"fourrings" wrote in message
...
Vibrating during pour sounds like the ticket. I'll have to wait and
see the results. Thank you both!

I will however need to reconsider the melamine choice as I'm not
looking for a glass-smooth surface. The goal is having a surface to
the like of 1000 grit sandpaper: smooth, yet not glossy. Any
suggestions?

it was smooth and flat, but not glossy. i used a handheld sander with
diamond pads up to 3000 grit, then a couple different grades of buffs and
finally polish to get them reflective.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chaniarts/2359619331/

i doubt melamine will get you to a 1000 grit finish because it has some
roughness to it. you may have to hand finish the molds or the concrete to
get that smooth.

as others have said, do a couple 1' square samples using different mixes,
different amounts of vibration. you might even want to polish the melamine
with a hand sander. go easy with the sander, use very high grits and some
sort of dust extraction, as it's not a very thick layer of melamine. don't
breath the dust.