So we did it. We concrete’d our kitchen’s laminate counters. Sherry shared this quick peek at our first coat in Friday’s post, and we’re back with the final results, the details of how we got there, and an in-action video to hopefully help explain the process.
We’re really happy with how they turned out. Pictures don’t do it justice, but the whole room feels a lot more updated and less laminate-y. It’s giving off kind of a stark/cold vibe in these photos, but after we add some colorful window treatments, stuff on the shelves/counters, and remedy that bad faux brick flooring (and that almond stove) we think it’ll feel like a whole new room.
I’m not going to sugar coat it, though. It was a lot of work. And a lot of dust.
Here’s a reminder of what the counters looked like before. We had creamy-yellow laminate (with the occasional burn mark or scratch). In addition to the main kitchen area, we also gave the concrete treatment to the nearby nook by the eat-in part of the kitchen. We haven’t sealed the counters yet (we haven’t been able to track down either of the two products that our research points to using), so the color will probably get a bit deeper after that step.
We did this using Ardex Feather Finish, which we’ve been really interested in trying since seeing a few other attempts like these from Kara Paslay, Little Green Notebook, Sarah’s Big Idea, and A Beautiful Mess. Somewhere between all of their pretty pictures and the low price tag for Ardex ($19 per bag) I had assumed this would be a quick and easy task. Oh silly me…
Maybe it was because we’re first timers, or maybe it was because our work area was especially large (we were dealing with 45 square feet of counters thanks to the U-shaped area in the cooking zone and the nook area by the table), but it turned out to be a tiring and messy job that spanned across five days. It wasn’t very complicated or difficult, just more labor and time intensive than we realized we were getting ourselves into. So let’s dive into the process. Forgive our photos for not being chronological. We took a bunch throughout our four rounds of applying/sanding the Ardex and I’m just using the ones that are most helpful. Let’s begin with supplies!
- Ardex Feather Finish, obviously. It’s not easy to come by, but you can hunt for a local distributor on their site or just follow this affiliate link to get it on Amazon. We ended up using 2.5 bags, though I think we applied it a bit thicker than necessary.
- Mixing buckets: We used one of these small red buckets for mixing our Ardex (it mixes with water). We made pretty small batches, so this was a great size.
- Measuring buckets: We used these (one for water, one for Ardex powder) to make sure we were mixing the right ratio in our red bucket.
- Sandpaper: A variety of grits – both high and low, as well as a sanding block for easy gripping. We used mostly 60, 120, and 220 grit.
- Spreading tools: We used the flat trowel (on right) for mixing in the bucket, then used the other three for spreading. The big 10″ drywall knife was good for big flat areas, the 4″ putty knife was great for backsplash and edges, while the small guy helped us get into tight spots, like around the sink.
- Stuff for keeping walls clean: We kept a sponge and paper towels on hand to clean up any drips or splatters on the wall. We also taped off some areas too (more on that later).
- Protective gear: During the sanding process the glasses and dust mask helped keep stuff out of our faces (Sherry preferred our heavy duty respirator) while the gloves were great for keeping our fingers from getting crazy raw.
Speaking of sanding… the first step was to rough up the existing counters with some high grit sandpaper. This was before we realized our fingers would be taking a beating from all of the sandpaper gripping. We wised up and added gloves and used nice big sanding blocks wrapped in high grit paper about ten minutes into it. It went much easier after that.
The Ardex bag suggests a mixture of 2-parts powder to 1-part water, but we found that balance to be a little bit on the thick side – making it hard to spread and what we believe led to our first layer being, well, on the thick side too. So we erred on the side of a bit more water from that point on.
Like grout or thinset, the goal seems to be a toothpaste-like consistency. Thick enough that it doesn’t run or drip off your blade, but thin enough to spread easily. If you’re mixing larger batches it suggests a paddle mixer, but we did just fine by hand (Sherry took a turn mixing things too and didn’t have any issues doing it by hand). Since it starts to harden within about 15-20 minutes, we never wanted to mix up too much at once anyway.
Spreading it on the flat surfaces was kinda fun, in a weird way. It was like icing a giant cake and using a big 10″ blade made it pretty fast to get the big areas covered. The backsplash was another story, but we’ll get to that in a second.
Here’s a quick video Sherry took of me applying the third coat, since we thought it’d helpful for you to see the stuff in action. I’m not claiming my technique to be great or anything, but we did find we got a bit better each round (Sherry also thought we got better at sanding/smoothing each layer as we went). Which is good news because your first couple of layers will get covered up anyways – so they’re kind of like low-risk practice rounds.
When it came to doing the sides, we switched to a smaller putty knife. We usually did these after we had applied most of our mixture to the top, that way what was left in the bucket had set a bit more and was less likely to slide off the vertical surface.
At first we found the edges to be challenging since it was easy for stuff to build up there. What we realized a couple of rounds in was that after about 20 minutes the Ardex had hardened to an almost clay-like consistency, and Sherry or I could come back and smooth the edges with a damp finger. My favorite part was sneaking up behind Sherry all Ghost-style to smooth them from behind her back. Who says there’s no romance in DIY?
Here’s our first round after it dried. You can see Sherry taped off the wall to protect it when I lamented how much was getting on them as I went. In hindsight we’re still unsure whether that ended up being a smart decision. It certainly made us less paranoid about being messy as we went, but removal was a bit of a pain and not perfect since we were essentially concrete-ing the tape to the wall in a few spots.
We decided to ditch the tape after our second round of counter smoothing, so we slowly worked our way around the room peeling it off (we feared that too much concrete build-up would trap the tape in place forever). One thing that we found during this process was that pulling it down from the top (rather than ripping it to the side like we do after painting) did a better job of getting a clean edge and not just tearing the tape. But we did have to chisel it free in a few areas… so I’m not sure if it was a time saver in the end.
Things looked pretty rough after our first round (well, after every round actually). But that’s where the fun mess begins: the sanding step. Here’s where you smooth out any rough spots or ridges so that the next layer can go on evenly and ultimately get you to a flat, smooth finish.
After letting the surface dry overnight, first Sherry would go across the top with a putty knife and scrape off any obvious ridges that were left by the drywall knife during the Ardex application. Even though it had hardened, it wasn’t tough to do. Blobs and ridges just popped right off as she scraped back and forth over them.
The most satisfying thing was cleaning off the bottom edge. Sherry realized we could just run our smaller putty knife along those and sheer off any irregularities, which left us with an awesomely crisp line on the bottom. Best part of this project by far. Could’ve done it all day.
That step was quickly followed by our least favorite part: sanding, sanding, and more sanding. We chose to do it all by hand, since we feared that our power sander would just sand everything down to the laminate again (or leave rough ridges or marks as it traveled around the counter). Plus, with all of the tight spots like the backsplash and around the sink, we figured it would be easier to maneuver by hand.
We used a sanding block (for easy grip) wrapped in fresh sandpaper each time. For sanding every layer except for the last one we used a really rough 60-grit paper to make smoothing ridges and rough spots easy, but after the last coat of Ardex (we did four coats) was all smoothed on and dry, we switched to 220-grit paper to make sure we didn’t leave big/rough scratches in that top coat of concrete.
Sherry also realized that it was helpful for us to pause while sanding each section to vacuum off the excess dust as we went (thanks shop vac!). This was especially helpful because sometimes the dust would disguise an area that needed a bit more sanding. Plus, it just helped for sanity reasons, since we felt like we were keeping the mess more contained that way.
Speaking of which, the mess was the biggest surprise to us. Despite reading other people’s experiences with it (and obviously, we knew sanding was involved), I don’t think either of us had mentally prepared for the fact that there’d be a fine gray build-up of powder EVERYWHERE. And since the kitchen is such a central and highly traffic area of our house, keeping it clean ended up being a big time suck (after each round we would sweep, then vacuum, and then mop the floors to be sure nobody tracked anything throughout the house when they passed through over the five days that we worked on it).
After our first coat, we noticed the laminate was peeking through in a few spots after our initial sanding step – mostly on edges where it’s really easy to scrape everything off if you’re not careful. But that’s one reason you do multiple coats, so we weren’t too panicked.
Here you can see a second coat beginning to get applied over the first. Note the difference in color between the wet Ardex vs. the lighter stuff (that’s how it dries). We actually think once we seal it, it’ll get closer to the wet color though, so that should be interesting to see.
Here’s a shot of our final counters (well, pre-sealing). You can see it’s still not perfect, which everyone notes is one of the charms of this Ardex technique. You get that sort of imperfect, industrial look, but it definitely feels more solid & stone-like (as opposed to plastic-y like laminate).
I’ll admit that I had to come around to the idea of appreciating the flaws of the finish. Sherry was immediately charmed by it, but the perfectionist in me resented the fact that this type of project doesn’t yield perfectly uniform results. I think once we seal it I’ll appreciate it even more (that will darken it a little and remove the chalky finish in favor of a more polished look) so I’m really looking forward to that.
By far the hardest area to get smooth was the backsplash, just because it was a small area that was difficult to reach and seemingly made up entirely of edges and corners. So both applying the Ardex and sanding it was challenging and required a bit of body contorting on my part (lucky Sherry was too pregnant to reach it in most areas thanks to her belly being in the way, which had me slightly envious by the end of this process).
Another tough spot was around the sink. If this were our “forever” counter, I would’ve gone through the trouble of removing the sink, but we’ve got some old copper pipes that are pretty much corroded together down there (which would mean bringing in a plumber to switch this out). So we opted to save that for Phase 2 of our kitchen update and just taped / sanded around it. The results were actually better than I expected.
Challenges and flaws aside, we’re happy with the overall improvement to the space. It feels good to rid the kitchen of another old yellowed surface and make the room feel a bit more updated. Just cover the floor with your hand and squint – ok?
And although the time that we spent on this update was longer than we envisioned (probably around 15 hours spread across five days, including prep and clean-up) the cost was still pretty fantastic. The three bags of Ardex (again, we only needed 2.5 to do four coats) cost $57 in total – and we probably spent another $20 in buckets and sandpaper. So for 45 square feet of countertops, we paid just $1.71 per square foot to update it – which is pretty hard to beat.
That doesn’t include the sealer though, which is next on our list. We’ve read a ton of sealer reviews since it seems that the wrong sealer can cause more scratches, stains, and even issues like bubbling down the line – so we want to get it right. The two most highly recommended products seem to be Ardex Clear Concrete Guard High Performance Sealer and GST International Satin Seal Water Based Acrylic Sealer. Does anyone out there have a preference between the two? We can’t find either of them locally so we’re going to have to order one of them online and wait for it to come, but we’ll definitely share what we end up going with, how it goes on, and what it does to change this finish – as well as updating you guys on how these counters end up wearing for us over time.
Update: You can check out what we used to seal them here, and read an update on how they’re holding up here.
Psst – Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint colors we used? Just click on this button:
Emily @ Life on Food says
We considered doing this for our kitchen but the boards under the counters are rotting in several places and need to be replaced. This update looks great. I didn’t realize it would have been so long to complete. Well worth it though.
Karin says
I just did my bathroom countertop in the Ardex finish and absolutely love the look of it – however – it did stain already and I will have to sand it down and apply another coat (I did three) and re-seal. I used the same sealer as the one shown on Kara Pasley, which was difficult to find, for sure. We had it at our local Menard’s, but I also saw it online. Had to buy a gallon of the stuff and only needed about a cup! After I apply the additional coat I will go with no less than 4 coats of sealer this time. I only did 2 as the instructions on the sealer say it only needs one coat and I can tell you for an application in a (boys:( ) bathroom or a kitchen you probably cannot overdo the sealer!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Karin!
xo
s
karen @ Paper Fancy says
WOW! What a difference a little concrete makes! Weren’t you afraid that you’d screw it up and end up stuck with it?
I would have been pretty paranoid about using concrete – the final product looks amazing though.
Good job!
Joelle says
Completely off topic…but didn’t u do a dark blue bathroom once? We are moving and the bathroom has black and white tiles. similar to what u had in house 2.
But I just looked that up and u did that bathroom grey.
Weren’t u considering blue? Am I missing a bathroom? Or maybe u had just done a mock up for blue?
YoungHouseLove says
I think we had linked to an inspiration picture in Domino of a dark blue bathroom at one point, but then we did that color in the guest room and did a lighter color in that hall bath so all of our rooms weren’t that color ;)
xo
s
Melissa says
I just did this in my kitchen a few weeks ago and I am totally in love with it. I didn’t do much research when it came to sealers for the concrete though… It seems to be holding up well. I used Cheng Concrete Countertop Sealer. Hopefully it stands up. I also bought a polish from Cheng that says you should polish your countertops once a week. That’s a little excessive to me, especially since the polish is not very pleasant in smell. I did polish them Sunday, which puts me polishing them every 2 weeks instead. The polish definitely keeps them looking nicer and protects them so keep that in mind to keep your countertops protected! You guys are a great inspiration when it comes to DIY house work!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips Melissa!
xo
s
Mandy says
Looks great! We used rustoleum counter makeover products to change our ugly dark laminate to a lighter color/ different texture to get us by until we can afford something nicer. It was a lot of work and isn’t perfect but lightened our kitchen up significantly! After two years we have some cracking/bubbling around the sink. Dang. I doubt you would have that with the concrete but like you said maybe from the sealer. My advice would be to pay close attention to getting a very thin even coat around the sink since this area is exposed to lots of wear and water. The kind we used was quick drying which didn’t give us much time to smooth it out in some areas as well as I would’ve liked. So maybe quick drying isn’t always the best in this situation? Good luck can’t wait to see the finished product!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Mandy! Good to know!
xo
s
Patty says
Your countertops look fantastic! We have poured concrete countertops in our kitchen. I really wanted soapstone but our budget wouldn’t allow that option. So my manly man crafted our concrete countertops them from scratch – twice! The first version was not dark or smooth enough for my liking and the surface was prone to staining. So he did a do-over and poured new ones. Currently, ours are dark charcoal with a satiny resin glaze that, unfortunately, is not wearing well. Initially they were stunning, but the surface is very prone to scratches, which I am not at all thrilled about.
I’ll be interested to see how you seal your new counters and how your chosen finish holds up….
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, I’m so sorry to hear that about yours! I hear that the darker tints tend to show scratches more, but we’re definitely bracing ourselves for imperfections with these guys. Will share all the developments after living with them for a while.
xo
s
Joanna says
Hi! They look awesome! I left you a comment when you first mentioned wanting to try these counters about the sealers I used. I just started a blog and my first post is these counters. I have had them for 3+ months now and LOVE them!
Check them out: http://www.thenestbook.com/2014/03/25/diy-idea-concrete-kitchen-counters/
I think once you get them sealed you’ll love them!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Joanna! That write up is crazy helpful!
xo
s
Kirstin says
So glad to see you guys did this! It looks great! I’ve been wanting to do exactly this, but I have white tile countertops, so wish me luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Good luck Kirstin!
xo
s
Nickie says
I absolutely love this idea. I have a couple of questions. 1)I painted my countertops already with the smelly rustoleum paint-will that be ok to just sand away while roughing up the countertops? 2) my countertops are not squared edges, they are rounded-will this be ok? I noticed in all the links the countertops are all squared.
Thank you so much for sharing!
YoungHouseLove says
I believe both of those should work, but maybe contact Adrex to be sure?
xo
s
Joanna says
Hi Nickie. I saw your comment and just wanted to let you know that I have used this product on rounded edges and it works like a charm! :)
sudhaa says
Yesterday, I left a comment and I don’t see it posted or answered….is it possible it was lost in cyberspace???
anyway, the question was if you have considered staining the concrete any color?
Also, if you had discussed in earlier posts the benefits of having a concrete counter top that I might have missed?
YoungHouseLove says
Sorry Sudhaa! There are multiple pages of comments so sometimes they’re hard to find. Here’s a direct link to your comment from yesterday with my answer under it for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2014/03/the-easiest-fastest-dishwasher-update-ever/comment-page-5/#comment-3191189
xo
s
Sudhaa says
I am sorry for not finding your response…I searched through all the comments for this post…but looks like my comment regarding the countertop got posted under the dishwasher post…also the search bar on the blog did not help either to find my comment…oh well…thanks for answering it though!
YoungHouseLove says
No worries at all Sudhaa!
xo
s
Caron says
The counters look awesome!! I love the modern look of concrete. After seeing your post, my husband and I talked last night about doing this but we have a beveled edge on our laminate countertops. Do you think the concrete would work ok with the beveled edge?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, I think that could still work!
xo
s
Candace says
I really want to use this product on my horrible 1970s-era bathroom, where we have an all-in-one counter and sink (with a banjo that extends over the toilet and makes minor toilet repairs almost impossible). The sink is getting horribly cracked, and we eventually want to do a bigger remodel in there, but we don’t have the money for it right now.
So, maybe this is a stupid question, but how do you deal with clean-up of your tools/buckets? Is there an issue with the unused material hardening in the bucket and contaminating later batches? Do you wash it out between batches?
YoungHouseLove says
We just wiped them down between each mixing and wiped our tools off too.
xo
s
Sarah C. says
I just used a similar product (Henry Feather Finish with Ardex) that I found at Home Depot on my coffee table. IN LOVE. Except DO NOT COOK OR PUT ANYTHING OILY ON YOUR COUNTERS until they’re sealed. I used a light/natural (non-gloss) sealer, and it totally did not seal out grease. Whatever you do, seal soon!!!
You can see my project here:
http://fauxmadebysarah.blogspot.com/2014/02/cementing-little-change.html
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the info!
xo
s
Dennis says
I used Cheng’s concrete countertop sealer. It’s the only one that I found that was food safe. Maybe some of the other ones are but theirs says it right on their site. http://store.concreteexchange.com/CHENG-Concrete-Online-Store_5/Concrete-Sealers-Waxes-Care-Products/CHENG-Concrete-Countertop-Sealer
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the info!
xo
s
Thirkellgirl says
Oh, it’s so not my idea of a good look… Really, you wouldn’t have spent much more than that for laminate or birch at Ikea, if you factor in your time. It’s about the first thing you’ve ever done that I truly hate.
youandmeandwalliemakethree says
This is stunning. We’ve been talking about concrete whenever we finally renovate our kitchen but I thought the only option for concrete was as a replacement to the old countertops, not OVER them! Thanks for showing an affordable, little known (just to me?) option! Does the sealant option you picked only come in clear or are there sealants with tint to change the look?
YoungHouseLove says
I think most of them are clear but they can be matte or shiny I think.
xo
s
Melissa says
I found you at the right time. Closed on our home Friday and it has a beautiful fruit and yellow wallpapered 1969 kitchen. If only you made house calls; we’re just up the road in Charlottesville. Looking foward to making this along with painting cabinets our first YHL guided projects.
Emily says
Wow! This TOTALLY has me excited to try this in my cute (aka small) galley kitchen! I had been toying with the idea of painting my cabinets and getting granite, but just bought the house a year ago so money is obviously tight. I have horrible early 80’s counters with newly refaced cabinets. This will definitely be a great solution to changing up my counters without taking the plunge to paint perfectly fine cabinets. I have been researching the different sealants so interested to hear what you decide on. I am almost more overwhelmed now trying to find one that will last and is food grade. How about regular cleaning? Do you know if special cleaners need to be used once sealed?
YoungHouseLove says
I think once it’s sealed it can be wiped down with mild cleaners like any other counter.
xo
s
Therese says
We want an island in our kitchen, and have been looking at concrete counter tops as an inexpensive top until we can get what we want. i am wondering about food safety? I like to roll out dough on a large flat surface. Thanks for all the information you give on your blog. It’s really helpful! Love the little projects,too. Inspiring.
YoungHouseLove says
There’s a product called Cheng sealer and wax that is food safe that you might want to check out. It’s on amazon.com :)
xo
s
Toni says
Wow! That came out very nice.
love how the color blends with the rest of your kitchen look. Do you know if the concrete mixture can be used on tiled kitchen countertops. You know, just to upgrade without paying a fortune. If so, where can I see proof that it works. Thanks,
Toni
YoungHouseLove says
I would contact Ardex or check out their site to see if it can work on tile. Good luck!
xo
s
Susan says
Do you think you would consider doing any bathroom counter tops with the Ardex?
YoungHouseLove says
I think as long as you seal them well they should work since people use them in kitchens near the sink and laundry rooms with sink stations too.
xo
s
pattilouwho says
We have poured concrete counter tops in our kitchen. We LOVE them. The best part was that we were able to find someone on Craigslist that did it for a trade! There’s no telling what we would have paid to have it done – and we have a fair amount of counter space to cover, so it was great to give up a car we were planning on selling for a few thousand to just have him do our counters instead! I hope you enjoy your counters as much as we love ours! Super easy clean-up and any scratches or imperfections just add to the rustic/urban feel.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so cool!
xo
s
Rinda says
So so beautiful. I’m wondering if we will have a similar product to do this here in South Africa?
YoungHouseLove says
Is anyone else from South Africa aware of something similar? In Canada there is something called Henry’s I think.
xo
s
cleta Toepfer says
any thoughts on using polyureathane as a sealant? I’m a complete novice so excuse my ignorance if there’s an obvious reason why you wouldn’t or shouldn’t! lol!
YoungHouseLove says
We haven’t seen many people use poly over something meant for stone/concrete specifically, but we’re actually looking into a few tutorials that use it as a second layer/top coat, so we’ll keep you posted!
xo
s
thedogsma says
Looks really good, & I’m trying to get up the nerve to try it. Appreciated the comment about doing all the prep work, & then doing the actual application in stages–I might need to go that direction, or else save up some vacation time.
Thanks so much for costing it out per square foot That’s a big help. And one more question, sorry. A friend is going to tile my backsplash–bartered for dogsitting. Which would you suggest doing first? Thanks so much.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a good question! I would do the counters before the backsplash (those usually go in last or very very close to the end so they don’t get messed up :)
xo
s
Alison S says
The counters look amazing but now I think the bottom cabinets, not being white, stick out like a sore thumb. If you painted those – then you would have an updated kitchen. That is why it looks so good in the desk area, but not really appreciated in the old wood main section.
Mary Jane says
The counters look great! You guys are so brave for tackling something new and adventurous. I feel silly sharing this, especially if you have already mentioned it or someone else already did, but I saw this on Pinterest and thought it might be a fun temporary fix for the kitchen floors. I know you painted your subfloors in the bathroom, so thought this could be fun too:
http://designertrapped.com/2013/11/how-to-paint-your-linoleum-floors-yes.html#_a5y_p=1396348
YoungHouseLove says
She did such an awesome job! I wish ours were in better shape (they’re flaking and peeling in a few spots, so we think paint will just flake/peel off in those areas again) but I love that look!
xo
s
tracy says
Thx for the post my husband is eager to start on this project at our house and I am so happy that you posted your progress and do’s and don’t’s
Pre says
Don’t know if anybody told you yet, but the BHG blog mentioned your update today: http://www.bhg.com/blogs/better-homes-and-gardens-style-blog/2014/03/26/now-trending-concrete-countertops/
YoungHouseLove says
No way! Thanks for the heads up!
xo
s
Maaribel says
Not sure if I found this from one of the comments someone left here (I have been looking at every website I can find with concrete countertop before I do them next week) or not, but just incase it was somewhere else I think you should take a look at these. They are beautiful.
http://www.blessedlifeatopacakestand.com/2013/03/concrete-overlay-countertop-reveal.html?showComment=1395867088844#c5664617666946720354
YoungHouseLove says
Wow, that’s gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!
xo
s
Danielle says
Thanks for this great tutorial! We were going back and forth on tile vs. concrete as a DIY laminate solution for our bathroom counter, and you flipped me over to the concrete side. Can’t wait to see the final step…not going to lie, I’m waiting for you to finish before we start.
Trish says
I bought feather finish to do this to my counters however I also plan on painting the cabinets and walls are you glad you painted the walls first or do you wish you would’ve started with the counters? Not sure where to start. What are your plans with the flooring?
YoungHouseLove says
I think we could have painted the walls after doing the concrete or before, so that might not matter. I would definitely add a backsplash afterwards since that could get messy with the concrete skimming if that were already in place.
xo
s
Katy says
I’m very curious to see how your counters hold up, since Sarah’s concrete counters seem to scratch/ding/chip really easily according to her. Please do a follow-up post in a few months! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Will do!
xo
s
Scarlett says
Hello, we are in the process of trying this out. How much did your laminate counter tops “rough up” with the first sanding, Before the first layer? Also thanks for the great instructions.
YoungHouseLove says
They looked like they had tiny scratches all over them and got dusty. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Logan Wilis says
Thanks for sharing videos and photos of concrete counters with us. I love concrete countertops.
Ricki @ The Questionable Homesteader says
Hi John,
I just wanted to stop by and tell you that I was so inspired by your counters that I’m featuring them on The Sunday Faviourates. Please feel free to stop by and grab a button.
http://simplysuzannes.blogspot.ca/2014/03/spinach-three-cheese-stuffed-shells.html
Ricki @ The Questionable Homesteader says
http://thequestionablehomesteader.com/sunday-favourites-14/
tisha says
OMG!!! You may have just saved my kitchen…I hope. We live here in Richmond and have real concrete counter tops. That absolutely are in ruins. The person who made them clearly had no clue what they were doing. We tried to let them “fix” it but they made it worse and then…the kicker…they sold their business and left us high and dry with ruined counters and sink.
Do you think this product would work on concrete counters? Goodness I hope so! I am going to call Fishermans tomorrow :-) Thanks for giving me some hope!
YoungHouseLove says
I would give Ardex a call to see what they recommend. I hope it helps!
xo
s
Erin K. says
I’ve been toying with doing full concrete (bought the DVDs and books) versus Ardex countertops for some time. Thanks for posting your process and thoughts along the way. I think I’m going to give this a try to update my green laminate counters into a beautiful and more modern gray.
My bullnose edges were a concern, but it appears that one of the links you posted did their bullnose counters with no noted issues.
http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2014/01/concrete-countertop-diy.html
http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2014/01/concrete-countertop-diy.html
Love your site!! I’m a devoted follower now…before I do the counters I’m going to ORB all of my door hinges based on your past techniques and experiences. I couldn’t find no-mortise hinges like what I have in black, so the ORB process was really the only solution.
Teresa says
Would you be able to stain the counters before sealing them, to get a different color?
YoungHouseLove says
I believe you can tint the Arden before spreading it. Not sure if you can stain them afterwards.
xo
s
Kerry says
Okay, here’s a weird tip I picked up god knows where, but I SWEAR by it now:
when you get a new putty knife, IMMEDIATELY get out some sand paper and round the corners at the ends! This keeps you from getting those gouges you were having trouble with.
Obviously, sometimes you NEED a corner, but that’s an easy fix — just keep one or two around WITH corners.
I work in theatre, so I have the added awesomeness of doing this majorly quickly on an electric grinder for the metal knives, but still… doesn’t take long to do!
YoungHouseLove says
Such a great tip!
xo
s
Brandy says
Do you think this product and process might work on tiled countertops?
YoungHouseLove says
I would contact Ardex to see if it works. I wonder if you sand the tile to rough it up if it would. Good luck!
xo
s
Jess says
These counters look awesome, natural flaws and all! I’m considering doing this application to our guest bathroom sink/counter, but it’s one piece of poured stone (think ivory 90s corian sink). Do you think this product is durable enough to be applied to the sink basin too?
YoungHouseLove says
I think it would. Maybe contact Ardex to ask?
xo
s
Michelle R says
This looks great. I too used the Ardex product to cover really old, canary yellow laminate tops. I used a palm sander. Holy dust, but worth the time savings and I feel it really buffed them. My only regret is that I wish I’d ran the sander or some other type of vibration UNDER the counter to eliminate the small little pinholes left by air pockets. Or maybe there’s a better method of mixing the product to eliminate them. I used Behr’s low luster stone, tile and brick sealer. Super easy to apply with a paint roller. I need a couple more coats though. I love the imperfections and really couldn’t have done anything I’d like better or comparable to the $50 spent on this!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that! Sounds awesome Michelle!
xo
s
Sarah says
I’m so glad you did this! I’ve hated our tile counter tops since we bought our house ten years ago, and I love the look of concrete counters. The tiles were still faintly visible after the first coat of Ardex, but the second coat is now dried, sanded and cleaned and there is no trace of tiles. (Yay!) I’m hoping you guys come up with a great sealer and polish before I’m ready for that step, but if not I may try Buddy Rhodes, which is made for concrete counters and is food safe. To make things easier on the family, I’m only working on the kitchen island now and will move on to the other counters once it’s completely finished and ready to use.
Darcey says
I may have missed it, but did you ever announce what sealant you both decided to go with? I’d love to hear about how the counters are holding up and those little details, you know, when you’re lives have settled into something more routine. Thanks! :)
I know you have a lot going on with the new baby arriving soon and the showhouse things, so sorry for the rewind…
I have to say, though, I’m loving all the posts! :)
YoungHouseLove says
We’re hoping to get that post written up for you guys within a week or so. Don’t think we can swing it before the baby comes, but soon afterwards I hope!
xo
s
Rosalie says
This looks so great! I would love to try this on my daughters counters. Her counters are old 2×2 ceramic tiles with a wood edge. They are all intact but super ugly. Any thoughts on if this product would work for her? Love your Blog and all the fresh ideas!
YoungHouseLove says
I would contact them to see if they say it will work in that application. Good luck!
xo
s
Lindsay says
Greatest invention ever….I used this with my 3rd child and really wish I had one with my first 2. I also use a sound machine. Good luck! http://www.fisher-price.com/en_US/brands/babygear/products/64892
Melissa says
I’d have to say that your tutorial is the best on the web! You guys did a great job!
I have a question about sealers: on Sarah’s Big Ideas, she commented how her counters scratch easily. On another blog they complained about grease spots. Have you had issues with these? I think the scratching is 1. Because they used a high-gloss sealer and because their counters are black… Do you agree? But what about grease spots? It seems like if you use the right sealer, this shouldn’t be a problem, right? If you’ve had great success with your choice of sealer, PLEASE let me know! My shipment of Ardex is on its way and I want to order the best sealer so all my work is worth it!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, I think dark colors show scratches more as well as glossier sealers. We don’t have scratching issues yet and also have not encountered any stains (from citrus or grease or wine or anything – at least not yet). Will keep you posted!
xo
s
Thespoena McLaughlin says
I very much enjoyed your post. I have been looking into covering my counters with Ardex for a while now and am excited to start my project next week. I appreciate you adding the video as well. I have to admit I’m worried a bit about choosing the right sealer as I have a large family and our kitchen sees heavy use. I have thought about using a two part epoxy resin made for bartops, though fairly expensive, I want my counter top makeover to last and I know for a fact the epoxy sealer would do the job. Does it sound like I’m trying to talk myself into it? Lol. Anyway I only have a week to decide so I better make up my mind. Your counters look great!