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Few kitchen area countertop materials are trendier at the moment than high-end concrete. Rock solid and difficult as granite or slate, concrete can be a much better fit in modern kitchen area designs than any of those natural stones since it exhibits a modern-day commercial aesthetic. Adding to the mystique is the fact that concrete can now be etched, acid-stained, stamped, and sealed to develop a countertop surface that is unlike practically any other offered product. Modern concrete kitchen counter tops are no longer cold slabs of gray concrete (unless you desire that)-- more frequently, they are warm and gleaming removing granite countertops without damaging backsplash surface areas that are entirely practical and likewise incredibly elegant.

Installation of Concrete Countertops

Concrete counter tops may look like enormous pieces, but in reality, they are typically only 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. The illusion that they are much thicker pieces is generally the result of a drop-front edging on the countertop. Still, these are very heavy countertops, weighing 19 to 25 pounds per square foot. Installers often require to enhance kitchen cabinetry and sometimes even the floors in order to bear the considerable weight.

While concrete countertops are often formed and put on-site, more often they are made in shops after a specialist takes exact measurements of your kitchen space and goes over all surface choices with you. In the shop, forms are constructed and the counter top is put, total with whatever sink cutouts, pigmentation, or additives are requested. During fabrication, the counter top pieces are typically strengthened with fiber or metal mesh of some type to provide strength and rigidity. After fabrication, the countertop is permitted to cure totally, and the surface may be ground and polished to whatever end up the client has actually a requested. Some type of sealer is used, frequently a really tough epoxy. When treating and completing is complete, a setup team carefully delivers the countertop to the work site and installs it.

As part of the installation, the crew might build or set up support frames for sinks, considering that it is important that the counter top itself not carry the weight of the sink. If the sink is an under-mount design, it is set in place first, then the countertop is installed over it. The counter top is typically followed the cabinets with construction adhesives after being thoroughly leveled and shimmed.

Advantages and Downsides of Concrete Countertops

Concrete counter tops have many virtues, especially its capability to be formed and formed to precisely match your kitchen dimensions and completed exactly to your preference. With other countertop products, you are typically restricted to whatever colors and designs are readily available, but concrete deals you a broader variety of options. Only ceramic tile comes close to providing a comparable range of options.

On the other hand, if you are conditioned to think about concrete as an utilitarian structure product used for pieces and foundations, you might think of that concrete counter tops are cheap and simple to install. Absolutely nothing could be even more from the reality. Concrete is a high-end, exceptional material when used in kitchen counter tops, and producing them needs a great deal of ability and experience. These are amongst the more expensive of all countertop materials.

Pros

They can be custom-sized and shaped to any kitchen setup.

Concrete does not scratch and is impervious to heat.

Products such as glass pieces, stones, shells, and fiber-optic lights can be embedded.

Concrete produce a very resilient and lasting surface.

The surface is easy clean-up and preserve, supply routine sealing is done.

Concrete counter tops usually enhance real estate value as a "premium" material.

Cons

They are pricey, costing as much as $150 per square foot.

Annual sealing is needed to prevent staining.

Their weight can strain cabinet frames and floors.

Repair work are nearly impossible, and splitting sometimes does happen.

Maintenance

Assuming the counter top has been sealed at first with a good-quality epoxy sealant, ongoing maintenance requires only the application of an excellent water-based wax sealer every 9 to 12 months. Yearly sealing will ensure the surface withstands staining and will lessen the opportunities of a concrete countertop cracking in time.