Concrete Countertops Tutorial Kitchen Renovation Idea. How to Build and Install Concrete Countertops Tutorial. Check out how to craft and make with concrete, tips and tricks for concrete crafting and information about various concrete mixes, how to finish. Hi Remodelaholic readers Im Jessie and I blog over at Imperfectly Polished. I am thrilled to be guest posting here today and sharing a tutorial on our new concrete countertops Before we get started on step by step process, Ive gotta show the before and after. Here is what our kitchen looked like when we bought our house two years ago And here it is today with our purtynew counters Before we get started, let me tell you that this is a picture heavy post with lots of steps but totally worth every minute of it. Lowes Home Improvement Storage Shed 8 By 12 Storage Sheds Louisville Ky For Sale Canopy Storage Sheds 4x4x4 two story storage sheds home depot Walmart Wood Storage. I promise this will be the last countertop post for a very long time Ill probably do a followup at some point because I know some of you will want to know how. Hi Alice Because the concrete is sealed, it does not darken at all where the water splashes. You have to seal the sink basin really well, particularly around the. A kitchen our size will cost you about 4. We estimated that our counters would have cost 4,4. Thats a huge savings Ok, are you motivated nowShop our selection of Mixes Repairs and Concrete,Cement Masonry in the Building Materials Department at the Home Depot Canada. Outdoor Plastic Shed Building Steps Using Concrete Blocks 10x10 Outdoor Plastic Shed Garden Shed Home Depot At Sheds Dudley. Step 1 Build forms. Start by measuring your current counters. Measure again  Make sure that you are exact. We did the counter and the backsplash so we measured both of them the same as our current counters. Then you will need to buy melamine board to create your forms. We got this at Home Depot. This type of board will give your counters a smooth finish. Cut them to the size of your counters. Lucky for us, we know some people with some big tools. We used 3 sheets of melamine to create our forms,and had a little leftover. Images/4a536749-d462-4648-b1aa-ef8eddaf65f9/svn/useal-usa-driveway-sealers-repair-68118-64_400_compressed.jpg' alt='Concrete Crack Sealer Home Depot' title='Concrete Crack Sealer Home Depot' />Next, assemble the forms. Once again, double and triple check to make sure you have all the pieces you need and that they are the correct sizes. Mike pre drilled each hole and then put the screws in place so the boards wouldnt crack. Once your forms are built, youll need to find an area to pour them. We have a 3 car garage so we used the area that we dont normally park in. We bought two sheets of plywood and shimmed them so they were level. Then we covered them in plastic to protect them from the concrete spills that are bound to happen. The next step is to prep the boards for pouring. We taped off the boards and added a silicone bead around the entire thing. This helps to keep the concrete sealed in and also creates a slightly rounder edge on your finished counter. Once you get the silicone on, use your finger and wipe off the excess. Then remove your tape. The last prep step is to spray a release agent on your boards. We used a small squirt bottle that we already owned and wiped it with a napkin to make sure it was evenly distributed. Dont skip this step Our counters slid right out when we were done. Now its time to pour We rented a small concrete mixer for the day cost around 4. We bought a countertop Quikrete mix through our local Home Depot. They had to special order the mix for us and it arrived within a week. We had about 4. 5 sq. This type of concrete is around 1. You can use regular concrete but you will have to add some additives for extra strength and crack resistence. This already has it in there so you know that your counters will be strong. Cd Label Avery Software Download. Next, start mixing The directions say to use about a gallon of water per bag but we learned the hard way by repouring a couple that you really need about a gallon and a half. Add water until you have the right consistency similar to the consistency of a Wendys frosty. Too much water can make your counters lose strength and not enough can make it rocky so you have to be careful here. You pour half the concrete in, smooth it out, then add a wire mesh in the middle. This helps reinforce the counters. You will need to cut this ahead of time and leave an inch or two around all sides so that it doesnt stick out I used a trowel to smooth out the concrete as Mike poured in it. Once it is all poured, you will want to walk around the sides of the forms and vibrate it to get rid of any air bubbles inside. You can use a hand sander and push against the sides or lightly tap the edges with a hammer. Either method will work. Then, use a smooth piece of wood we used a 24 to screed the top. This scrapes off the excess concrete and smooths out the surface for you. This will be the bottom of your counter so you want it level so it will sit nicely on your counter. This is how it looks when its finished and ready to harden. Finally, cover your poured concrete with the rest of the plastic. This helps the concrete cure and keeps alittle bit of moisture in there. Let it sit for a few days before de molding. If you use the release agent, the counters should slide rightout as you flip them over. You can however, simply unscrew the molds to remove them as well. Mike unscrewed them all to save his screws We laid them out onto foam board when we de molded to give them a soft place to land. The next step is finishing. You will likely have some small holes to patch. I actually was glad we had some because they had so much character to the finished piece. We patched ours with a simple concrete patch from Home Depot and sanded the entire surface until it was smooth. We purchased a diamond grit sand paper on the recommendation of the many tutorials we watched but in the end, we arent sure it was worth it. They worked great and last a long time but simple sandpaper would have done the same thing you just may have to buy a lot of it We used a 5. Once it is all sanded and smooth, seal it up We used a high gloss concrete sealer and rolled it on. I did three thin coats. Then put it in place. We used silicone to secure the slabs down and to attach the backsplash pieces. Finally, finish it all off with a polish of carnauba wax make sure it is 1. You can see a lot more pictures of the finished product and get more details on this process over at Imperfectly Polished I would love to hear if any of you try this I can tell you that it was a lot of work, but worth every minute We love the high end kitchen we have now and love the price tag even more Thanks for having me Jessie. Remodelaholic is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon. Please see our full disclosure here. Published July 1. Filed Under How To, Kitchen Design Ideas, Tutorials. Tagged Backsplash and Counter Tops, Before and After, Building, Concrete, DIY countertops, How To, Kitchens, Tutorials. About Cassity. Cassity started Remodelaholic with her husband, Justin, to share their love for knocking out walls together. She is an interior designer, wife, and mother of two. She and Justin have remodeled three homes from top to bottom and are working on their fourth. Making a house a home is her favorite hobby.