The Benefits and drawbacks of Concrete Kitchen Area Counter Tops

1. Few kitchen counter top materials 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 cooking area styles than any of those natural stones considering that it exudes a modern-day industrial visual. Contributing to the mystique is the truth that concrete can now be engraved, acid-stained, stamped, and sealed to produce a countertop surface that differs from practically any other available product. Modern concrete cooking area countertops are no longer cold slabs of gray concrete (unless you want that)-- more often, they are warm and gleaming surfaces that are utterly practical and also extremely trendy. Installation of Concrete Countertops Concrete counter tops might appear like huge pieces, however in reality, they are usually only 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. The illusion that they are much thicker pieces is typically the outcome of a drop-front edging on the counter top. Still, these are extremely heavy counter tops, weighing 19 to 25 pounds per square foot. Installers often require to enhance kitchen cabinetry and often even the floorings in order to bear the making your countertops look like granite substantial weight. While concrete counter tops are sometimes formed and poured on-site, more frequently they are produced in shops after a specialist takes precise measurements of your kitchen area space and talks about all surface options with you. In the shop, forms are developed and the counter top is put, complete with whatever sink cutouts, coloration, or additives are requested. During fabrication, the countertop slabs are generally enhanced with fiber or metal mesh of some type to give them strength and rigidness. After fabrication, the countertop is allowed to treat completely, and the surface area might be ground and polished to whatever finish the customer has a requested. Some kind of sealant is used, often a very hard epoxy. When treating and completing is total, an installation team carefully provides the counter top to the work website and installs it. As part of the setup, the crew may build or set up assistance frames for sinks, since it is necessary that the countertop itself not carry the weight of the sink. If the sink is an under-mount style, it is set in location initially, then the countertop is set up over it. The counter top is usually adhered to the cabinets with construction adhesives after being carefully leveled and shimmed. Benefits and Disadvantages of Concrete Countertops Concrete countertops have lots of virtues, specifically its capability to be shaped and formed to precisely match your kitchen dimensions and ended up exactly to your liking. With other countertop products, you are typically restricted to whatever colors and styles are readily available, but concrete deals you a broader range of alternatives. Just ceramic tile comes close to providing a comparable series of options. On the other hand, if you are conditioned to think about concrete as an utilitarian building product used for slabs and structures, you may imagine that concrete countertops are cheap and simple to install. Nothing could be even more from the fact. Concrete is a high-end, premium product when used in cooking area counter tops, and fabricating them needs a lot of skill and experience. These are amongst the more costly of all counter top materials. Pros They can be custom-sized and shaped to any kitchen setup. Concrete does not scratch and is impervious to heat. Materials such as glass pieces, stones, shells, and fiber-optic lights can be embedded.

2. Concrete produce a really resilient and lasting surface area. The surface area is easy clean-up and maintain, offer regular sealing is done. Concrete countertops usually improve real estate value as a "premium" product. Cons They are pricey, costing as much as $150 per square foot. Annual sealing is required to avoid staining. Their weight can strain cabinet frames and floorings. Repair work are almost difficult, and splitting in some cases does occur. Maintenance Presuming the counter top has actually been sealed at first with a good-quality epoxy sealant, continuous maintenance needs just the application of a good water-based wax sealer every 9 to 12 months. Yearly sealing will guarantee the surface area resists staining and will reduce the chances of a concrete counter top cracking gradually.