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As a personalized product, the quantity of time and workmanship required to create concrete countertops puts them as one of the most labor-intensive and most costly among leading countertop materials.
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From top-dollar houses in the San Francisco Bay Location to sprawling hill homes in the Colorado Rockies, discriminating house owners are requiring personalized layouts as well as finishes in their cooking areas. In particular, they are aiming to share their uniqueness and unique design preferences with the quick growing style material of selection-- concrete. As a matter of fact, concrete kitchen counters have become rather of a condition symbol for kitchen areas, matching granite as well as other high-end countertop surface choices. Customer Reports Magazine (August 2004) rated concrete highest for its "personalization" as well as "exclusivity" amongst high-end kitchen countertops. As a custom-made item, the amount of time as well as craftsmanship required to create concrete countertops positions them as one of the most labor-intensive and also most expensive amongst leading kitchen counter products. However, concrete counter tops are becoming much more obtainable for those on a small budget. The current diy (DIY) pattern to astound homeowners as well as builders is building your very own concrete countertop. This sensation has actually acquired popularity largely because of Cheng's best-selling publication Concrete Countertops: Layout, Types, as well as Ends Up for the New Kitchen Area and Bathroom (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary investment in making concrete kitchen counters, yet the innovative gains of collaborating with concrete are plentiful. THE SHOWSTOPPER Increasingly, property owners are moving away from the monotonous, manufactured appearance of conventional counter top surface areas and also picking concrete for its natural, ageless allure. And also, the alternatives for individualizing concrete counter tops are limitless: one can color, polish, stamp and also tarnish concrete or imbed personal things like rocks, seashells and fossils right into the kitchen counter's surface, adding belief and also personality. Useful functions such as drainpipe boards, soap recipes, and trivets can additionally be included to fit the homeowners' very own demands and also way of living. Concrete is slowly becoming debunked as typically cold and also commercial. In contrary, this age-old material is cozy and surprisingly tactile; individuals can not assist however touch their smooth, refined surface areas. Real estate agent Pleasure Rasmussen, who has lately marketed her hill residence-- a temporary investment building in Boat Springs, CO-- recounts her visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open residences, site visitors gravitated to the concrete counter tops-- many individuals around below have never ever seen them". Happiness's 2,265 sq. ft. hill residence was customized construct by her hubby, Ken Otterman, along with KJ Otterman, president of Classic Special Custom-made Residences. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the house's cooking area and also 3 shower rooms by using Concrete Countertops as their guide. The sand- colored concrete kitchen counters were polished smooth, after that coupled with natural slate of varying shades--
like charcoal, corrosion and gold tones-- that forms the backsplashes in the kitchen area as well as bathrooms. As a design accent, little rectangle-shaped slate floor tiles were contributed to the edge of the shower room sinks, which offered a distinct detail to the personalized vanities. When Happiness as well as Ken determined to sell their residence, their investment in concrete kitchen counters showed its worth. "We were able to detail your home $20,000 over market price, and also had no problems offering it," comments Joy, while reviewing the long listing of upgrades throughout their house, consisting of knotty ache solid doors, natural slate wall surface accents and wood floorings. "The concrete kitchen counters were quickly one of the most one-of-a-kind and remarkable of all the finishes. I think they were a huge component in adding value to the house. Around below, all you see in houses are granite kitchen counters-- as well as I really believe homebuyers are getting quite numb with granite." " Concrete counter tops are an unique offering to homebuyers who see the exact same finishes used in home after house they check out," discusses Delight, providing her observation as an experienced realtor. "Having concrete kitchen counters almost provides you boasting civil liberties-- you have something various from your next-door neighbors." BREAKING THE MOLD AND MILDEW Another advantage of concrete is its adaptability in either modern-day or typical setups, specifically when coupled with other products like diverse steels, timber or stone. "Concrete adds a lot of [opportunities] to rock, and also the mix with slate, which is hugely prominent here, provides the hill homes a general cozy, natural touch," states Happiness. Joy and also Ken have actually because constructed a much larger residence (4,000 sq. ft.) that provides large sights of the Boat Ski Hotel as well as is suggested to function as a long-term financial investment for the couple. They've also expanded their list of customized surfaces, consisting of hand-troweled walls, sophisticated oil- rubbed bronze hardware, knotty want doors that arch at the top, closets in a natural, knotty alder, and their preferred-- concrete cooking area counter tops. Unlike in their previous home, KJ and his specialty staff poured charcoal-colored kitchen counters using the pre- cast technique in the unfinished cellar of the brand-new home. Before putting the concrete, they sprinkled an array of semi-precious stones in the mold and mildew consisting of Leopardskin, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl as well as Turquoise. After the surface area was ground as well as gently brightened, the completed outcome was an excellent blend of shades, "By far, the Mother-of-Pearl was the most extraordinary," says Happiness. The L-shaped concrete countertop has a rough, rustic quartz countertops denver stone look, matching its tough country surroundings. An important drainpipe board and also trivets supplies feature and also included passion to the concrete kitchen counter. All-natural slate backsplashes, distinct wall accents, as well as a butcher block kitchen counter at the kitchen area island all resonate with the standard warmth as well as earthiness of the concrete countertops. Delight as well as Ken's particular backgrounds in property and personalized homebuilding, and also as financial investment buyers, have helped them recognize that concrete countertops can include significant visual and financial worth to a home. Concrete's customization as well as "show-stopping" charm resembles nothing else kitchen counter surface. Cheng is a supporter of emotional aesthetics as well as constructing residences that record these emotions, as in the case of Delight and also Ken Otterman. Cheng wraps up: "Individuals actually want differentiation, something individual, something custom-- and also concrete can do that for them."
