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concrete counter tops??????????????????????????????????????????????

2FORCEFULL

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first off, I've never seen it done or had it done... I'm building a Ramada for my son with a big U shaped bar,.... one of his friends says he does concrete tops,... but the questions I ask he doesn't have the answers...we put osb 1/2'' on the bar top and it hangs over about 8'' where you sit...will that work?? won't it crack??? the sides are 10' long...
 

shaffewm

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Hi. Here is a few pics of ours. No cracks. Lots of rebar.
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thmterry

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We did 3/4 plywood under our concrete counter tops and they have been in 3 years so far with no cracks or problems.
 

Marios Metalworks

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8” overhang shouldn’t be an issue with the correct composition and internal support.

I just landed a contract for a 9ft x 3.5ft dining room table which will have significantly more overhang than 8”.
 

SoCalDave

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Full sun or all shade, makes a huge difference in longevity.
Personally with the low cost of granite I'd throw that down and if needed replace it in 8-10 years if their still there. Had mine in about 40% full sun for 5 years now and still looks like new. Concrete will crack at some point if exposed...jm .02
 

HNL2LHC

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I was just looking at counter tops today. If you want the look of concrete but the easy of quartz maybe this is an option for you......

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Icky

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I was going to do concrete countertops, but the cracking part made me go with granite. I'll take some pictures tomorrow as I'm still putting the finishing touches on it.
You can check here if you want to buy the forms and more information https://www.concretecountertopsolutions.com/
 

Melloyellovector

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We do them a lot.
Rebar from block tied into counter. 3/4 ply set inside and outside of block removed after pouring.
If you doing precast concrete then 3/4 or 1in marine grade to leave in place
Outdoors concrete, granite, quartz, soapstone etc.. they all can break down over time. Best to have cover over counter areas to hold up over long period of time. Most all surfaces will need maintanence
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TX Foilhead

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You can supposedly eliminate the cracking altogether by mixing in fiberglass. I’m using the stuff from these guys next weekend https://www.concretecountertopsolutions.com/ I’m sure all the individual ingredients could be sourced cheaper, but it works out to less than $30 per bag of concrete and I don’t need a truck load of it just a few bags.
 

WhatExit?

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We do them a lot.
Rebar from block tied into counter. 3/4 ply set inside and outside of block removed after pouring.
If you doing precast concrete then 3/4 or 1in marine grade to leave in place
Outdoors concrete, granite, quartz, soapstone etc.. they all can break down over time. Best to have cover over counter areas to hold up over long period of time. Most all surfaces will need maintanence View attachment 921911 View attachment 921912 View attachment 921913 View attachment 921914 View attachment 921915 View attachment 921916 View attachment 921917 View attachment 921918 View attachment 921919

Great looking work! Off topic: Do you know if a Blackstone griddle can be installed in a Blackstone in a countertop? Just curious if there's a way
 

2FORCEFULL

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We do them a lot.
Rebar from block tied into counter. 3/4 ply set inside and outside of block removed after pouring.
If you doing precast concrete then 3/4 or 1in marine grade to leave in place
Outdoors concrete, granite, quartz, soapstone etc.. they all can break down over time. Best to have cover over counter areas to hold up over long period of time. Most all surfaces will need maintanence View attachment 921911 View attachment 921912 View attachment 921913 View attachment 921914 View attachment 921915 View attachment 921916 View attachment 921917 View attachment 921918 View attachment 921919
thanks for all the pics....pretty much the plan we have....the area is covered 20' x 20' metal roof with exposed trusses... the bar is a 10' X 10' "U" shape..
 

2FORCEFULL

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OSB is not adequate under a coontertop for Tile, let alone concrete, especially 1/2 inch.
I think his plan was 1/2'' osb w/ 3/8'' ply on top and put sealer on it...again, i've never done this before... but I did watch a bunch of you tube last night...
so now I think I got the idea of how it works.... I'm gonna forrm it up today and see how it goes...I'm gonna go with a 2x3 on the edge for a 2.5 finish...should be plenty beefy as most of the molding are 1.5 or 2''
 

Loo Dog

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Rebar and fiber in the mix should be fine. This monster was done with stryrofoam bullnose forms, then polished and sealed with a low gloss sealer. If it cracks (concrete always eventually does) it’s not my time or money, though. At home I’d go granite!
 

HBCraig

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@2FORCEFULL

If he is by you in Henderson take into account the weather. People thought I was crazy when I did my backyard in Paradise Hills as I used a shit ton of rebar along with anchors for the patio. I swung by that house a year ago and all was good
 

batterup

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Mine cracked within months of being installed and looks terrible. It might have been poor workmanship, but my contractor said it was normal. These pics are old. It looks even worse now. I’m going to have it redone soon.
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2FORCEFULL

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well, we're gonna pour it tomorrow...we'll see...
 

Get415

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My counter cracks started showing up very quickly. Wouldn't do it again. I won't even mention the concrete deck cracking :mad:
 

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Marios Metalworks

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Good luck!

I’ve been prepping for this dining room table build for the last week. Balls deep in YouTube videos, construction forums, books, phone calls, etc. and one constant has been that it’s not a matter of if it’ll crack but when it’ll crack.

The tables I built five years ago are still going strong 🤷🏻‍♂️

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petie6464

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I looked into these when they started to gain popularity several years ago. When looking to DIY the cost, labor and durability they didn't make sense.

Counter tops are one if the craziest items when it come to kitchens both in cost and options. Hard to beat a beautiful granite counter to show off your kitchen, unfortunately if you're accomplished in your kitchen skills you pretty much know its more for posers not chef's.

A stainless counter top is great but typically not practical in a home kitchen, my personal favorite is a rasin counter. Corian I belive is the Dupont trade name and a host of others that offer a similar typically lesser expensive product. You can use/abuse this stuff, scratch it etc. Sand it by hand and it looks as new. This with a large hardwood cutting board is hard to beat.

For outdoor I would stay with Granite, outdoor kitchens are for posers anyway.
 

2FORCEFULL

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I looked into these when they started to gain popularity several years ago. When looking to DIY the cost, labor and durability they didn't make sense.

Counter tops are one if the craziest items when it come to kitchens both in cost and options. Hard to beat a beautiful granite counter to show off your kitchen, unfortunately if you're accomplished in your kitchen skills you pretty much know its more for posers not chef's.

A stainless counter top is great but typically not practical in a home kitchen, my personal favorite is a rasin counter. Corian I belive is the Dupont trade name and a host of others that offer a similar typically lesser expensive product. You can use/abuse this stuff, scratch it etc. Sand it by hand and it looks as new. This with a large hardwood cutting board is hard to beat.

For outdoor I would stay with Granite, outdoor kitchens are for posers anyway.
yeah we get 30-50 posers show up hungry and thirsty
 

YZFRider

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I have concrete counter tops with a polyaspartic overlay done by Full throttle custom spaces. Jeff did a fantastic job. Could not be happier
 

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530RL

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Corian is a Trade Name of Dupont.

The generic term is "solid surface". Tons of people make it and it is made in thousands of looks.

The issue with man made counter-tops outside, whether it be quartz, corian or solid surface, is that unless completely covered, the sun will over time turn the resins yellow.

For that reason, most view the best surfaces outside as Granite, Quartzite and other natural occurring stones.
 

2FORCEFULL

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I looked into these when they started to gain popularity several years ago. When looking to DIY the cost, labor and durability they didn't make sense.

Counter tops are one if the craziest items when it come to kitchens both in cost and options. Hard to beat a beautiful granite counter to show off your kitchen, unfortunately if you're accomplished in your kitchen skills you pretty much know its more for posers not chef's.

A stainless counter top is great but typically not practical in a home kitchen, my personal favorite is a rasin counter. Corian I belive is the Dupont trade name and a host of others that offer a similar typically lesser expensive product. You can use/abuse this stuff, scratch it etc. Sand it by hand and it looks as new. This with a large hardwood cutting board is hard to beat.

For outdoor I would stay with Granite, outdoor kitchens are for posers anyway.
little update.... we did the concrete... it was a disaster,,,, I didn't know what I was doing, and the guy I helped knew less
 

DRYHEAT

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little update.... we did the concrete... it was a disaster,,,, I didn't know what I was doing, and the guy I helped knew less
As long as you learned something from the experience.😉😊
 

HNL2LHC

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little update.... we did the concrete... it was a disaster,,,, I didn't know what I was doing, and the guy I helped knew less

Bummer Steve. But you don’t know unless you give it a try. What is the back up plan?
 

Spudsbud

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Just had quartz installed yesterday.
Waterfall edge is gorgeous.
Wife is VERY happy !
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Grey tile backsplash next
 
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