Concrete countertops are a hot trend right now, but who can afford $80 per square foot on a DIY job? Part of the point of DIY is saving some dollars, so I wasn't interested in splurging to make a mess and see if it worked.
Here is a great breakdown of pros/cons of the different types of countertops.
After seeing our friends DIY their own concrete countertops, we were very interested in making this work for ourselves. I wasn't sure if we could really handle all the craziness that went into it and felt like it was a pretty big gamble if something went wrong. So...I turned to Pinterest to investigate the difficulty and disasters.
What I found was pretty comforting - a DIY concrete OVER laminate! This I could handle! No pouring. No framing. No extra support. No demolition. Really?!?! Kara might be a genius with her DIY post!
So...here's my personal experience:
We used Ardex Feather Finish and found it somewhere local to buy for about $25 per bag. We expected to use about 4 bags to cover all the kitchen counters (~50 square feet). Since we had old, and outdated laminate, we figured a $100 gamble would be worth the try. We also picked up some sealer and 60 and 220 grit sandpaper.
First, we sanded our counters with 60 grit paper and an orbital sander. This scratched up the surface enough to hold on the concrete. Be sure to also wipe all the dust off very well. (And remove the sink, cooktop, etc before sanding.)
We followed the directions on the bag for mixing Ardex. We started with half the bag...not the smartest move. We then realized we had 15 minutes to work with it. This is not a lot of time, especially for your first round.
You want to have a pancake batter consistency, MAYBE slightly more firm, but not much. You are wanting to cover the entire counter with a thin coat. You can use a trowel or putty knife...the wider the blade, the smoother you can get your finish. We worked with the main surface first coating as evenly as possible while it was still pretty liquidy. Once it started to harden (a lot sooner than we were prepared for) we used our hands and fingers to cover the edges. This became very similar to finger painting. You can work with think layers and "paint" several coats. You may find some areas you are able to use it more like drywall mud. A word of wisdom, do not go over the same area several times during this time. Do what you can. This is also a grade time to mold your edges.
Let this dry COMPLETELY....24-48 hours is probably ideal. (We were a little impatient.) Then Use your fine sandpaper to smooth out the surface, especially rough spots. The feather finish sands really well...so do not be too aggressive or you will expose your counters. If you find some spots that are piled up too think, use the coarse sandpaper first...then switch to the more fine.
Once you have everything pretty smooth, repeat a second coat of concrete. We found this was easier than the first as we knew what to expect. We then changed part of our application process and tried to get enough concrete on the counters for a specific section, and then use a wider blade to drag across carefully to even and smoother out. We found we only had to do this for two coats, but it will depend on how thick your coats are and how evenly it is spread on.
Once this was completely dried, we sanded again with the fine sandpaper. It becomes REALLY smooth. You may find a few dark spots and we found this lighted with sanding. Once everything is sanded to your liking, wipe everything clear with a DRY cloth. (Avoid using any liquid until everything has been sealed.)
We then poured some of our sealer into a small bucket and grabbed a 4 inch paint brush. Simply paint on the sealer (in one direction) and cover the entire surface. It will turn dark! It is not very pretty at this stage and you see ALL the imperfections. Take a deep breath...and maybe a walk...then come back. Once it dries, it looks much better and just provides a gloss and sealant to the concrete. Let each coat dry completely (we waited 24 hours to be safe) and then repeat for a second and third...and maybe fourth coat.
So, we only used 2 bags of concrete and less than half the bottle of sealer. Obviously this is not the solid concrete counters, but most people will never know. This actually is supposed to leave less room for cracking (because it's not as thick and more dense than regular concrete). Plus, it doesn't carry the weight (or the price) of the solid ones either. I've heard you can stain this as well, but have not tried it personally.
All in all, we are VERY pleased with $65 upgrade! We would gladly try this again.
Please don't hesitate to ask any questions...I'll do my best to help!
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