DIY Concrete Countertops

There are several ways you can make concrete countertops and several recipes for the concrete out there. My husband did a lot of research and decided on this path that I'm about to share with you. This is definitely the more time consuming option (took my husband about 40 hours total), but I believe these are the best looking concrete tops I've seen thus far. My sister in law had done their kitchen countertops with concrete before we did ours, and basically they made applied concrete directly over their kitchen tile. The way we did it was removing our current kitchen countertops and made forms of the tops. Basically you're making them upside down. My husband found a couple websites that sold the concrete stain and sealer and other products to make the concrete. www.buddyrhodes.com was the website he used to purchase those items. First, he measured all our tops and made a form for each different counter space with melamine plywood. He also caulked in the crevices for a smooth edge. Once the forms were made, he sprayed the concrete with a hopper gun about 1/4” thick. After that, he did about 1 inch of just concrete to save costs and reduce the weight. Next, he put styrofoam in the middle of the tops to reduce the weight of the concrete. He reinforced it with 2x4's. Once that was done, he let the concrete sit to dry for 6-8 hours. Once it was dry, he removed it from the form and sanded the top of the countertops with Buddy Rhodes polishing pads. Concrete is very porous, which is why sealing it is very important. The next day my husband added the penetrating sealer (also called a primer) with a painting brush roller or you can purchase the rollers from Buddy Rhodes website. He did this 5 or six times. Once the sealer was dry, the tops were ready to be installed. My husband applied glue on top of the cabinets and then put on the tops. Once they were on accurately he caulked around the ones against the wall with a clear caulk. I love how they turned out!