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Few cooking area countertop materials are trendier at the moment than high-end concrete. Rock solid and difficult as granite or slate, concrete can be a better fit in contemporary kitchen designs than any of those natural stones since it exhibits a modern commercial visual. Adding to the mystique is the reality that concrete can now be etched, acid-stained, stamped, and sealed to produce a countertop surface area that is unlike almost any other offered product. Modern concrete kitchen countertops are no longer cold pieces of gray concrete (unless you want that)-- more frequently, they are warm and gleaming surface areas that are utterly functional and likewise extremely elegant.
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Few kitchen counter top products are trendier at the moment than high-end concrete. Rock solid and difficult as granite or slate, concrete can be a much better fit in modern kitchen area designs than any of those natural stones because it exhibits a modern industrial visual. Adding to the mystique is the truth that concrete can now be engraved, acid-stained, stamped, and sealed to create a counter top surface area that differs from almost any other offered product. Modern concrete kitchen countertops are no longer cold slabs of gray concrete (unless you desire that)-- more often, they are warm and gleaming surfaces that are absolutely practical and likewise extremely trendy. Setup of Concrete Countertops Concrete countertops might appear like massive pieces, however in reality, they are usually only 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. The impression that they are much thicker pieces is normally the result of a drop-front edging on the countertop. Still, these are extremely heavy countertops, weighing 19 to 25 pounds per square foot. Installers often require to reinforce kitchen cabinetry and often even the floors in order to bear the significant weight. While concrete countertops are sometimes formed and put on-site, regularly they are fabricated in shops after a professional takes exact measurements of your kitchen area area and talks about all surface options with you. In the shop, forms are developed and the counter top is poured, complete with whatever sink cutouts, pigmentation, or additives are requested. During fabrication, the counter top pieces are typically enhanced with fiber or metal mesh of some type to give them strength and rigidness. After fabrication, the countertop is permitted to treat completely, and the surface might be ground and polished to whatever complete the client has an asked for. Some type of sealer is used, often an extremely tough epoxy. Once curing and finishing is complete, an installation team carefully provides the counter top to the work site and installs it. As part of the setup, the crew may build or set up support frames for sinks, since it is important that the counter top itself not bring the weight of the sink. If the sink is an under-mount style, it is embeded in location initially, then the countertop is installed over it. The counter top is typically stuck to the cabinets with construction adhesives after being thoroughly leveled and shimmed. Benefits and Disadvantages of Concrete Countertops Concrete counter tops have many virtues, particularly 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 frequently limited to whatever colors and styles are available, but concrete deals you a larger variety of alternatives. Just ceramic tile comes close to offering an equivalent series of options. On the other hand, if you are conditioned to think of concrete as a practical structure material utilized for pieces and foundations, you might imagine that concrete counter tops are cheap and simple to set up. Absolutely nothing could be even more from the fact. Concrete is a high-end, premium material when used in kitchen area counter tops, and fabricating them needs a great deal of skill and experience. These are among the more pricey of all countertop products. Pros They can be custom-sized and shaped to any kitchen area configuration. Concrete does not scratch countertops for grey kitchen cabinets and is impervious to heat. Products such as glass pieces, stones, shells, and fiber-optic lights can be embedded.
Concrete makes for a really long lasting and long-lasting surface area. The surface is simple clean-up and maintain, supply regular sealing is done. Concrete countertops typically enhance realty worth 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 floors. Repairs are nearly impossible, and cracking sometimes does happen. Upkeep Assuming the counter top has been sealed at first with a good-quality epoxy sealer, ongoing upkeep requires only the application of an excellent water-based wax sealer every 9 to 12 months. Annual sealing will make sure the surface withstands staining and will lessen the chances of a concrete counter top splitting gradually.
