakeshore with integral color and acid stains, plus the homeowners' collection of beach glass used as a creative custom aggregate.

Decorative concrete contractors are adding an exciting new technique to their repertoire that always elicits a “wow” reaction from clients: embedding fiber optics in concrete countertops.

Cheng Concrete has reinvented its annual concrete design challenge with the first contest of a new series — the Kitchen & Bath Concrete Maker Challenge. The company announced the 2013 winners in November.

oncrete does exactly what you ask it to. Problems with casting concrete do not arise from the concrete acting up. Problems arise when we don’t understand what we are asking for. With concrete, watch out what you ask for because you may just get it.

The Chomisteks call this piece the “Harmony Table.” The concrete table depicts harmony between earth, fire and water. At the same time, it maintains the harmony within their clients’ household.

Counter-Flo Concrete Countertop Admixture, an admixture from Fritz-Pak Corp., is intended to solve that problem. It’s a water reducer designed for use when creating concrete countertops and statuary. It helps concrete maintain an adequate flow rate with less water, allowing a contractor to lower the amount added to a mix.

Take a closer look a the winning designs of the 2009 Concrete Counterop Design Competiton.

A big thank you to our sponsors, Preitech, Concrete Countertop Institute, Cimarron and Alpha Professional Tools.

There are some important, key factors that can help you be more successful with your concrete countertops. Here I will discuss a fundamental ingredient: water. We’ve all worked with concrete and water, but working with a material isn’t the same as knowing how it works.

Jeff Kudrick, product manager at J&M Lifestyles LLC, is always looking for innovative illusions to create in concrete. His latest endeavor was coming up with more traditional designs for vanities and countertops, as those make up the bulk of J&M’s sales. One solution? Concrete that looks nearly identical to wood.

Boyer is the owner of ConcretiZen, based in Apache Junction, Ariz. She does it all — art pieces, driveways, pool decks, countertops, floors. She takes residential and commercial jobs, coloring, texturing, stamping, polishing, sandblasting or engraving concrete.

Countertop artisans have many considerations to weigh while setting up their fabrication shops - location, size, work flow and equipment, to name a few. And they all have the same goals in mind: to create quality products and run a successful business. Experts from across the country have plenty of advice on how to achieve these goals.

Rather than the utilitarian mainstay of most interior precast manufacturers, the countertop, we will instead discuss how to design, engineer, fabricate and install a concrete stove hood.

Mike Moncrieff and his Bellingham, Wash., company, New Edge Design, submitted these photos of a concrete shower to our most recent Concrete Countertop Design Competition. We reluctantly decided shower installs couldn't compete in a countertop contest. In all other respects, this is top-notch work.

One of the biggest innovations in the concrete countertop grinding and polishing industry has been planetary technology - machines that have multiple grinding heads, allowing fabricators to cover a large radius of material at a time and achieve an extra-flat result.

For a guy who started from the bottom up, Jesse Escalera has managed to make a name for himself over the years through his backyard masterpieces.

Dylan Lauger has become a master in modern, industrial, experimental concrete furniture design and other artistic concrete skills while living on a remote peninsula in Wisconsin. Among other achievements, he once designed and cast an 8-foot-long GFRC sturgeon as a submission for a local arts competition.

There are few things you can add to decorative concrete that are as impactful - or as unpredictable - as light. Just like water, light is a natural entity with subtleties and effects that unfold in unexpected ways. Light can create an environment without help from structure, shape or texture.

If you’re a concrete contractor in Canada and are considering expanding your business to include countertops, you may appreciate the insights shared by Judy Mead of Concrete Countertops Canada.