I tried using Quikcrete to make walking stones and hated it! Found it was cheaper to buy cement pavers and cost just about the same to purchase nice flagstone from a place down the road.

For your project, though .... hmmm. If it were me, I'd plan for the wooden frame to be a permanent part of the structure --- that might work. One of the difficulties I ran into was the quikcrete stones weren't quite strong enough to be taken out of the molds for days. If you planned the mold to be permanent, however --- or were very patient, it might work.

 

You can make tiles out of concrete but it will take a lot of time. You can make the whole table/island out of concrete if you wish. There is a book titled “concrete countertop” by Fu-Tung Cheng that gives good information on the design form and finish of concrete countertops. If you can find some white cement, some concrete pigment and have some time you can make a beautiful table top. Not to hard to do but you will need to plan ahead for the amount of weight.

 

Thanks for the tips Countrygrrrl, I hadn't thought about them being weak enough to break when unmolding. I have only used this stuff when setting posts.
I might just check into ready made pavers. Or rethink my overall design. Thanks for the info!! I appreciate it!

 

Thanks unregistered! I like the idea of coloring the concrete. Maybe make one slab look like tiles.....I don't know about the weight though, is it possible to pour the crete right on the table top?
Hmmmmm...now you've got me thinking.

 

I tried using Quikcrete to make walking stones and hated it! Found it was cheaper to buy cement pavers and cost just about the same to purchase nice flagstone from a place down the road.

Concrete is only difficult for the inexperienced, if you have worked with it before, you will have no problem. Yes obviously, you have to leave the frames on until the concrete has hardened. Yes, it can take several days, its concrete!! I would just pour a solid concrete table top. You can add acrylic fortifier to it and that will increase strength and water repellency. You can polish and stain it with one of many available products. Then, seal it with acrylic if you wish. Make sure you put wire mesh in to increase strength.(or rebar) As for cost you can pour a solid or tiled mold and use a polished/waxed surface to imprint a smooth finish on your top surface. The time it would take you to polish the rough half-a@# finish on store bought block is cost enough.

 

Thanks again!
You've given me some great ideas!

 

Another option.
You can get ceramic floor tiles (1 foot square) for 50 cents apiece and use the tile mortar to attach them to reinforced concrete board available at Home Depot, Lowe.

 

We have successfully made Quickcrete stepping stones using the molds I purchased (on sale) from one of the gardening catalogs. One sack of Quickcrete makes 8 stepping stones. We have VERY high humidity here, so getting the mix just right is a little touchy. It is handy to keep Portland Cement ready in case you have added too much water to your mix. You add ONE CUP of Portland Cement. STORE THE REMAINING Portland cement in a sealed five gallon plastic bucket or it will set up in the bag.

I can usually un-mold the stepping stones in 48 hours. Haven't broken one in regular use yet.

 

Thanks Charles! I didn't realize that floor tiles were that cheap. The main reason I had wanted to use quickcrete is because I have several bags left over from a previous project and I thought tiles would be more expensive. Floor tiles sure would save me a LOT of work.
Rose, thanks for the tips, I wouldn't have known about the portland cement. I might just get out a bag of quickcrete and experiment with it.
You folks have given me a lot to think about, I appreciate it!

 

The humidity factor may well have played into some of the difficulty I had. The first batch I made was useless , but the succeeding batches were a little better.

I think the most problematic aspect of it all, however, was the stones were downright ugly, no matter what I did. I mean, ugly!! They looked totally fake but with no redeeming qualities of at least some semblence of being nice looking.

Of course, what I really wanted was old brick and flagstone, and my so-called money saving approach just didn't satisfy that.
I traded my mold for a bunch of seed and am happy with that. Have since just dug around here finding big old pretty stones and old brick, purchased a few flagstones here and there and am getting ready to purchase more.

If cowgirl uses the mold and the approach someone else mentioned adding some stuff to the batch?), she'd likely have better success. As charles mentions, though, she might be better off ($$-wise, at least) just buying the tiles.

We have successfully made Quickcrete stepping stones using the molds I purchased (on sale) from one of the gardening catalogs. One sack of Quickcrete makes 8 stepping stones. We have VERY high humidity here, so getting the mix just right is a little touchy. It is handy to keep Portland Cement ready in case you have added too much water to your mix. You add ONE CUP of Portland Cement. STORE THE REMAINING Portland cement in a sealed five gallon plastic bucket or it will set up in the bag.

I can usually un-mold the stepping stones in 48 hours. Haven't broken one in regular use yet.

 

The bagged mix has some large rocks that make it less than ideal for counter tops. Regular mix takes a full 28 days to completely cure. You can remove the object from your form in about 24-48 hours, but it is pretty fragile. A little reinforcement will make the top nearly indistructable. You can use window screen, hardware cloth, or expanded metal.

I have been experimenting with this. You can see a table I made at this web site.
http://community.webshots.com/album/125826177cKIZQl

 

Before using ceramic tiles check the side of the carton for the symbols. Some tiles can be used outside and some can not. As suggested above you can pour a concrete top and if you want it smooth use a steel trowel for your final troweling. Adding an acrylic coating (for concrete) should make it easy to clean up.

 

I second the floor tiles suggestion...they are often on sale, mismatched colors, etc. The are not hard to set and should give you the durability that you want.

 

Countrygrrrl, knowing my luck, I'm gonna have one downright ugly countertop! :haha: I already have the base made, (pressure treated lumber) if I mess up the top I'm gonna hafta live with it. Next I'll be asking folks for tips on how to cover ugly cement growth in yard! :haha:

Gobug, those are GREAT tables!! Thanks! How heavy are they? Could you tell me the weight of 1/2 inch cement per square ft? The area I am covering is about 14 Sq ft.. I don't know if a cement top would be too heavy or not?

Retire 2$, Thanks for the tips, I haven't been around much tile, I'll be sure to check the box to see if it can be used outside.


Qvrfull, Thanks, I think tiles would be so much easier, I don't have a store close by to check the prices. My closest Home Depot and Lowes is 2 1/2 hrs away.... I guess that's part of the reason I'm trying to do without. I might have to make a trip there just to see for sure. After all, this thing is gonna be in my yard for a long time, If I don't do a good job on it, I'll sure regret it. :haha:

Thanks folks!

 

Cowgirl, one of the reasons mine came out so ugly is that I used the reddish colorant.

:no:

No matter how much or how little I used, the stones came out bearing a disturbing resemblance to salmon loaf.

:no:

Learn from my mistakes. You don't want to go there!!! :no:

 

:haha: :haha: Salmon loaf! AAKKK, I'll keep that in mind when I pick a color!

 

If you don't want to make the long drive to Lowe's, get out the phone book and make some calls to area flooring stores. Tell them you are looking for overuns, opened boxes and discontinued tiles. These places often have a stack on mix matched tiles that were left over from tiling jobs and opened boxes that were mistakes and such. You can usually get a very good price on what they have. You may be able to find a single style/color that will suit your needs for a tabletop easily and cheaply as the seller has little chance of anyone else wanting such a small amount....

Or you can get very creative and buy up a variety of colors and styles, whatever you can find and create a mossaic for your tabletop. You can use a hand tile cutter and go geometric.. or just use a hammer and a set of nippers to go freeform. A former neighbor of mine turned a bland concrete backyard kitchen table and bar into a colorful and beautiful place for relaxing with family and friends.
He used Starbursts and varying shades of blue for sky and space, even with a golden trail of a comet across the roof over the bar. It was very nice and very easy to keep clean and if you can lay tile, you can do it.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Don



"I Never Learned Anything While I Was Talking"


"If you took every expert on economics in the world and laid them end-to-end,
they still wouldn't reach a conclusion"

 

cowgirl,
1/2 inch concrete weighs about 5 pounds per square foot. Thats a regular bag of ready mix. The mix for ferrocement that I used for the white table replaced about 35% of the portland with fly ash. Although the replacement was by weight, the fly ash adds some volume because it is fluffy.

The black table is nearly 2 inches thick. It is heavier, but not much because I added 9 parts vermiculite to the recipe.

80 pound White portland bag ~ $10
40 pound fly ash bag ~ $10
120 pounds mortar sand in bags ~ $ 5
120 pounds white swimming pool sand~ $20
five sheets expanded metal ~ $25
one gallon Acryl 60 plasticizer ~ $25
one pound coloring agent ~ $ 5

The quantities are based upon using all the cement. 360 pounds at 5 pounds a square foot would be enough cement to make 72 square feet of thin shell cement. So for about $100 you could make 24 feet of 3 foot wide counter. No special tools needed. You could use window screen if you had it available and save $25. You could also substitute regular portland for white and regular sand for swimming pool sand and save another $15.

 

Don, what a great idea! Thanks! I know there are a couple of carpet stores about an hour away. I will check them out.

Gobug, I'm writing all of this down....Eventually I want to make an outdoor kitchen/cooking area too. Your post will come in VERY handy. I did replace my window screens last fall, so I have plenty of screen on hand. Thanks!

Thanks for all of the help folks, if this thing turns out...I'll take a picture of it to show ya. If it doesn't...I might show ya anyway, People could learn what NOT to do!

 

You might find some interesting reading here (on Hypertufa).

The addition of peatmoss to the mixture makes it lighter then straight cement. The downside is, it has a long curing time (where it's strenght comes from). They do alot of garden stuff with it at this forum, plus you may find links to other sites on the subject.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/hypertufa/

 

they make special cement mix for countertops not found at lowes or home depot.

 

Thanks Craftydiva, looks interesting. I had never heard of flashcrete....says it drys in one hour!

Guest, I know I've watched some home improvement shows that use some special mix for kitchen counter tops. I have no idea what it is. Sure comes out nice though.

I'm definately going to check out the flooring stores first, if the price is just too high for me, I'll start experimenting with my quickcrete.

 

The concrete supply company here in Denver just started stocking the mix for counter tops. It is very similar to the recipe I gave - no large aggregate, good range of fines, in white portland. Look in your yellow pages or call a concrete company near you. They may be able to order it. I will be stopping by mine this coming week and will send you the label name.

They also now stock the styrofoam to make the edge of the mold. If you are able to find these items, it is more expensive than making your own, unless you only need a small amount. Then it would be cheaper because you wouldn't have to buy a volume of each ingredient.

Most countertop makers use around 2" thick of concrete. By adding two layers of expanded metal or window screen you can increase the strength and reduce the thickness.

Dont use speed set. You wont have time to screed or vibrate and the finish will suffer. The counter needs to set in the form for 24-48 hours. It is still "green" and fragile for a few days.

Hypertufa is more for garden stuff than counter tops. The hardness and smooth finish aren't there.

 

Thanks again Gobug! I appreciate the information.

 

Hi this iI noticed that you had plenty of replies to your question about concrete countertops but this article was in our Sunday paper and I thought I'd pass the info on to you. From the Indianapolis Sunday Star, March 21, 2004, Star Homes section, (www.indystar.com) courtesy of NewsUSA. I don't know how to send it to you so I'm typing it out.

If you want concrete countertops in your home try these tips:

Start by getting Precision Non-Shrink Grout, a product called Cement Colors and a product called Cure & Seal - all of which are made by Quickrete. You'll also need a drill with a paddle mixer, trowel, cement float, 5-gallon bucjet, 3/4 inch laminate wood board, 3/4 inch laminate wood strips, 1 1/2-inch wood screws, caulk and caulk gun, form release agent, 2-inch paint brush, rubber mallet and sandpaper.

Construct the countertop form by securing the laminate strips to the laminate board with wood screws.

Run a small bead of caulk into the joint and let it dry.

Apply a form release agent to the inside of the form for easy removal of the countertop, once the concrete has cured.

Mix the non-Shrink Precision Grout to a plastic, yet flowable, consistency using the drill with the paddle mixer.

For a decorative touch, add the Liquid Cement Color (available in red, brown, buff, charcoal, terra cotta) to the mixing water.

Pour the completed mixture into the pre-constructed forms and spread evenly using a cement float. Level the grout to the top of the form using a wood float or steel trowel.
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