Concrete Countertops for your Home

The biggest reason you could have to choose concrete countertops over any other kind would be to take advantage of the inexpensive nature of the material. Nothing could be simpler and more readily available than poured concrete. Of course, no one likes the drab gray of plain concrete. Anyone who wants something more colorful can easily use staining – a method that is both cheap and simple.

The great thing about deciding to use a concrete for a countertop is that the material does lend itself well to DIY projects – even by novices who have little experience with it. Any investment you put into concrete is repaid well too – there’s quite nothing like concrete even among materials that last. Even used in places where it is exposed to the elements, concrete tends to last for at least a half-century once properly laid.

So concrete is cheap, durable and easy to work with. Isn’t there anything that works against it as a material of choice to use on countertops? Well, you could consider the cost of the sealing material that you need to use on top of laid concrete that would actually make it suitable for use as a countertop. Since countertops need to be buttery smooth in a way concrete just isn’t, you really need to consider finishing a countertop after you’ve laid it. The sealer makes the surface smooth enough and stain-proofed enough, for everyday use. If you don’t feel that you’re up to the task of building a concrete countertop yourself, having a professional come in and do it for you can turn out to be a somewhat expensive service to buy too.

If you do take the plunge and decide to get your feet wet, learning how to put down a concrete slab yourself, if you aren’t careful, you might find yourself in in a little too deep. Wrongly done, concrete can cure unevenly and developed cracks. And concrete countertops, even if you do succeed in installing them properly, do present quite a challenge when you need to to install a sink or something. The material is one of the hardest known to man, and cutting an even opening without damaging everything can be a serious problem. You also need to consider how concrete ages. While the structural integrity of the material can be untouchable for centuries, the glossy sealer overlay can have a finite life.

Concrete happens to be a material that’s easy to achieve mediocre results with, and difficult to finish with perfection. If you can afford to call in a professional, or if you can afford to take the time to learn really well how it is done in the DIY method, it could be the right material for your home.