apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I love concrete countertops. I'd take one over granite anyday.

LOVE that wall and water feature. Concrete... my favorite material!

I'd much rather have this than granite -
- one of these days...

I love Fu-Tung Cheng's work! I'm a huge fan of everything that the Cheng guys do! I recommend any of their books, they're great for inspiration and step-by-step instruction.

I have a precast concrete line and the end results are always stunning and I am always amazed that concrete counters have not caught on yet.

Brutalist. I love it.
But I don't think I'd like a concrete sink unless very dense (lowest water/cement ratio) and as impermeable as possible. As a material, concrete holds significant water: pore spaces, water of crystallinity, adsorbed water... and all of this can add humdity to a kitchen. We have very humid summers here already.

I as well can't believe they've not caught on yet. Concrete is a great material.

That fireplace is awesome!

When I am ready to buy my own place, its going to definitely have concrete counters. My mom knows a guy that can make custom concrete floors. Theyre beautiful. Just love it.

And good post!

Any idea how it compares cost-wise with the alternatives?

opps. not fire place. more of a fountain.

This post will lead to a disaster of a concrete experiment in my house.

Counter/cutting board molds are great...and the little counter/planter mold!

Boleto precast concrete can range from 56.00 to 65.00 per sq. ft. depends on the design, for basic kitchen counter maybe a drop sink its around high 50's.

I hope it catches on because then I could afford it!

i would love to be able to make my own concrete planters... oh and if i were to be really bold, an entire white washed floor.

Boleto-- if you're a DIYer and you're going to make a countertop, cost starts around $8 per sq ft.

I highly recommend Cheng's book "Concrete Countertop."

I have been debating trying this for a year or so.

ew. granite (when able to afford) is MUCH nicer. In my opinion.

Cheng's work and designs are awesome but I don't trust concrete. Too many stories of cracked concrete and tear out and replacement of new tops that failed.

As a DIY project its cheap but to hire a professional to do these high end tops you could do stone for the same price or cheaper.

LoriSF - According to some kitchen industry estimates, concrete countertops ARE "catching on" with overall sales doubling each year to where they now comprise 1% of the countertop market. I know it doesn't sound like much, but we think it's pretty big given the overall size of the countertop industry.

I'd also like to comment on the posts about cracking and water absorption: Yes concrete is pourous, but just like marble or limestone once it's properly sealed there should be no penetration of water or other liquids. The right sealer will make it stain proof.

Cracking? unacceptable. With recent developments in reinforcing methods, there is no excuse for a concrete countertop to crack. If it does, your contractor should replace it, free-of-charge.

Another resource for training is:

www.bldgeductr.org/

A friend took the class, then we built her outdoor bbq area as a test run, it's been fine and shows no cracking after 18 months. The Home Builder Center classes are pretty rustic but very informative and hands on. She feels pretty confident about building basic countertops after that, but has also heard great things about Cheng, she plans to take that before we build her kitchen countertops to learn more about mold making. The abinetry is still being built, by her, which is why there's a delay between counter fabrications.

It's really a great technique to learn for DIYers, highly recommend it, we were both happy with the results and she's going to help me build counters for my studio area in the garage.

When we remodeled our Kitchen in 2004 we had 3 3/4 in. Black Concrete countertops poured in place. We love them.

i'm considering this for my bathroom sink/counter. (concrete countertop with hammered copper bar sink--because i want a VERY narrow (