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This approach to creating counter space is growing daily and will give identical appearance as some of the other more expensive counter top options. Using concrete on top of cabinetry or even a pass through shelve, can certainly change the look in any room or office. Outside of the concrete color or veining techniques, the mixing and pouring is essentially identical.
Here in this concrete counter form image with reinforced steel or rebar, 
we have used 4″ lag screws to anchor the #3 rebar, staggered every 24″O.C. The counter or shelve here is formed to 2″ in depth and 12″ wide with the length being 10′ long between the two end points of the adjacent walls. Because it sits atop a 2×4 framed wall, it will cantilever 2″ to the kitchen area and roughly 6″ pass the other side of the same wall into the living room. 
The image to the left here shows the importance of protecting the wood framing beneath with flashing paper to act as a moisture barrier and future dry-rotting adherent. The small spacers under our #3 rebar allows the new aggregate pour to completely surround the reinforcement steel for optimum strength.
- plywood or melamine, plus screws to build the mold
- bagged countertop mix (or “scratch” mix below)
- dyes or pigment if you’re coloring your counter-top
- grinder / polisher with water feed (can be rented)
- diamond polishing discs of various grit
- Tupperware or similar sandwich containers to make concrete samples
- concrete mixer- concrete vibrating tool (can be rented)- dusts masks
- eye protection- ear protection
That’s why it’s a good idea to make sample pours first so that you can get an idea what you’re working with and how small variations in the concrete mix can make a difference.
Many people start with a premixed concrete countertop mix. They are specially formulated to be flowable and high strength with plasticizer that makes it flow well even at a low water / cement ratio.
A low water / cement ratio is important for a good result that resists cracking. The Quikrete mix has high enough flow that the need for mechanical vibration is minimized, and it’s made for minimal shrinkage.
Alternately, you could start with regular bagged concrete mix that is rated for a hardness of 5,000 psi or greater, available @ Home Depot or most of your home improvement centers.
Here is a counter top mix you can make “from scratch” that’s enough to make a small test block and that can be scaled up by weight.
You can use a kitchen or postal scale to weigh out the sample measurements. It is recommended that you use white sand and white cement to maximize your color options:
Product / Weight in Grams
Portland Cement 210g
Sand 625g
Nycon G nylon fiber 1g
Metakaolin 30g
Fritz-Pak FR1 Water Reducer 5g
Water 80-90g
If you’re using Quickrete Countertop Mix or Sackrete 5000, or some other pre-mixed countertop mix, start with about 875 grams of dry mix and about 85 grams of water to make a sample.
Whether you’re using a bag concrete mix or my “scratch” concrete countertop recipe, use the smallest amount of water necessary to craft a mix that you can work with.
Of course, you can only estimate how it’s going to look once it’s cured, but again, you have to start somewhere.
Write down how many grams of colorant you use in every batch so you’ll have a basis for guessing how much more or less you need in subsequent samples and so you’ll also know about how much you’ll need for the final product once you get the color you want.
If you want a darker concrete countertop – all the way to a dark charcoal gray – start with Home Depot’s Quickrete Countertop Mix, which is darker than the scratch recipe above, and add charcoal colorant.
Start with one bottle per bag of concrete countertop mix when mixing the final countertop.
Of course you can still experiment with the colorant in your sample slabs.
After you’ve poured your sample, allowed it to set and removed it, ask yourself what’s right and what’s wrong about it. Color will likely be the thing that determines what you should try next.
In fact, you should keep all of your samples so you can try out your concrete polishing and sealing techniques on them. Once you have your sample smoothed to the finish you want, you can seal it, according to the directions or you can seal it with beeswax (which may not be the best at standing up to what the average kitchen countertop endures) or even pure tung oil (like what is used on wood). It depends on the final look you want.
Choosing kitchen cabinets doesn’t have to be confusing. With a little research on your part you’ll know what to ask for, what you want and need, and where to find it. All while saving the most money you possibly can.
First – Decide what you need, what you want, and what you can afford.
Thinking about these questions will help get you going in the right direction.
Building a new home is a process that begins way before the concrete is poured. There are several important steps you must take to avoid costly mistakes during the construction process. Planning and preparation is absolutely essential to a successful DIY home building project. The end result could very well be the home of your dreams.
The first step is to plan your budget. Start thinking about how much you can afford to spend and how much building your new home is likely to cost. Most people end up taking out a construction loan and a mortgage at this point. In the very beginning of your planning you should find out what size loan you qualify for. Also, knowing the approximate building costs will make it easier for you to modify your building plans to meet your budget.
The next step is to choose your lot. Before you build your new home, it’s wise to take the time to consider the ground on which it will stand. If you carefully think about what you most desire before choosing a lot then chances are you will want to lay roots there for a long time. Some of the major things that you should take into consideration before selecting a lot include your lifestyle, surrounding sounds, surrounding sites, and quality of the soil. You will also need to investigate factors such as drainage, zoning and building codes in the region.
It is now time to hire your team of professionals. When looking for a builder to consult or hire, there are four basic requirements the builder should fulfill. The more time you put into carefully selecting your builder, the better your chances are for getting the house of your dreams. Putting in a little extra time to review four major areas of hiring a builder could save you hours of distraught in the future. The four areas include financial security, variety in floor plans, buying power, and a good warranty program.
Before you build you must have a house plan. It is common for people to use stock plans from a catalog because they are the most affordable. The builder or a home designer that you hire can then make minor modifications in room size, window style or other details accordingly to what suits you best. A custom-designed home, on the other hand, is created specifically to the needs of those living in the home. Custom plans are obviously much more expensive and usually require the assistance of a licensed architect.
Lastly, you will want to make sure to negotiate a contract thoroughly. It is crucial that a thorough contract be made between you and your contractor to establish two important things. It should first specify who is responsible for what and secondly, it should determine what to do in the event of a disagreement. Put simply, a construction contract is the document that ties all the project agreements together by listing them and by setting forth rules that apply to each: plans, specifications, payment schedule, written change orders, subcontracts, production schedule, etc.
How installing kitchen cabinets with a 5/8″ ACX subtop. The subtop is the plywood surface that’s fastened to the top of the cabinet(s), so you can lay the counter top over and adhere to it. Most would say why not 3/4″ plywood. Because most fabricated counter top have a 3/4″ return bullnosed front edge. With a 5/8″ subtop, the front edge of the counter top IE marble/ granite/ some of your corian or cultured counter tops are fabricated for a 3/4″ return that’s not going to hide the front edge of the plywood.
Many installers want this plywood subtop to be primer sealed before install and some of the better fabricators will seal the underside of the counter as well. Some glues used are not recommended because the porosity of the stone’s suck’s up and into the material and stain’s or even eats away and corrodes it. Ask the supplier for any recommended adhesives before hand.
When installing kitchen cabinets that are butted together, depending on the style and or type, look for the obvious line up points. IE faces match or top of cabinets line up to be flush at the top. Set the largest box first, plumb and level. Or the middle cabinet to have access for clamping before screw setting.
A layout line can be made and a ledger board (1×2 piece of mat.) to hold your cabinet in place, so you can fasten to the wall to get started and follow with adjoining other cabinets. NOTE: some may not line up because the door will flush up the face as the image on left illustrates. Typically no glue is required here but some appropriate colored caulking may be used.
When installing kitchen cabinets one of many option we have today is the self closing euro style hinge. Unlike the older version’s of this hardware these are hidden behind the door and go unseen on the face. The concealed hinge when starting to close contains a self closing mechanical spring that once near the halfway point will kick in and shut the door.
The euro hinge typically require a 35mm hole to be bored roughly 1/8″ from the back hinge side of the door. Some larger heavier doors may need 3 hinges but usually 2 will get her done. These will retro-fit from the older version with relative ease, especially when some of the older kitchens are all solid core grade #A hardwoods. But all the hardware is worn out and broken, with new hardware IE hinges and new drawer slides and knobs. Put a refinish overall and a whole new perspective in great working order has been achieved.
Okay so the choice has been made and the demo is done with the new cabinets on site and ready to go. But before the actual fastening takes place and installing kitchen cabinets you have to get some backing. This refers to screwing the new cabinet to the wall all the while grabbing the framing behind your finish walls surface and sustaining some strength.
Stud finders for us is a hammer and nail ( 8 penny green sinker), rather than a electronic device that picks up density behind the surface. IE potential plumbing or electrical unknown?
By knocking on the wall with rapid motion the sound you’ll hear is hollow or not hollow, and if marking and checking with the nail it’s likely to figure the layout of the studs and proceed with pre-marking the cabinet hanging ledger. Now by presetting your screws on layout the cabinet can be put on your layout marks where it goes and so on and so forth.