Love it, first job out of the military was working in a precast yard. Fell in love with making architectural concrete. Used experiment with polishing concrete, to putting glass, sand blasting and acid etching. Concrete is so durable . Nice job!
What a great video showing every step of the process. I've always been worried about bubbles and voids in the surface. I've never tried this process myself.
Love how easy you make concrete work look. After watching a video I always think I can repeat the process easily, I know better now. We do a lot of concrete work and to watch the little tricks you use and don't keep to yourself. These are so important for people trying to get into different types of concrete work. Thanks so much for the little tips and showing us with the pinholes there are other ways to fix little issues.
my ass was puckered the whole time you were stripping the forms and flipping them over. you guys did a great job and they look spectacular. the only thing i would do different; pour them right side up. you can practically polish the concrete to a mirror finish while it is still wet and setting up. and you don't run the risk of cracking it when you flip it over. but everything is a learning experience and you definitely got valuable experience from doing this yourself. also, in this economy, and the price they want per bag of that stuff, i think i will mix it myself when i pour my countertops. wish me luck. and have a great day. 😃😎
I'm seeing more advice/videos saying to use galvanised steel mesh for reinforment, rather than fibreglass mesh. Can you tell me the difference of using each and why you chose the fibreglass mesh?
If the finished surface is on the bottom and the melami sheets only go up to 8ft and your countertop is 11ft, what is the best approach to buttoning up the melami so you don’t see a line/joint where the two pieces meet.
Most cabinet shops can order melamine that is longer than 8’. It’s hard to hide the seam if you can’t find a sheet that runs the entire length… unless you are going to grind them after you pour them.
Good work. A couple of questions -about your procedures: the video didn't show whether you were using masks or not when mixing the cement powder. Do you use them routinely? Also - didn't see anywhere that the mix had been vibrated after it was poured. Do you do normally vibrate the panels?
Don't need form release if you use melamine board. Concrete doesn't stick to it. And holes are almost guaranteed for certain mixes. Grouting is a necessary step for most of our projects. The holes are generally tiny, like a pin prick but you need to fill them in. You can use Kodiak mix, which when utilized properly leaves no holes, but it's a bit more expensive than other mixes.
Hey Tim, awesome work as usual! I truly appreciate your willingness to share. I actually had a question about your faux slate overlay (non-spray) video. I live in the northeast and am refinishing my 50 yr old patio. Do you have any product recommendations for the different layers (colored grouts) that are available to consumers? I can’t seem to find Westcoat products for purchase. Thanks in advance for any help!
Westcoat is sold through concrete stores/resellers. You should be able to call westcoat & they can point you in the right direction in your area. H&C grout is sold through Sherwin Williams which also works pretty well.
@@TimDCVA Fantastic! Thank you so much!! I’ll send you a picture when I’m done. I wish your course was live before I attempt this but I’ve already committed to the work 😂
Depends on the mix used. My shop would use Buddy Rhodes GFRC (glass-fiber reinforced concrete) and usually the thinnest places on a countertop would be just under 2 cm, (3/4 of an inch)
Macoat system except TC2 base coat followed by TC0 top coats. I've done it both with the WP90 and WP81 for base coat, both worked! (Interesting TCO not shown on specs anymore)
I would be curious how it lasts. I'm sure there cons to it. but nobody lists them. I can make countertop from cedar but after a week of use it would be ugly.
I made my own 15+ years ago and they still look great. I p periodically oil them(mineral oil) and then wax them with a pure carnuba wax. Down side don’t drop anything fragile on them, broken many a glass.
Donot Waste Your Money With Countertop Concrete Mix, Just Buy Any One, Any Cheap At Your Local Store And Add Plasticizer And It Will Be Double Stronger With Not Bubbles. Amén.
@ Yes Buy The Cheap One At Lowes And Buy 1 Pound Of Super Plasticizer And Pigment Color To Add If You Want… it will be more than 10,000 Psi Strong…Reforce With 3/8 Rebars at 6” spaces And It Will be much stronger than anyone….PF: buy the orange bag from lowes and donot buy the yellow bag from Home Depot.
Not Any Concrete Mix Ready Has Super Plasticizer Inside, You Have To Buy Separate, It Only Sells In Internet…buy a good one and not cheap with not seller positive feedback.
How do you make a consistent mix out of cheap bag mix? What's the w/c? How do you weigh pigment? Even without those problems, grey Portland is never consistent in color.
This is not driveway mix. This is highly a engendered cement based product. Not exactly concrete in the sense your thinking. And yes if this were regular stuff going into a driveway it would be worthless.
Love it, first job out of the military was working in a precast yard. Fell in love with making architectural concrete. Used experiment with polishing concrete, to putting glass, sand blasting and acid etching. Concrete is so durable . Nice job!
My new favorite channel. I want to start my own business in making countertops out of concrete. Glad I found you guys!
What a great video showing every step of the process. I've always been worried about bubbles and voids in the surface. I've never tried this process myself.
Love how easy you make concrete work look. After watching a video I always think I can repeat the process easily, I know better now. We do a lot of concrete work and to watch the little tricks you use and don't keep to yourself. These are so important for people trying to get into different types of concrete work. Thanks so much for the little tips and showing us with the pinholes there are other ways to fix little issues.
my ass was puckered the whole time you were stripping the forms and flipping them over. you guys did a great job and they look spectacular. the only thing i would do different; pour them right side up. you can practically polish the concrete to a mirror finish while it is still wet and setting up. and you don't run the risk of cracking it when you flip it over. but everything is a learning experience and you definitely got valuable experience from doing this yourself. also, in this economy, and the price they want per bag of that stuff, i think i will mix it myself when i pour my countertops. wish me luck. and have a great day. 😃😎
What is the "slurry" mix to fill in pin holes? Was it water and z from only? Or did it also have the sand topping also?
Would the Quikrete countertop mix also work for this?
How did you join the L slab for the sink to the other one? Were you able to hide the seam?
i like that you pay extra for white cement…then buy the dye and mix it to a regular concrete color
lmfaooo.
25 years ago we built stair treads this same way. How can I go about removing the stain to update the color?
What kind of substrate used 4:40 .its cement concrete sealer?
I'm seeing more advice/videos saying to use galvanised steel mesh for reinforment, rather than fibreglass mesh. Can you tell me the difference of using each and why you chose the fibreglass mesh?
I'm curious about that, too. It seems that steel would make the finished product stronger... less susceptible to flex.
What is the longest length no seam that can be made and can you do a waterfall edge?
Instrad of caulk Try using a tooling clay or wax use extruder to make a wax or clay rope tool with required radius ball pour it
Great video man.
Great work! What machine are you using for polishing the tops?
Truly brilliant.
Thanks!
Dreamy, looks sturdy.
is it supposed to have a rough variable appearance?
If the finished surface is on the bottom and the melami sheets only go up to 8ft and your countertop is 11ft, what is the best approach to buttoning up the melami so you don’t see a line/joint where the two pieces meet.
Most cabinet shops can order melamine that is longer than 8’.
It’s hard to hide the seam if you can’t find a sheet that runs the entire length… unless you are going to grind them after you pour them.
Is the sealer Food Safe?
Thank you for the video. How screw the countertop to the cabinet? or you just put it there?
You’re welcome. We didnt screw it in… it’s pretty locked in place just because it’s thicker around the edges.
Good work. A couple of questions -about your procedures: the video didn't show whether you were using masks or not when mixing the cement powder. Do you use them routinely? Also - didn't see anywhere that the mix had been vibrated after it was poured. Do you do normally vibrate the panels?
how often do you have to seal the countertops? Once a year after this?
Do you vibrate table for air bubbles
LOVE IT!!! thank you!
Can you put a hot pan on this?
Nice job
Where I can get the countertop mix.
Can the forms be reused?
Did you guys use a form release? If not, did you get bug holes?
Don't need form release if you use melamine board. Concrete doesn't stick to it. And holes are almost guaranteed for certain mixes. Grouting is a necessary step for most of our projects. The holes are generally tiny, like a pin prick but you need to fill them in. You can use Kodiak mix, which when utilized properly leaves no holes, but it's a bit more expensive than other mixes.
Hey Tim, awesome work as usual! I truly appreciate your willingness to share. I actually had a question about your faux slate overlay (non-spray) video. I live in the northeast and am refinishing my 50 yr old patio. Do you have any product recommendations for the different layers (colored grouts) that are available to consumers? I can’t seem to find Westcoat products for purchase. Thanks in advance for any help!
Westcoat is sold through concrete stores/resellers. You should be able to call westcoat & they can point you in the right direction in your area.
H&C grout is sold through Sherwin Williams which also works pretty well.
@@TimDCVA Fantastic! Thank you so much!! I’ll send you a picture when I’m done. I wish your course was live before I attempt this but I’ve already committed to the work 😂
Yes please do send photos. @timdcva on IG or just email me. 👍🏻👍🏻 Hope it goes well.
How much does something like this cost
Fantastic!
Do you vibrate at all?
I also use a different type of product. It has 16,000 PSI curing strength and repels bacteria naturally
Are these sealers safe for using consumable products on the counter ??
Yes
Good video!
Wow, they arte beautiful
What is the minimum thickness of the countertop achievable with this technique? Is 2cm doable?
Depends on the mix used. My shop would use Buddy Rhodes GFRC (glass-fiber reinforced concrete) and usually the thinnest places on a countertop would be just under 2 cm, (3/4 of an inch)
Good afternoon, the concrete does not have gravel or sand, is it just concrete?
I have never seen horizontal concrete that did not eventually crack rebar or not. Why doesn't a thin slab that big crack?
Glass fiber is generally used in these mixes. The concrete is lighter and stronger than street concrete
If you want easy, Westcoat TC-0 over mdf or plywood!
Interesting. I’ll have to look into that. What kind of prep do you do?
Macoat system except TC2 base coat followed by TC0 top coats. I've done it both with the WP90 and WP81 for base coat, both worked! (Interesting TCO not shown on specs anymore)
Cool. Good to know. 👍🏻
Sounds lighter, how thick ?
1/16"-3/32"@@Rainman270
3:37 Whoops... lol
Ha.
What is the cost of this?
Bag of mortar mix?
EXcelent!
I would be curious how it lasts. I'm sure there cons to it. but nobody lists them. I can make countertop from cedar but after a week of use it would be ugly.
I made my own 15+ years ago and they still look great. I p periodically oil them(mineral oil) and then wax them with a pure carnuba wax. Down side don’t drop anything fragile on them, broken many a glass.
Great video but should look into better lighting
a gloveless pinch point nightmare.
you could use some lessons in applying caulk. but other than that, you did a great job. don't worry, not everyone can apply caulk like a pro.
The caulking made me Ill too haha 🙈
100 % agree. I do these. Run a bead on the piece before You secure it to the main board. You don't have to get crazy with it
Haha
Funny...it's doesnt matter. Just for leak stoppage. LOL!
Recently been pretty hooked on the wet sponge method
It's a shame the mix is so expensive to ship.
Ict better sealer
Thats not concrete.
Concrete has aggregate in it. That does not.
You didnt even vibrate the forms to get the bubbles out either.
Donot Waste Your Money
With Countertop Concrete
Mix, Just Buy Any One,
Any Cheap At Your Local
Store And
Add Plasticizer And It Will
Be Double Stronger With
Not Bubbles.
Amén.
What kind of plasticizer sir?
Concrete at Lowe’s is for post holes…it’s too soft for a countertop.
The mix from concrete countertop solutions already has plasticizer in it.
@ Yes Buy The Cheap One At Lowes And Buy 1 Pound Of Super Plasticizer And Pigment Color To Add If You Want… it will be more than 10,000 Psi Strong…Reforce With 3/8 Rebars at 6” spaces And It Will be much stronger than anyone….PF: buy the orange bag from lowes and donot buy the yellow bag from Home Depot.
Not Any Concrete Mix Ready Has Super Plasticizer Inside, You Have To Buy Separate, It Only Sells In Internet…buy a good one and not cheap with not seller positive feedback.
How do you make a consistent mix out of cheap bag mix? What's the w/c? How do you weigh pigment? Even without those problems, grey Portland is never consistent in color.
Use a trowel, people might think all tradesmen are this stupid, spreading it out like kids in the mud.
Concrete is too thin.
I agree with this comment. Soupy concrete will work and its easy to work with, but its not as strong. A drier mix, properly vibrated, is better.
I looked at the details for this mix and it had a high psi, I think 9000 if I remember correctly.
@sosalty701 I did mine with 10000 psi 8 years ago still looks great
What are you building a foundation or a table top, Looks good to me
This is not driveway mix. This is highly a engendered cement based product. Not exactly concrete in the sense your thinking. And yes if this were regular stuff going into a driveway it would be worthless.
You don't need 4 coats of sealer!
Hy from Ukraine guys!
Please, tell me what is the name of your three-head grinding thing?
A pourable concrete mix is nice! We used Quickrete, it was real thick, but very workable. 😎🏜️