The Advantages and disadvantages of Concrete Cooking Area Countertops

1. Couple of kitchen area countertop products are trendier at the moment than high-end concrete. Rock solid and difficult as granite or slate, concrete can be a better fit in modern cooking area styles than any of those natural stones given that it radiates a contemporary commercial aesthetic. Contributing to the mystique is the reality that concrete can now be etched, acid-stained, stamped, and sealed to produce a countertop surface that is unlike almost any other available product. Modern concrete cooking area counter tops are no longer cold pieces of gray concrete (unless you desire that)-- regularly, they are warm and gleaming surface areas that are entirely practical and also extremely elegant. Installation of Concrete Countertops Concrete counter tops may look like massive slabs, but in reality, they are normally only 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. The illusion that they are much thicker slabs is generally the result of a drop-front edging on the counter top. Still, these are very heavy counter tops, weighing 19 to 25 pounds per square foot. Installers sometimes need to strengthen cabinetry and sometimes even the floors in order to bear the significant weight. While concrete countertops are in some cases formed and put on-site, more often they are made in stores after a technician takes exact measurements of your kitchen area space and discusses all surface options with you. In the shop, kinds are developed and the countertop is put, total with whatever sink cutouts, pigmentation, or additives are requested. Throughout fabrication, the counter top pieces are generally enhanced with fiber or metal mesh of some type to give them strength and rigidness. After fabrication, the counter top is enabled to cure completely, and the surface area might be ground and polished to whatever complete the customer has actually a requested. Some type of sealant is used, frequently a very tough epoxy. As soon as curing and ending up is granite countertops that look like calacatta marble total, a setup team thoroughly provides the counter top to the work site and installs it. As part of the installation, the crew might construct or install assistance frames for sinks, considering that it is very important that the countertop itself not bring the weight of the sink. If the sink is an under-mount design, it is embeded in location first, then the counter top is set up over it. The counter top is typically complied with the cabinets with construction adhesives after being thoroughly leveled and shimmed. Advantages and Downsides of Concrete Countertops Concrete counter tops have many virtues, specifically its capability to be formed and formed to exactly match your kitchen measurements and completed specifically to your taste. With other counter top products, you are typically restricted to whatever colors and designs are available, however concrete offers you a wider range of options. Only ceramic tile comes close to offering a comparable series of choices. On the other hand, if you are conditioned to consider concrete as an utilitarian building product utilized for pieces and foundations, you may think of that concrete countertops are cheap and easy to set up. Nothing could be further from the fact. Concrete is a high-end, premium product when utilized in cooking area countertops, and producing them needs a lot of skill and experience. These are among the more costly of all countertop products. Pros They can be custom-sized and shaped to any cooking area setup. Concrete does not scratch and is impervious to heat. Materials such as glass fragments, stones, shells, and fiber-optic lights can be embedded.

2. Concrete makes for an extremely durable and long-lasting surface area. The surface is easy clean-up and maintain, provide routine sealing is done. Concrete counter tops normally enhance property value as a "premium" material. Cons They are expensive, costing as much as $150 per square foot. Annual sealing is required to avoid staining. Their weight can strain cabinet frames and floorings. Repairs are nearly difficult, and breaking in some cases does happen. Maintenance Assuming the counter top has been sealed at first with a good-quality epoxy sealant, ongoing maintenance requires just the application of an excellent water-based wax sealer every 9 to 12 months. Yearly sealing will ensure the surface withstands staining and will reduce the opportunities of a concrete counter top breaking in time.