Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado USA

Project Lead: Stuart Remodeling

Application: PreCast GFRC Concrete Countertop with Veining

Project Size: 25 sq ft

Products Supplied By: Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply

In the gorgeous mountain range of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado a savvy homeowner decided to add to his piece of paradise by adding an Outdoor Kitchen to his home. When contemplating this addition he sought the advice of a professional which could help him decide on the best materials to use so that his Outdoor Kitchen could handle the temperature and weather cycles of Colorado. Tom Stuart of Stuart Remodeling advised the Colorado Springs homeowner to compliment the brick structure of his home and to build the walls of his outdoor kitchen with the same material.

Stuart Remodeling installed the brick wall with true craftsmanship. The time came to decide on an outdoor countertop surface that could match the beauty of the hand placed brick. After researching online the homeowner decided on the organic handcrafted look of concrete countertops. In his research of multiple companies which offer concrete countertop building materials they choose the Xtreme Series Technology of hybrid glass fiber reinforced concrete. To learn more they went to the storefront of Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply in Colorado Springs. At this concrete supply center he was educated further on the Hybrid GFRC material and the limitless design and color opportunities that it offered.

They choose to go with a lightweight GFRC concrete countertop that had a 1.5 inch profile edge of “Classic Rail”. With the profile chosen it was time to decide upon the color, texture, and design. Utilizing the SureCrete concrete countertop color chart, they choose Taupe from the 30 standard colors. The “Veining” texture by the Xtreme Series PreCast mix was the desired texture. Finally the concrete countertop for their outdoor kitchen had one last decision, a high gloss or matte finish. The Hi-Gloss sheen was desired and the time came to finally create the one-of-a-kind countertop which had been customized to the homeowner’s specifications.

The concrete countertop was templated, precasted, and sealed off site to ensure that the project site was left in a clean state. Most countertops built with the Xtreme Series Technology have a 5-7 day turnaround from the time of casting. After the sealant reached full hardness, the 25 sq. ft. countertop was taken to the Colorado Springs home and installed on top of the beautiful brick wall system, putting the final touch on this project.

For more information on how concrete countertops are made or the colors, textures, and profiles available feel free to contact Two Sisters Decorative Concrete Supply or Stuart Remodeling.

Location: Jacksonville, Florida

Project: Custom Concrete Countertop

Installation by: Marker Technologies

Material Supplier: Sea Coast Supply – Jacksonville, Florida

Total Sq Ft: 115  sq ft countertop

Products Used: Xtreme Series GFRC Face Mix, Xtreme Series Backer Mix, Precast Concrete Countertop Slurry,  Eco-Stain, SCR, LD 1800 (lithium densifier), ARS 400 Matte – concrete countertop sealer

The designer of a Jacksonville, Florida restaurant and bar, approached the team at Marker Technologies with a unique, one-of-a-kind, countertop fabrication. Jason, the owner of MT, has been in the solid surface industry for many years and has handled jobs with materials such as: quartz, granite, marble, 3Form, VCT and VET. Even with this extensive background, he realized that the these materials were not the right choice for the specific look and color scheme presented by the design firm. Concrete became the clear choice for this countertop fabrication. The team at MT had not created a concrete countertop before. Through the power of the internet, they searched for the latest technology in concrete and glass fiber reinforced concrete mix designs and formulas. In the end they choose the Xtreme Series GFRC system from SureCrete Design.

Concrete is becoming a very popular choice for countertop fabricators in the USA. Concrete as a countertop medium, provides a blank white or gray canvas to create any color, shape or texture you can imagine. The Xtreme Series technology from SureCrete, the latest in concrete countertop mixes, takes concrete to a new manufacturer level. Xtreme Series GFRC is a preblended glass fiber, PVA fiber and Nano-Fiber cement based spray-able face coat. This material has been around for over 20+ years, it was only recently that the staff at SureCrete simplified the multiple component chemistry and blending process into a (1) preblended bag and (1) gallon of modifier. This material delivers a compressive strength of 10,500 PSI and can be demolded in as little as 6-8 hours.

The hybrid GFRC formula is a high early strength mix delivering unparalleled  flexural and tensile strengths, making concrete countertop fabrication lighter than ever before. This particular feature was very important to the team at MT. The job specifics for this concrete countertop was to fabricate a 115 square foot countertop with a stained finish. The edge profiles varied from 3″ exposed to the customer side, 2″ profile to the bartender side along with a 4″ wide 1/2″ deep drip tray. Although the profile edges were large, the average thickness on the concrete countertop was around 3/4 inches.

Inside the 5,000 sq ft facility of Marker Technologies in Jacksonville, Florida began the process for creation of the mold for this project. With a tight deadline one mold was created and 9 concrete countertop pieces were casted. Once the pieces were demolded, they were cut with a water jet to ensure the most accurate and tight fitting 45 and 90 degree angles.

The concrete countertop pieces were then stained with Eco-Stain, an Eco-friendly “GREEN” penetrating concrete stain. The finish desired for the countertop was matte. For this MT choose ARS 400, a thin film commercial grade concrete countertop sealer.

Marker Technologies had a fantastic first experience with concrete as a countertop medium. With NO formal training in concrete, he was blown away at the quality of technical support and ease of product. MT now has dedicated space in their Jacksonville, Florida facility for all future concrete countertop, wall panel, custom sinks and much more!

Why should I choose Concrete over granite for my countertops?

The answer is not found in which material is better; rather it comes down to preference of color and design. What we do know, is that for the past 10-15 years there has been a surge in granite countertops. When you walk into a neighbor’s house or even a relative, there is a great chance that they have granite and because of price points and quantities, the identical look you have. For some, this trend has robbed them of the individuality and style that they were intending to create in their kitchen or bathroom.

For this reason Concrete Countertops are gaining market space. Concrete countertops offer a natural handcrafted look and feel which allow for a variety of colors, textures and designs. This means that you can now accentuate your room and create a theme or design that is not available on a shelf or store.

What if my neighbor or friends try to copy me?

The makeup of a quality concrete countertop mix delivers natural variants meaning that your concrete countertops have subtle variations in color, shade, texture and appearance that cannot be replicated. Although they may want your identical look they will only be able to achieve the basic color concept. The hues and variegated look Concrete Countertops produce make each one a piece of art rather than a mass produced and over used depiction of what a company thinks looks good. Couple that with hundreds of colors, stains and effects and the questions is why would someone want to copy?

Whether you live in Denver Colorado, Chicago Illinois, Indiana or even Canada concrete countertops are being used in creating a timeless modern appeal to their kitchens, bathrooms and outdoor kitchens. This can be seen on HGTV and DIY networks where their designers have been using concrete countertops to provide a functional yet individualized look to their projects. We hope that you enjoy the same satisfaction and appeal when you choose concrete countertops for  your home project.

SureCrete Design has worked diligently over the last 3 years, bringing in house, the largest supplies for precast and pour-in-place concrete countertops, GFRC wall panels, integral concrete sink molds, concrete edge details and much more. SureCrete has also put together the most comprehensive concrete countertop fabrication training courses in the industry today.

Many concrete countertop training courses that are available, teach  the history behind concrete and the artisan side of custom design. While all of these points have a place, and can be very exciting, it does not ensure that the student/applicator can make a living of this training.  SureCrete’s concrete countertop training is designed to enlighten the applicator to concrete countertop mix designs, latest application techniques, simple and creative mold designs and efficient installation procedures.

Why is this knowledge essential? Once you go through the 3 or 5 day course, the applicator is in position to make a business against concrete countertops and be able to compete with weekly fabrication and installation as can be seen in other mainstream countertop materials such as;solid surface and natural stone. Lets look at what you can expect out of the two available concrete countertop courses by SureCrete.

Xtreme Veining is a cement based, dry broadcast medium used to create natural looking veins in the Concrete Countertops. Xtreme Veining is designed to be placed into the wet edge of concrete during the pouring process of precast applications. Here are the steps for creating natural looking veins in concrete countertops:

• Place Xtreme Countertop mix in the bottom of the mold where you intend the vein to go.
• Once the location of the vein is determined throw, Xtreme Veining material into the wet edge of the concrete covering the entire area intended to have a vein.
• Sometimes a small chip brush will help to push excess material into the vein.
• Vacuum out excess veining material and clean up with a rag any excess color pigment left behind.
• You are now ready to pour the balance of the mold with concrete.

NOTE:

• Depending on the width of the desired vein, your pouring of the Xtreme Countertop mix will vary.
• For a tight close vein, pour Xtreme Countertop about 1 inch away and lightly hand vibrate the material up to the Xtreme Veining. This will collapse the size of the vein and create a tight vein.
• For a larger vein, pour Xtreme Countertop onto the Xtreme Veining material. This will let gravity push the concrete countertop mix onto the dry material and expand the coverage creating a larger or wider vein effect.

TIPS:

1. Although not necessary, using a spray bottle with water, lightly mist the vein after vacuuming the mold. This will help to activate the cement in the vein.
2. In most cases the Xtreme Countertop mix can be demolded in 4 hours, this rapid set is not found in the veining material. As a result demolding your piece sooner than 24 hours may cause some parts of the vein to fall out. If this happens use SureCrete Precast slurry to fix those areas.

Click on the links below to watch a video of this process being done.

SureCrete.TV – Click Here

YouTube.com – Click Here