Should I have a concrete kitchen countertop? Concrete kitchen countertops will stain. There is a better product for kitchen countertops called cesar stone. When asked "Should I have a concrete kitchen countertop?",...
When asked "Should I have a concrete kitchen countertop?", Ellen Mercer, who has been a kitchen designer for eighteen years and is currently a designer at Cabinet Solutions, gives these specifics: "Concrete is a hand made artisan type countertop. It is going to have irregularities in coloring and in its surface. Sometimes, that is exactly what people are looking for. It is susceptible for staining. We will quite often point out these minor tips. This is a main drawback to concrete. However, there is a nice imitation concrete that is made by Cesar stone, which is an engineered stone made with quartz and acrylic. It looks like concrete, but it does not have any of those problems. It is going to come in a dimensioned material, perfectly even. It does not stain at all. So if it is the look of concrete is what you are after, this is another product that would work very well. I would always encourage them to look at more long term substantial material. The reason for this is because the concrete countertop is just not going to wear and tear as well."
The section on concrete countertops found on the ConcreteNetwork.com website answers many homeowners questions when it comes to choosing this material for kitchen remodeling as well as providing a list of nation-wide local contractors that install them. It states that "concrete countertops are a warm natural looking material that corresponds with the popularity of more natural materials like wood, stone, and brick. Chemical stains; coloring pigments, various aggregates, and epoxy coatings can give concrete the look, texture, and feel of quarried stone such as marble, granite, and limestone. Each Concrete countertop contractor offers their own unique standard and premium colors. Samples will always be different due to each contractor having their own secret recipe for constructing the countertops and employing different types and amounts of cement and aggregates. In fact, cement will vary in different parts of the country! There are different brands of pigments, stains, and aggregate colors, so concrete countertops will always be unique."
As far as the wear and tear that a concrete countertop is susceptible to, unlike other materials, this can actually be considered an advantage by certain homeowners. The website states that "Not always, but concrete countertops can develop hairline cracks. The cracks tend to be non-structural and result from the natural shrinkage of the concrete. As Buddy Rhodes Studio, Inc. notes: 'Imperfections are part of the appeal. In fact, hairline cracks and slight irregularities are a natural part of the wear and tear and will not affect the structural integrity in the slightest (such fine cracks are also too narrow to trap food and debris). And while hairline cracks can be patched, such attempts often look far more obvious than the cracks themselves. Most people prefer the aged appearance that this natural occurrence bestows--in contrast to the cold and unvarying smoothness of plastic products such as Corian and Formica.' Each concrete countertop contractor has their own reinforcement method...Soupcan Inc., for instance, uses fiber reinforcing technology. They believe their proprietary formulation drastically reduces the chances for both structural and hairline cracking and that conventional wire mesh and rebar reinforcement acts only after cracking has occurred. Other contractors have success using rebar, mesh, fiber reinforcement, and/or other methods of reinforcement. (But), No matter what reinforcing method is used, hairline cracks may still occur. The hairline cracks are non-structural and should be considered part of the character of each slab."
So, if concrete has a certain appeal to you, don't dismiss it out-right. Do some research on your own and talk to a local contractor that specializes in the use of the material in countertops. It might end up fitting perfectly into your re-modeling design. Either way, you won't know until you ask.
