Time: 2 days -- and extra time for the concrete to cure. Difficulty Rating: It's rated a 3-1/2 on a scale of 1 to 5.
Materials for Complete Project: Palm sander or random orbital sander
Screw gun and screws
Buffer
Bolt cutters
Caulk gun and silicone caulk
Five 1-gal. buckets
Magnesium float
Jigsaw
Circular saw
Table saw
Cement mixer
Melamine
100 percent silicone
Denatured alcohol
Kerosene-based release oil
Thick gauge wire mesh (hog fence)
Fiberglass or masonite
Type 1 or 2 cement
Two parts rock (3/8" pea gravel -- a natural lightweight aggregate)
Three parts sand
Water
Water reducer
Pigment
Mask
Goggles
Heavy rubber gloves
2 x 4
150 grit sandpaper
Shop vacuum cleaner
Putty knife
Damp rag
Water-based sealer
3/16" paint roller
Food-safe wax
Tape
2 x 6 - Remove existing countertop.
- Gather tools.
- Build form or mold for concrete.
- Measure the cabinets corner to corner and add 1-1/2" on the three exposed sides for overlay.
- Cut melamine exact size of the countertop.
- Cut 2" melamine strips for the sides and ends.
- Smooth out edges with orbital sander.
- Use fiberglass or masonite strips to create curves on corners.
- Screw strips and bottom together with 1 3/4" screws to create box.
- Tape edges by seams to create clean edges for silicone.
- Seal edges where melamine comes together with 100-percent silicone.
- Use denatured alcohol on finger to wipe the silicone smooth.
- Carefully pull tape onto itself to pull off.
- Affix any items for "relief" or "inlay" effects with spray adhesive to base of form.
- Cover every surface of mold with kerosene-based release oil.
- Cut "hog fence" wire mesh for concrete reinforcement leaving 1-1/2" at edges.
- Mix the concrete.
- Determine rough volume of countertop -- for 1-1/2" layer of concrete use 15 lbs. per square foot.
Cement recipe: 1 part cement (type 1 or 2)
2 parts rock (3/8-inch pea gravel)
3 parts sand (finest aggregate)
Water, water reducer and pigment Preparation: Add small amount of water into mixer. Slowly add cement, more water and then add sand, pea gravel, more water, pigment, more water and water reducer until consistency is like thick oatmeal. - Transfer wet concrete from mixer to a 5-gallon bucket. Pour concrete into mold and evenly distribute.
- Use magnesium float to spread concrete.
- "Screed" with 2-by-4 sliding back and forth over concrete.
- Put hog-fence reinforcement on surface.
- Screed again.
- Vibrate sides of form with palm sander to release trapped air.
- Let it cure from two to four days.
- Strip the form. Remove the screws, pry boards away carefully.
- Flip the top over.
- Sand top with 150-grit paper and palm sander.
- Clean off dust and sand with a shop vacuum.
- Fill any holes with Portland cement and water mixed with dye.
- Scrape excess filler off after it dries and sand again and remove dust and wipe with a damp rag.
- Seal concrete with water-based sealer and roll on with paint roller.
- Sand again.
- Wax top with food-safe wax.
- Buff after wax dries with power buffer.
- Prepare the surface to receive countertop. Tape edges and put a bead of 100-percent silicone along edge of cabinet top.
- Gently lower countertop onto cabinets, checking overhang alignment.
- Silicone caulk the seam between countertop and cabinet.
How to Make Stepping Stones - Cut around the top of a 5-gallon bucket above the handle to create a form.
- Set the form on a sheet of plywood.
- Fill form with leftover concrete.
- When concrete is set remove form.
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