| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| tahir |
Concrete worktop - our experiencesThere are about a billion different videos/articles on making concrete worktops out there, we read a few of them and realised that we had to make the following decisions:1. In Situ vs precast We decided to make the top in situ so that we didn't have to lug the finished worktop around, this means building removable formwork into your units. It worked for us as it's a laundry room, BUT it's almost impossible to get a flat surface like this. Doing it the other way means that you can guarantee a flat surface, and you have less grinding to do. 2. Materials There are loads of branded products out there for worktops, we just went for a normal concrete mix. We used galvanised mesh as our reinforcement, very easy to work with and v cheap 3. Finish We could have gone for a plain grey finish but we chose to grind it back harder to expose the aggregate. There are lots of ways of colouring concrete but we fancied just a normal cement colour, likewise we could have used a fancy aggregate but chose not to. The most time consuming part of the process is the grinding, ideally you need to use something like this 4. Sealing There are loads of concrete sealers about and nobody seems to agree what should be used, I've bought a silicon based one, after sealing I'll be waxing with carnauba wax. One thing to note is that you cannot seal against acid, spills of lemon juice or vinegar need to be wiped up quickly to avoid etching. Overall not too hard, just time consuming. |
| cassy |
That's really helpful, ta! |
| Nicky cigreen |
interesting, thanks |