A concrete countertop is an original and budget solution for the kitchen. All about concrete countertops for the kitchen How to make a sink out of concrete

The loft is now more fashionable than ever. And that's why everyone wants to replace even the usual faience sink with something more “loft-like”. There are eccentric solutions, such as a copper basin with a hole in the middle or a galvanized bucket in general, but such ideas are difficult to combine with modern interior, and not very convenient to use in everyday life. If you don’t want to complicate your life, then a real concrete sink will be the highlight of your loft and cannot be compared with any other option, in all respects.

Concrete is still not faience, but we are here to find out all the pros and cons

This is at least original.

This is an exclusive - each of our sinks is made by hand and can be considered a work of modern art.

It is durable - a well-made concrete sink will last for centuries, and maybe even thousands of years))

It is reliable - breaking off a corner is not as easy as breaking off a faience sink

This is unique - the picturesque texture of concrete cannot be imitated by any other material.

Now for the cons:

Vulnerability. A concrete washbasin can either be varnished or impregnated. In the first case, it is well protected from dirt, but it is easier to scratch the coating than earthenware enamel. In the second case, it is difficult to scratch, but it is necessary to constantly (every 2-3 months) renew the impregnation, and if this is not done, then sooner or later spots may appear, which only grinding will help get rid of.

Price. It is very difficult to set up the production process of shells on the conveyor. And therefore, if we are not talking about a piece of foundation weighing 200 kg, but about a sink made of high-strength and picturesque concrete, weighing an acceptable 20-40 kg, then this is painstaking manual labor with large quantity stages, complex technology and expensive materials.

Since all over the world, concrete sinks are much more often protected with varnish, we will tell you more about it. Varnish for concrete in the interior meets several requirements:

1) it must be non-toxic;

2) lay down beautiful matte thin layer so that it is difficult to identify as something foreign;

3) do not allow water to pass through, because if the varnish passes water, then it will pass pollution along with it

4) be as scratch resistant as possible

As much as possible, only one type of varnish meets all these requirements - polyurethane, and even then not any. We have done many experiments to choose best varnish, but, unfortunately, they did not find the perfect one in all respects. So by acquiring concrete sink prepare to be handled with care.

Don't expect miracles from concrete performance characteristics and practicality or be disappointed. Although if you take care of such a product properly, then there will be no problems with it. Do not use aggressive acidic or strongly alkaline cleaners or abrasive sponges.

P.S.: And for lovers of everything real, I will recommend bare concrete without coating. In this design, the sink will be as natural as possible. And over time, becoming covered with a patina during operation, it will only get better.

The technology of manufacturing concrete products is popular both in industrial and private construction. From this material, you can pour window sills, steps for stairs, floor tiles, countertops and so on. The main thing is that any thing can be made independently, without involving specialists from outside. Let's give an example of how a do-it-yourself concrete countertop is made.

Like any building process, manufacture of countertops from concrete mortar is divided into several stages. Each of them is very important, it is impossible to allow any operation to be missed.

Preparatory process

Preparation consists in acquiring necessary materials and tool. To begin with, all the same components are purchased that are necessary for the production of a standard concrete solution. Namely:

  • cement;
  • sand;
  • crushed stone;
  • water.

Since the countertop is a decorative element, it is worth considering the issue related to it. color design. For example, if you use ordinary cement gray color, then the tabletop itself will be gray. Thankfully there is today a large number of colors that can be added to the mixture, selecting according to the color shade.

Basic materials

To increase the strength of the concrete countertop, it is necessary to lay a metal reinforcing frame in the mortar body. To do this, you need a steel wire with a diameter of 2-3 mm. To assemble a mesh from this wire, you need to tie it, for which you need a knitting wire. Self-tapping screws will be needed to fasten the frame.

The tabletop must be poured into the formwork. It is made from several different materials. The main one is a sheet of moisture-resistant plywood with a thickness of at least 12 mm. Can be used instead of plywood laminated chipboard or MDF.

Please note that the strength of these materials must be high. A slight curvature will immediately appear on the concrete product itself.

To create the thickness of the countertop, you will need boards with a section of 50 × 30 mm and several wooden bars 50 × 50 mm.

Since a sink will definitely be installed on the kitchen worktop, it will be necessary to make a hole for the mixer. What will be required plastic pipe 35 mm in diameter and 50 mm long. Typically, the diameter of the faucet mounting nozzle is 35 mm.

Instruments

To make a concrete countertop, you will need the following tools: a shovel, as a rule, a trowel, a spatula, a bucket, a construction mixer (if a small volume is mixed) or a concrete mixer.

To assemble the formwork, you will need a saw and a screwdriver. For the manufacture of the armoframe - pliers. Do not forget that all formwork elements will have to be accurately set according to a pre-made drawing, so a ruler, level and pencil will also be needed. To measure the size of the future countertop, you need to prepare a tape measure.

Creating a drawing

You can draw a sketch either before preparation or after. It is important to accurately measure the space where cabinets with concrete mortar tops will be installed. If a kitchen furniture will be installed in the corner of the room, then please kindly - align the angle at 90º. This is not only a criterion for the quality of the repair, but also the ease of installing furniture exactly along the wall planes.

Now the tape measure measures the boundaries of the installation of the countertop. Often work zone the kitchen has a curved shape with an approach to the adjacent wall. If such a form (angular) is adopted, then it is better to divide the element into several sections and make its own countertop for each part. In this case, the formwork will be single, but divided into sections.

The main thing is to make the boundaries of the sections transverse, which must exactly match along the walls kitchen cabinets. This is the only way to avoid the formation of cracks. A monolithic countertop will weigh a lot, which will create inconvenience during its installation.

Install a sheet of moisture-resistant plywood on a flat horizontal surface. It could be a table. Now transfer all dimensions from the drawing to this sheet, for which you use a ruler and a pencil. Along the edges of the lines, they are installed on the edge of the board 50 × 30 mm. They will determine the height of the concrete countertop, which will be 50 mm. Why this particular size? Reducing the thickness will lead to a decrease in strength. Increase - to increase the weight of the product. Therefore, 50 mm is the optimal size.

Since the concrete solution will create a lot of pressure on the walls of the formwork, it is necessary to fix them well. There are two options here:

  • use bars 50 × 50 mm for fastening;
  • install metal corners.

In the first case, the bars are attached to the corners of the structure. If the installed board is long, then 2-3 bars are additionally attached in the middle evenly from each other along the entire length of the board.

As for sinks for washing, you need to pay attention to the type of device purchased. There are built-in sinks, there are overhead. They differ from each other in that the overheads in the design have a horizontal rim around the entire perimeter of the plumbing fixture.

For overhead models

If this option is installed, then the sink is turned over, placed on a sheet of plywood and a stroke is made along its side. Then the width of the side is measured, for example, it is 3 cm, which means that exactly the same shape is deposited inside at a distance of 2.5 cm.

For embedded

In the case of a built-in washbasin, the outline is applied along its edge. Now bars of 50 × 50 mm are installed along the lines, which are attached to plywood with self-tapping screws. Please note that 50x30mm boards are installed outside the marked lines, and in the case of a sink, 50x50mm bars are installed inside.

And one more thing - in built-in sinks there is a landing chamfer, which is not easy to make. Therefore, for those who are going to make a concrete countertop with their own hands, it is recommended to choose an overhead model. It remains only to glue the pipe at the place of installation of the mixer.

It is necessary to immediately make a reservation that the reinforcing frame made of steel wire should be like a mesh with cells of 25 × 25 mm. At the same time, it should also be located at a distance of 25 mm from the plywood sheet and from the edges of the formwork. Therefore, pieces of wire are cut with these reservations in mind.

A polyethylene film is laid in the formwork, the edges of which are wound onto the boards. Please note that the film lies flat without wrinkles.

Installation of the supporting structure

Now the frame itself. It can be made separately and then installed in place. You can assemble it directly in the formwork. Installation at a height of 25 mm is carried out using self-tapping screws. For example, the second installation option.

Self-tapping screws were screwed into plywood around the entire perimeter of the formwork every 25 mm. Alignment of hats in height is done using a ruler and a level. After that, pieces of wire are already screwed to the screws. At the intersections, a knitting wire is used for fastening.

Almost everything is ready to start pouring concrete countertops with your own hands. It remains only to process the joints between the formwork elements with sealant. It is important here that this material fills exactly the gaps and crevices.

If there is a need to make rounded corners at the countertop, then a pipe is installed at the junction of two 50 × 30 mm boards, that is, in the corner. And the space of the corner, limited by the pipe and two adjacent boards, is filled with sealant.

concreting

There are two ways to pour concrete.

  1. Completely filling the formwork.
  2. Layer by layer.

In the first case, concrete is prepared according to the classical recipe: 1 part of cement, 2 parts of sand (pure river sand), 4 parts of coarse aggregate (in this case, it is best to take marble chips), and 0.5 parts of water. First, cement and water are mixed until cement laitance is formed, then other components are added in portions. Mix the solution very carefully.

A countertop made from concrete mortar can look very original. The main thing is to correctly approach the design of its front side. For example, you can put on polyethylene film pieces of broken glass, beads, arrange in patterns copper wire or strands of fiber optic cable.

It is imperative that these decorative elements glue so that they do not move during the pouring process. The brand of glue is unimportant, the main thing is that it fastens well.

For the first front layer, a solution of fine sand without large fillers (gravel, crushed stone) is required. Water should be slightly less than in the classic recipe. Thus, the appearance of pores can be avoided. But it is also impossible to add too little water, because this can lead to the formation of cracks.

Therefore, if there is any doubt that the solution may turn out to be different, then it is better to purchase a ready-made dry mix for screed. On its packaging there is an instruction that indicates how much water to add. Mixing should be carried out at low speed. And it doesn't matter if the process is carried out with a mixer or a concrete mixer. This solution is poured to a third or half the height of the formwork. There is no need to wait for it to dry.

Filling the main layer

The filling of the main carrier layer can be done in half an hour. There are no restrictions on the composition of this mixture. This may be a classic recipe, in which instead of gravel or crushed stone, expanded clay can be added to facilitate the entire structure.

After that (it doesn’t matter if this is the first option or the second), the concrete countertop must be covered with a film. After a day, the film is removed, and pieces of wet fabric are placed on top. After two days, you can disassemble the formwork.

If a concrete countertop is made without a decorative layer, then it front side needs to be sanded. You should not use a grinder for this. It is better to use a grinder corner type. It is more convenient to use for horizontal surfaces. Plus, the machine will have to buy a few grinding wheels.

First, the slab is ground with a coarse-grained wheel. Then they switch to fine-grained. And polishing is best done with a felt wheel. If it is necessary to trim the countertop, then a grinder with diamond discs is used.

If small depressions have formed on the surface of the plate, they can be removed by applying a special acrylic-based sealing mixture. After it dries, additional grinding is carried out.

This is how a concrete countertop is made with your own hands. Let's not make sure that this process simple. It is complex and requires attention and accuracy.

With the help of expensive exclusive materials can be issued attractive interior in room. Concrete countertop is a mix of art and practicality, stands out for its unique design and durability. Its surface can be ground, polished, painted, interspersed with marble, granite chips, shells, colored glass.

Decorative concrete countertop

Such products are formed as a result of molding and hardening of the mixture. They are custom made to fit any individual project, into a room with an unusual configuration. The main elements of the plate are cement, water, sand, stone, pigment. For example, a concrete kitchen worktop can be given any shape, a product of the type with bends or in several levels can be made. The surface of the table can even be decorated with lighting and create a beautiful “starry sky” effect. Such things are used for different rooms.

Concrete countertops for the kitchen

Products are suitable for classic and modern environments. They go well with wood, metal, glass, add a sense of reliability and massiveness of the structure. Concrete kitchen worktop goes well with window sills, floors, benches of similar texture. The material can be polished to a matte or mirror-shiny surface. To protect against contamination, the plane of the table is covered with a polymer protection that closes the pores. The final version of the surface due to colors can be made in various colors- gray, beige, pink, green.




Concrete bathroom countertop

The material is well suited for use in wet rooms. To the touch, such a table is warmer than natural granite or marble, it looks like natural stone, not afraid of water and temperature changes. The concrete countertop in the bathroom is used to install the sink, when pouring it is easy to leave holes in it right size for further installation of the washbasin. The interior of the room can be supplemented with similar shelves, slabs on the wall.




How to make a concrete countertop?

Products are made by pouring material under individual sizes, in any particular case, the thickness, shape, color is selected. First you need to determine the exact dimensions of future products. Do-it-yourself concrete countertop is made for finished frame table. When joining several pedestals, it is necessary to provide for the manufacture of the product from several pieces. The weight of the finished furniture is large, and the concrete tabletop, divided into parts, is easier to move and handle. It has fewer cracks.

How to make a concrete countertop?

After calculations and drawing up a drawing, you can proceed to the purchase of materials. When deciding how to make a concrete countertop yourself, you need to prepare:

  • plywood sheets;
  • slats;
  • screwdriver and self-tapping screws (for mounting molds for pouring);
  • cement and sand;
  • decor (glass, shells, pebbles);
  • Sander;
  • diamond circle;
  • trowel, spatula;
  • solution container;
  • level.

Concrete do-it-yourself kitchen countertop

After preparing the frame kitchen table, you can start filling the surface. The polished concrete worktop should fit snugly against the wall. If the design has non-standard corners or pipes, all bends and notches are exactly transferred to the drawing.


For the manufacture of a stylish concrete countertop, an interesting and simple technology. It allows you not to spend extra money on furnishing an apartment and with minimal cost make the interior of the room stylish and individual. concrete pavement not afraid of burnout, mechanical damage and damage by chemicals. It will serve more than a dozen years, it will become a unique decoration of the interior.

The loft is now more fashionable than ever. And that's why everyone wants to replace even the usual faience sink with something more “loft-like”. There are eccentric solutions, for example, a copper basin with a hole in the middle or a galvanized bucket in general, but such ideas are difficult to combine with a modern interior, and are not very convenient to use in everyday life. If you don’t want to complicate your life, then a real concrete sink will be the highlight of your loft and cannot be compared with any other option, in all respects.

Concrete is still not faience, but we are here to find out all the pros and cons

This is at least original.

This is an exclusive - each of our sinks is made by hand and can be considered a work of modern art.

It is durable - a well-made concrete sink will last for centuries, and maybe even thousands of years))

It is reliable - breaking off a corner is not as easy as breaking off a faience sink

This is unique - the picturesque texture of concrete cannot be imitated by any other material.

Now for the cons:

Vulnerability. A concrete washbasin can either be varnished or impregnated. In the first case, it is well protected from dirt, but it is easier to scratch the coating than earthenware enamel. In the second case, it is difficult to scratch, but it is necessary to constantly (every 2-3 months) renew the impregnation, and if this is not done, then sooner or later spots may appear, which only grinding will help get rid of.

Price. It is very difficult to set up the production process of shells on the conveyor. And therefore, if we are not talking about a piece of foundation weighing 200 kg, but about a sink made of high-strength and picturesque concrete, weighing an acceptable 20-40 kg, then this is painstaking manual labor with a large number of stages, complex technology and expensive materials.

Since all over the world, concrete sinks are much more often protected with varnish, we will tell you more about it. Varnish for concrete in the interior meets several requirements:

1) it must be non-toxic;

2) lay down a beautiful matte thin layer so that it is difficult to identify it as something foreign;

3) do not allow water to pass through, because if the varnish passes water, then it will pass pollution along with it

4) be as scratch resistant as possible

As much as possible, only one type of varnish meets all these requirements - polyurethane, and even then not any. We did a lot of experiments to choose the best varnish, but, unfortunately, we did not find the perfect one in all respects. So when purchasing a concrete sink, get ready for careful handling.

Do not expect wonderful performance and practicality from concrete, or you will be disappointed. Although if you take care of such a product properly, then there will be no problems with it. Do not use aggressive acidic or strongly alkaline cleaners or abrasive sponges.

P.S.: And for lovers of everything real, I will recommend bare concrete without coating. In this design, the sink will be as natural as possible. And over time, becoming covered with a patina during operation, it will only get better.

If you no longer want to see ordinary ones in your kitchen or in any other room of the house, you can order an expensive marble counterpart. However, you can make such a product yourself using concrete. As practice shows, the design looks very attractive. And you can decorate it with different elements, including glass. After completion of work, you will be able to receive unique table which will be very cheap.

Preparation of materials

If you will be making a concrete countertop, it is important to prepare necessary set materials. Among them, boards, plywood, cement, fiberglass, acrylic-based polymer concrete, guides, broken glass as well as fiber optic cable. You will need a sheet of laminated plywood, two sheets of plastic, sand, sealant, drawer handles (if any are supposed to be done), as well as decorative elements.

Boards must be made of hardwood. And their total length should be 6 meters. Plywood can be the most common. There is no need to use moisture-repellent material at all. When preparing plastic, remember that its thickness can be approximately 18 millimeters. You will need two of these sheets. The volume of cement will depend on the specific dimensions of the future countertop. However, this article considers an example that involves the use of two 50 kg bags. Therefore, we will give the figures characteristic of this model. As for the sand, it will need six bags, each of which should be 25 kilograms. Silicone sealant will be enough to purchase in the amount of one tube. But for decoration you can use different elements and not just glass.

Design

The concrete worktop will be made using some tools, namely: a set of polishers, a woodworking tool, an electric grinder, and a device for working with concrete. Initially, it will be necessary to create an action plan that provides for the creation of a drawing future design. You must clearly imagine how the table will look like. It is necessary to measure the room where it is planned to place the product.

You will waste your energy in vain if, after completing the work, you find that the countertop does not fit in size. It is not recommended to pour a solid monolith. The process should be divided into several stages. This will prevent the formation of cracks. In addition, moving and installing individual parts will be much easier than a solid product, the weight of which is quite impressive. When a concrete countertop is made, the master must take into account the features of the interior. This will allow you to make a design, the design of which will match the decoration.

Frame construction

Each table design is unique. Therefore, it makes no sense to describe in detail the technology for constructing the frame. It is worth considering, however, that the fronts of the table will be made of a table top, while it can be supported by two pipes. In the central parts, it is possible to provide for the presence drawer. load-bearing elements the frame is recommended to be made of solid wood. In order to create boxes and a facade, it is recommended to cut a sheet of plywood.

Create a fill shape

If you will be making a concrete countertop, you must first create a form, the parts of which will be 18 mm plastic sheets. Along the perimeter, it is necessary to install boards. Their height will be 50 millimeters. Thanks to these parameters, it will be possible to pour the required layer of concrete to ensure high strength. It is important to complete the forms, given the size of the frame. Already at this stage, it is recommended to do everything as accurately as possible, since after pouring the concrete it will be impossible to correct the situation. The joints obtained between the plastic sheets and the sides must be filled silicone sealant. It will prevent leakage beyond the liquid concrete.

Laying decorative elements and frame systems

A concrete countertop should not only be aesthetically pleasing, but also as durable as possible. To do this, you should use As it can be used wire mesh. Decorative elements should be laid at the bottom. Broken glass can act in their role. After surface treatment, the decor will show through and become visible on the base.

The concrete countertop may have holes for laying communications. If so, then their presence must be indicated at this stage. To do this, you can use a ring made of pvc pipes. The blank is wrapped in polyethylene and placed in the designated place. After the concrete has hardened, the pipe is pushed out, and the polyethylene will be easy to dispose of.

Work methodology

The grid rises above the surface of the base of the form by 25 millimeters. The easiest way to do this is with wire. Should be given great importance decor. For attractiveness, it is necessary to prepare a transparent, brown and green glass, which breaks into fragments. If you wish, you can use coins, pebbles and other items.

The tabletop will look original with plastic sheet holes need to be drilled. They have a cable installed. Gaps should be filled with sealant. The ends of the cable will hang down under the mold. They need to be collected in bundles. Later, light elements are inserted into them, which will create the effect of a starry sky. Glass shards can easily be dislodged when pouring mortar. To eliminate this, you should fix them with glue in the form of a spray.

Pouring concrete

The manufacture of countertops in the next step involves pouring the solution. To do this, mix cement and sand using a ratio of 1 to 3. Water must be added until the mixture resembles thick sour cream. It is necessary to pour the composition into the mold as carefully as possible. After it is half filled, the mass must be distributed throughout the form. The formwork is shaken to get rid of air bubbles. Then you can start mixing another portion of concrete, applying the same proportion.

However, in this case, fiberglass should be added. The composition is poured into the mold, and the surface is drawn by the rule. In this state, the structure is left for 24 hours. After that, the base can be covered with a damp towel, which will slow down the hardening process and have a positive effect on strength. The manufacture of countertops involves taking out finished product out of shape after two days. However, experts recommend waiting another day. If it turned out to be problematic to get rid of the form, then you need to pry off the edge with a spatula. Brick can be used as a support.

Grinding

The surface of the slab after the concrete has hardened must be sanded. This is necessary so that fragments of broken glass and other decorative elements that were used during pouring show through on it. Sanding will smooth out bumps and get rid of glue residue. To carry out these works, the master should use clothes that will not be a pity to get dirty. After grinding, the plate is again left to dry.

Kitchen countertops are usually very smooth. In order to achieve a similar effect, the next step is to mix the cement with an acrylic fixer. The mass should not be too thick. Its application is best done in three stages. It is important to remember that when drying, the material shrinks. It must be distributed over the surface, filling all the cracks and voids. Excess should be removed from the surface, leaving the structure to dry.

What to do next?

At the time of the second application of the composition, you must try to fill in all the voids that you missed the first time. When kitchen countertops covered with a third layer, it is not necessary to get rid of the remnants of the mixture. One night will be enough for the slab to dry. Then you can surface grinder, providing it with a coarse-grained polishing pad. If during sanding you notice voids and holes that could not be filled with acrylic cement composition, then the process can be repeated by applying another layer.

Carrying out polishing

After completing all the above work, you will get a dark countertop, the shade of which will be slightly different from concrete. On the final stage will need to be polished. In this case, the working element must be constantly wet. You shouldn't rush. Movements should be uniform and slow. If you are thinking about how to cover a concrete countertop, you can find out by reading the article. Gradually grinders change in grit. This is done until 1500 units can be reached. You can find polishing pads, the grain size of which is 3 thousand units. But in order to cover the surface with a primer varnish, you should make the base as smooth as possible.

The manufacture of concrete countertops ends with the application of a primer varnish. It should be allowed to dry well. To achieve positive result, varnish can be applied in several layers. And then the surface must be cleaned wax composition, after hardening of which the countertop is wiped with a clean rag.

Conclusion

If you are interested in the question of what is the minimum thickness of a concrete countertop, then this parameter should be equal to 5 centimeters. But even in this case, it is recommended to use a reinforcing mesh, which will increase strength. Many masters neglect the step of creating a template. However, these manipulations are very important to create a design of ideal proportions.

To do this, you can use fiberboard and cardboard scraps, interconnected with glue. Do not forget that a sink can be embedded in the countertop. This should be provided before the pouring stage, so that after that you do not have to cut the material. The cost of a factory-made countertop can reach 20 thousand rubles. However, if you want to do the work yourself, then the costs will be limited to the price of sand and cement.

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