Concrete Countertops

As demand for concrete countertops grows, concrete contractors and artists have been honing their techniques to produce concrete countertops. Countertops fall into two general categories: cast-in-place and precast and projects can call for either application.

The historical structure that now houses the Nashville Dinner Theatre has always attracted attention. During Prohibition times, people slyly used a tunnel in the building to transport alcohol to area nightclubs. Today, it attracts crowds for its dinner shows and performances by local vocalists.

In converting a warehouse in an offbeat neighborhood to an organic microbrewery, the married duo of Emily Thomas and Chad Brill proved to be up for anything.

The oldest methods of adding glitter to concrete are shiny aggregates - mica, glass, bits of mirror and so forth. More recent additives include silica carbide, spar, and "pixie dust" made of small glass beads.

In March of 2012 my company received a call from an outfit that was working on a project at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California. They wanted to discuss the issues that they were having with the application of an acid stain on almost 50,000 square feet of floor.

Compared to working on deadline with Christina Aguilera, Phil Collins and the Spice Girls, decorative concrete is a breeze.

When Shawn Halverson, president of Surfacing Solutions Inc., agreed to create a few conference tables for First Team Real Estate in Newport Beach, Calif., he had no idea what the final product would look like — or what challenges he would endure along the way.

No one's more passionate about their art than the hard-working members of your typical undiscovered garage band. They can put in a full day at work before jamming all night whether or not there's a remote possibility of a paycheck.

Pouring concrete into fabric instead of the usual rigid formwork represents, for some, the shape of things to come.

Concrete countertops are countertops. They just happen to be made out of concrete.

This should affect your marketing and selling techniques. If you understand how countertops are most commonly and most effectively marketed and sold, you will be much more successful at marketing and selling concrete countertops.

Compaction of each thin layer of backer is a critically important step in the fabrication of GFRC.

Two months before graduating from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a bachelor’s degree in architecture, Eric Boyd and two other students opened their own design-build firm. One of the first jobs they landed was a kitchen remodel where the client asked for concrete countertops, somewhat of a novelty back then.

Outdoor kitchens are a popular request no matter where you live, but typically when you read a book or see a television show featuring outdoor kitchens, the contractor is doing them in a warm climate.

Concrete Countertop Solutions, the company that markets the Z Counterform forms as part of a patented system for cast-in-pace concrete countertops, held a photo contest earlier this fall to showcase the work of their professional and DIY customers. The company awarded cash and store credit to five winners.

Portland Cement Association, white portland cement has essentially the same properties as gray cement, except for when it comes to color.

Avoiding certain pitfalls can mean the difference between a struggling hobby and a thriving business. When it comes to countertops, here are a few of the most common mistakes we at the Concrete Countertop Institute think are the biggest stumbling blocks for aspiring concrete countertop contractors.

On some decorative concrete projects, the only people looking over your shoulder are other tradespeople.

Jimmy Hazel began his career working in the family stone business, but quickly tired of the monotony once he discovered decorative concrete’s variety.

At first glance, you’d think you were looking at a distinguished upholstered bar done in a style that many attribute to a sofa designed for the fourth earl of Chesterfield, Philip Stanhope (1694-1773), that featured the now iconic buttoned leather look.

GFRC is a combination of fine aggregate, cement, water, polymer, chemical admixtures and glass fiber. The key to GFRC is the glass-fiber reinforcement. The fibers take the place of steel in a wet-cast mix. They allow GFRC to develop much higher flexural strengths than typical wet-cast concrete, allowing you to cast thinner, lighter sections and pieces.

When J&M Lifestyles LLC was contacted to create a hunting-lodge theme in a New Jersey home, product manager Jeff Kudrick figured the creative possibilities were endless.

The trout sink in one project of the bathrooms that leaves the biggest impression.

Concrete tables and countertops are held to a higher standard of appearance, feel and performance than floors and walls. And the final element of the finished piece — the interface between the concrete and the customer — is the coating.

It's pretty easy to create a concrete countertop that looks like a garage floor. But branching out from flatwork to countertops means embracing completely different ideas on aesthetics and performance, not to mention learning different skills. Mike Moncrieff has made the leap.