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Bill[_47_]

wrote:
On Friday, January 29, 2016 at 4:26:31 PM UTC-6, Markem wrote:

Wondering if any one has a poured in place concrete counter top?
Thoughts and opinions about are of course encouraged.
Locally, I have had a couple of folks I know try this. Not incompetent people, both have some skills.

Here's my take. Impossible for them to get the tops dead flat. Anyone using cutting boards or large bowls will get the meaning of that. They used a specialized concrete mixed for this application (I didn't even know there was one...) and it was difficult to work. I looked at it, and to me it looked like about a 3500psi mix with #2 sand as aggregate. It was difficult for them to work and smooth. Cure strength was that of regular concrete, 21 days before active, regular use. The top developed spider cracks (normal for concrete) well before that.

There are sealers to be used, but non are hard enough to give an abrasion resistant, washable surface that will last without renewal. One reported back to me that he sealed with a urethane sealer and it had a reaction to the concrete and started to amber. He also told me that he didn't like the look of the sealed product. So he sanded the top, and painted it with epoxy garage floor coating. A hard finish no doubt, but the end product looks like painted wood/concrete/plywood/crap and he is completely unhappy. However, at this point he doesn't want to tear it out because of his huge commitment to the process and the mess it will make in his house.

Amigo #2 was advised to use some kind of oil/paraffin sealer, and it gave no protection. He colored the concrete and gave it some shading, but as with amigo #1 it didn't look anything like the stuff they show on TV. His cracked a bit as well, but he liked the rustic look. He poured his backsplash in place and of course it cracked all along the backsplash to top detail, so it has an ugly caulk line. The oil finish looked OK, but he found out via his 8 year old that it wasn't the slightest bit stain resistant to Koolaid. It isn't the slightest bit abrasion resistant. He found that if he sets a hot pan on the oiled concrete it leaves a ring where the oil reacts to the heat.

He is going to break all of his out and have me put laminate in and be done with it. He worked on that project for about 3 weeks and had money in prep, shoring up the cabinets, materials, all his labor, the inability to use the kithen for a couple of weeks, and now complete frustration and unhappiness. My cost for the laminate he wanted was $800, and at this time I think he would pay triple that to make it go away.

At least give him enough for a beer on me--it was a good story!

Bill

Robert