Concrete Counter progress

[crokett]

Poured 2 more sections today - 14 linear feet in all, but 26" wide so you do the math on square footage. Here are links. I did not direct link for folks with slower connections, you can pick and choose what you want to see. Last section is the sink/dishwasher and it goes in next weekend.

Before Pics:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...erbeforeb4.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...gsectionb4.jpg

Formed, rebarred and Ready to Pour - I thought I'd gotten both sections but I guess not.

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...cornerform.jpg

Poured:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...rnerpoured.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...sectpoured.jpg

The Crew:
Me hard at work, then my brother hard at work:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...aveworking.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j1...jayworking.jpg

[gsmittle]

Dave,

Looks like you have a supervisory position...

g.

[mrojec]

Dave,
That countertop looks great! Nicely done! What is the specific product you're using? The concrete countertops I've seen in the past look like, well, concrete and were not terribly appealing. Yours looks like granite and is smooth and glossy. Is the backsplash poured in place or installed later?
Mark

[crokett]

I am using a bagged mix - fiber reinforced Quickrete. It is easier for me to control exactly how much concrete vs color I am mixing that way. You can also use Type III portland (hard to find here) or the 5000lb stuff. Any of those is more resistant to cracking. If you want to roll your own custom mix, you should add fibers to it.

For the backsplash I am probably going to use these guys, since my wife decided she didn't want a concrete backsplash.

http://www.ezbacksplash.com/backsplashpanels.asp

Turns out they are based about 45 minutes from me so I can go take a look at what they have.

[Woodshark]

I've always wanted to try this. Make sure you post when you have them finished.

[jziegler]

Definately take a look at that backsplash. I was thinking of going with a similar type of plastic panels that Lowes is currently stocking. The pictures look great. Looking at it up close in the store, it seemed a bit cheesy to me. Even though it is a different company, the patterns look exactly the same to me.

The pics of the counter look great.

Jim