This is a position paper by Jeffrey Girard, P.E., President of The Concrete Countertop Institute. It is addressed toward homeowners who are considering making their own concrete countertops.

The notion of homeowners making their own concrete countertops seems appealing. They can buy a few bags, build some simple boxes, have fun mixing concrete and voila! A custom concrete countertop.

It is possible for a homeowner to make a small concrete countertop and be happy with his or her creation for years to come, simply because he or she made it. But the reality is that making high quality concrete countertops is far from simple. There are two main reasons for this: countertops and concrete.

Any countertop professional knows that making high quality countertops involves many details that represent challenges in planning the project, making the countertop itself and installing the countertop.

Creating a high quality countertop begins with creating a high quality template. There are many templating techniques and even sophisticated computer systems to create templates. When templates are made, many considerations come in to play, including planning overhangs, lining up seam locations with cabinet seams, placing sinks and faucets and more. Templating and planning all of these elements is a crucial step that most homeowners are either never told about or don’t understand the importance of.

Making any type of countertop involves a great deal of precision to ensure that the completed pieces match the template perfectly, and will therefore fit into the space. Every detail is important: the location of finished edges, the straightness and smoothness of the tops, the precision of the adjoining slab edges, even thickness of the slabs, and more.

The manufacturing challenges are even more pronounced with concrete countertops. With granite and solid surface countertops, much of the fabrication of the tops is controlled by machine. With concrete, almost all of the finishing is by hand. A skilled concrete countertop maker can grind adjacent countertop slabs to exactly the same thickness, without leaving dips or ripples. He or she can create straight edges that will line up perfectly during the installation and create a smooth and even undermount sink hole. He or she also knows important details such as the need to fill in all pinholes to ensure a sanitary surface and how to “mushroom” faucet holes in thick slabs so that the plumber can install the faucets easily.

Assuming the template is perfect and the countertops are precisely crafted to match the template exactly, the countertops still need to be installed properly. There are myriad important details that add up to a good installation: how to mount an undermount sink between the cabinet and the countertop, how to caulk between countertop and undermount sink for water-tightness and which caulk to use, how to secure the dishwasher, how to shim and adjust to make sure that seams are flush, and much more. This is after the slabs are safely transported into the kitchen or bathroom – that is a feat in itself that often requires specialized equipment.

Besides all of these countertop issues, there are concrete issues that only a concrete countertop professional can understand. 

• What if it’s hot and dry while you’re trying to mix your “concrete cake mix – just add water”, and it gets hard before you can even get it in the forms? A concrete countertop professional knows to add special admixtures to the mix. 
• What if you’re trying to create a troweled finish, and it’s so sticky you just can’t trowel? A concrete countertop professional knows that certain mixes are not appropriate for a troweled finish technique, and adjusts which mix he uses for the situation.
  What if you’re trying to grind to expose decorative aggregate, and the surface is tearing out? A concrete countertop professional knows when the concrete is at the right stage to grind.
• What if you are making multiple slabs, and they’re not turning out the same color? A concrete countertop professional has the precise scales and measuring devices to ensure consistency from batch to batch. And they are able to mix larger batches because they have larger mixers.
• What if you’re trying to create a 5 foot by 8 foot island with a prep sink on one end and a 2 foot overhang on the other end, and that big piece of concrete develops big cracks on both ends? A concrete countertop professional knows how to reinforce properly to ensure that no structural cracks occur, by using the right reinforcing material, in the right amount, in the right location.
• What if the first night you have installed your concrete countertop, you make your signature margaritas to celebrate, and then when you wake up the next morning there are white blotches on your brand new countertop? A concrete countertop professional talks to his or her clients about how they use their kitchens and chooses sealers accordingly. In this case, he or she would have used a sealer that protects the concrete against acid etching (which is permanent – sorry), or instructed you not to get acids such as lime or lemon juice and vinegars on the countertops.
• What if a few weeks after you installed your countertops you notice that the slabs are curling upward at the ends? A concrete countertop professional knows how to cure concrete properly to prevent shrinkage that can result in curling.

There is a great deal to understand about concrete and about countertops. The small details that are often left out of simplified do-it-yourself instructions can make or break a project.

Do it yourself projects range from very simple, such as hanging a picture, to very complex, such as building a shed. Concrete countertops are on the far end of complexity. It is possible to make a concrete countertop as a do it yourself project. But the results will not be the same as using a concrete countertop professional.

Making a concrete countertop can be a very satisfying project. Indeed, this is why most concrete countertop professionals get into the business – they love the creativity, the craftsmanship, and the smiling faces of happy homeowners when they see their new, custom, personalized countertop. This may be what’s appealing to you about taking on a concrete countertop project.

But if you are not the type of person who would build your own shed from scratch, then it is best to invest in a professionally made concrete countertop. Using a concrete countertop professional* gives you the following benefits:

• The results will be higher quality.
• Your design ideas can become a reality, even if they’re complex or challenging.
• You will be happier with your unique and beautiful countertops in the long run.

* Please be aware that not all contractors who claim to make concrete countertops are really concrete countertop professionals. See this article for information on how to find and evaluate a concrete countertop professional.