Cement Counters...

[rocklock]

There is a topic over at - Cement Counters. It is like a tutorial.
http://www.lhoti.com/board/
I purchased two recommended books but the pictures shown on the website are better than the books.
We have Silestone counters in Hawaii, but cement counters seem so much more creative. I have a ton of ideas about putting rocks, arrowheads, and a bunch of other stuff in the counters... and then polishing them flat.
Dave

[ponyboy]

I like concrete counter tops. Here's a good link. When you get to the site click on the concrete counter top link for a movie on how to make your own. The guy in the movie has a couple of books out too.

http://www.graniterock.com/grtheater.html

Oops, looks like it's the same guy Mr. Cheng.

Jeff

[sparky]

Dave, Check out www.smartflix.com. This is a company that rents how to DVDs on all sorts of subjects for $9.95 each including shipping to and from your mailbox. They have the DVD you are looking for.

Sparky

Oops looks like Jeff found you a free copy on the web site he suggested. Nice fine Jeff :D I'm not sure how you do it but you are Mr. resourceful! :lol:

[ponyboy]

I noticed that the video from the smartflix is 110 min long. I'm not sure how long the one from graniterock is. It might be an abbreviated video.

[rreidnauer]

The method shown on Lhoti.com is the way I plan to do mine, (poured in place & top trowled) instead of Graniterock.com, which uses a plug mold. I guess both methods have their benefits, but I like having a little more control over my top surface. (though, you pretty much loose the ability to embed objects in the surface)

What I'd really like to do is make up a concrete top loaded with river pebbles, then cut down 1/4~1/2 inch into the surface to expose them, but to do that, you really need one of those diamond cable saws.

But how cool would that be?

[clairenj]

beautiful cool! take pictures, will ya? Hemlock ( Stu) already built some cement tops. Ask him for pics

[ponyboy]

This is not concrete and maybe I should start another thread, but... I always thought that this would make a very cool counter top. It almost looks like marble and would have a 3d effect.

http://www.farm21.co.uk/lichentable.html

[kyle]

Ponyboy,

I had a friend who used a similar clear resin to cover hockey pucks on a bar he was building. Looked cool but damn was it expensive.

[Basil]

there was a creole restaurant here a few years ago that had a regular wooden bar that they laid mardi gras beads and coins on, then poured a resin over. It looked really cool and would work for about anything.

[kyle]

But for some reason I remember it not being very resistant to heat. So forget leaving a hot pot sitting on it.

[ponyboy]

But for some reason I remember it not being very resistant to heat. So forget leaving a hot pot sitting on it.

Hummmm... Maybe you could cast it with a flat stone on top some where to put hot stuff on.

[hemlock77]

beautiful cool! take pictures, will ya? Hemlock ( Stu) already built some cement tops. Ask him for pics I did a pour in place l counter, 6' one way and 8' the other. Plus a 5 ' counter around sink with back splash with a 1" taper so water flows back to sink. I actualy used some brittle quarts that I crushed up for a surface agragate. Cool sparkly effect. Then I used a Cherry stain to get the color I wanted.

I did a test piece first, which is now the top of a microwave stand. If memory serves me correct, I have only $130 into both counter tops. I tried to take pic with the webcam but it won't reach far enough. When my buddy comes over we will use pic phone for photo.
Stu[/img]

[hemlock77]

I finaly broke down and bought my own digital camera. I added a few photos of the countertops. Please don't mind the messy kitchen. Heres the link to photobucket. http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u64/hemlock77/

This is actualy part of a renovation of my buddys 100 year old 3 family house. It pays my rent as we build. The lower cabinet are from the original floorboards in the kitchen. Like I told him, we make the mistakes on his house in ordere to gain experience on the log home stuff.lol

STU

[Rumble]

Here is an excellent how-to site on polished concrete:

http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/polishing/

Polished concrete has the advantages of being extremely durable, fairly inexpensive if you DIY, and you can add any colours, swirls.

Floors, countetops, ......fantastic stuff.

[hemlock77]

Awsome stuff. Now I'm tooling around the idea of making the basement floor look like flagstone.