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i really don't know much about this, but i hope you get some good responses!

i do know that they have some really great concrete stain out now- what about doing a rich color and painting the wood cabinets below a glossy white or something? i'm willing to guess the stain containers have good instructions on prepping the concrete.

good luck!

Your builder looks like he did a fine job - but sealers have to be reapplied a couple times a year and it appears that you neglected your surfaces. Concrete stains will only camoflage the existing marks but the rings will still show through, not get rid of them. On order to completely get rid of these marks, you'll really need to have a professional come in to apply a skim-coat of concrete to the existing counter - but if not prepped and applied correctly, it could chip off the existing countertop.

I'd leave it alone call this a patina - and in your next house you should probably get Corian.

If you are willing to create some dust I would suggest diamond grinding the countertops. You can take off a very thin layer and re-seal the surface.

If you grind it and notice that the color of the concrete is the same, then there has been a pigment mixed into the concrete and all you'll have to do is seal it.

If the color comes off after grinding it was stained and you can re-stain the concrete and then seal it.

But you'll def have to grind it to make it look new again.

You don't want to undertake restaining.

You might just need to reseal and wax.

Sometimes re-waxing in itself can be enough to make the stain or uneveness almost unoticeable. So before you go to the trouble of re-sealing try waxing first.
Re-sealing requires stripping the wax and then pulling the stains. This is not always a simple process, as the sealer is far more difficult to apply on concrete that has already been sealed
There are two types of sealents- penetrating and surface applied. By the way great wax to use is Butchers Wax and reaply once a every two-three months. Always clean with concrete with a neutral low pH cleaner and not abrasive pads.
Here is some good information that explains the two types of sealents-
http://www.concretehomesmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_magazine&func=show_article&id=12

If you find the wax alone did not get you the results then I would hire someone because they have a machine for the grit pads which will give a better and more even polished surface, doing this manually is not the best way.
They usally will-
Wet the surface with warm water and start polishing it with a grit polishing pad. Grit pads are number 800, 1200, 1500 and so on...the higher the grit pad number the more shine you will get.
Keep polishing until the water is cloudy. Wipe the counter top off with clear water to see how the stains and surface looks. If the stains or most of the uneven tones is gone, dry the surface, reseal and wax it.
... Grinding too aggressively can atler the surface.

Polish the surface once more by going over it with a lower grit a 1500 or more grit pad. Wash the surface down with water..
Let the surface dry, then apply a penetrating sealer. Finish up with a wax

Maybe this will get responses from the same crowd that hated Michael Stipes place for being too messy, but I wouldn't sweat some patina on the concrete countertop too much (unless you think that's setting a bad example for the kids or some such).

I made my bathroom vanity out of concrete. Highly recommend giving it a try. Fun and not too costly. I agree with the comments above. I don't think I could leave it as a patina. I'd have to try something.

Thinking out of the box here. If you screw it up too bad, the concrete counter top would make a good backing for a tile job.

I used to work in a bar that had polished concrete bar surfaces...needless to say there were a lot of ring marks and stains on the bartop and it was my job to wax the thing with a regular old electric car buffer once a week. I think we used some sort of furniture or bees wax and just went for it. Made the thing look absolutely beautiful!

bit out of the box, but why not try to strip back the protective coating, and staining the entire bench before resealing.

I did it on a marble benchtop when some olive oil soaked into the stone, so i rubbed oil over the entire benchtop and then you couldn't notice it, and it became alot more resistant to stains.

thank you all so much for the comments. You've given me much to think about, which now includes the possibility of replacing the countertop altogether (and possibly the kitchen). The picture above is of the best portion of our counter, which for the most part, is sealed correctly (any stains are mine and my husband's fault). Other parts are not in as good condition; however, it appears that we need to accept a bit of blame for failing to maintain the good parts adequately.

I really appreciate your help!!!

Katherine

I saw a product on HGTV (or possibly it was two separate ones) that was used to patch and repair the cracks and surface of a concrete porch, and for coating an existing counter (can't recall what, might have been formica or tile) with a concrete DIY coating. Both projects required some prep to make the new material adhere, but it didn't look all that arduous. I'd call a concrete company or a tile company and ask if they know of something, or check the HGTV archives for product info and see what you think.

I do think, in these financial times, that you should make the countertop as presentable as you can -- give buyers no obvious projects to do when they move in, or they will likely move on to another property. (We sold our house, staged and upgraded, BEFORE the MLS listing was posted, so I know staging helps.)