How to make a stunning worktop from concrete!

Corona · 27 February 2013 19:22

Bryan I would prefer not to bugger you but please people send off for a densifier or you will not enjoy these. Yes Tracy it is frequently used as a floor. Specialist companies with large floor polishers though not a little hand one.

tracey_dantzer · 27 February 2013 19:13

Could you do a floor with this finish too?

james · 27 February 2013 16:30

You're welcome Bryan! The tricky part for kitchen worktops is what to seal it with, without it costing a fortune. There is a guy on SFN that supplies such products, I've discussed it before with him. I can't remember his name for the moment though :(

bryan_savage · 27 February 2013 15:43

Well bugger me what a great idea,and it looks great,for me as i am about to start installing a kitchen and worktops are on the shopping list,now i think it will be ballast,cement and colouring.thank you james

Georgina_Elrington · 27 February 2013 12:14

Actually this is one of the things I love about living here. The time and space to create the home you really want.

Georgina_Elrington · 27 February 2013 12:13

Well I have been looking into how to polish concrete - so a v timely post!

Thanks James - loving the DIY projects - keep 'em coming.

james · 27 February 2013 11:03

What they call Beton Cire here is actually a liquid cement based product that you pour/trowel on to a suitable substrate. it actually has nothing to do with wax (cire). And it's really expensive! I just priced up using some from Leroy Merlin and it worked out at 40 euros per square meter, it's very popular now which is probably why it's so expensive. I bought a really lovely tile instead for 30 per sq meter, and I'm pretty sure that will be more durable too.

Corona · 27 February 2013 10:54

I thought you made it look easy! I had to make one some years back for a customer and obtained said densifier by mail order which produced a much harder denser surface. We finished that with beeswax to seal and polish. In france I believe it's called beton cirre?

james · 27 February 2013 10:21

HI John, it's not my first attempt! I haven't tried adding a densifier, I think the concrete would still be prone to acid attack from citrus fruits and wine etc. For kitchen use where spills of that kind are likely, I would use a topical or penetrating sealer. The topical products are extremely hard wearing, the downside being the price and the loss of the tactile nature of the surface. The penetrating sealers will need to be applied regularly.

James

Corona · 27 February 2013 10:12

Nice first attempt but I didn't see you mention the addition of a densifier to the mix/or afterwards so the concrete will be too soft and porus for a kitchen worktop.

james · 26 April 2018 07:17

Pressure wash fresh concrete for a practical and attractive finish DIY

[46] I worked with concrete a lot over the past few years, from polishing concrete floors, shuttering, concrete worktops, pathways, foundations or just plain old slabs, I’ve done the lot. Basic concrete is an easy DIY job, it’s labour intensive but cheap in materials so well suited for those who wish to save some cash. The most popular post of all time on Survive France is in fact nothing to do with France at all, it’s all about concrete! I began work on a pathway around the house a couple of days ago, rather than leave it as a standard roughish industrial finish I simply pressure washed the surface off after a few hours exposing the aggregates which are just beneath the surface. This has created a non slip and uniform surface that is quite attractive. Depending on your mix and ambient temperature and also how much of the stone you wish to expose I would recommend waiting somewhere between 12 and 24 hours to do this. Do a test patch first. This is what the fresh pour looks like,…

Mat_Davies · 28 August 2018 13:44

@James - as interesting as this topic is - is it correct that this topic has the highest number of views at over 32,000 on SF?

(I have to admit having a background in Civil Engineering from many years ago - concrete is very exciting stuff!)

james · 28 August 2018 14:07

It does have the highest number of views yes! It’s actually closer to 250k as the view count was reset when we moved to new software last year.

MaryW · 19 September 2018 02:15

I think this shows that there’s not enough really helpful, relevant, step-by-step DIY stuff on SF, and that people on SF find value in this topic. We need more DIY discussions, and please, more on what you and others have done with concrete… And wood… And stone… And everything else.