DIY Cement Counter Tops

I have been so excited about sharing our new cement kitchen counter tops, and the day is finally here!

We bought our home a year ago and the kitchen was cramped and dark with oak cabinets for uppers and lowers.

I immediately knew that painting the cabinets a bright white on top and dark grey on the lower cabinets would modernize the kitchen quickly. But we were still stuck with the blue Corian counter tops, so we took our time deciding if we wanted butcher block counter tops or concrete.  After much discussion, concrete was the winner.

We decided to build a mock counter top and pour some concrete on it allowing it to try and keeping it in the kitchen for a couple days to make sure we liked it. 

Down came the upper cabinets as we decided that tiling the wall all the way to the ceiling would make the kitchen so much more open,

We removed the old countertops, used plywood to build the new base for the concrete counter tops, and built a frame with recycled wood we had on hand knowing it was just going to get thrown away.

We installed lath to strengthen the concrete, and the fun part was about to begin.  Troy mixed the concrete by the load, and poured it in while I leveled it with a concrete trowel.  We knew that if we did not somehow shake out the bubbles that we would end up with lots of little gaps in the concrete when it dried.

I used a palm sander with no sand paper on it around all the edges of each leveled area on the side of the wood frame.  The vibration shook so much of the air bubbles to the top we were able to achieve the smooth look we were hoping for.

When the concrete was wet and we waited for it to dry I knew this would either be something we would love or live with.  Without the use of our kitchen for a few days, toast and coffee were made on our big farmhouse kitchen table. I could not wait to pull the frame off and sand the rough edges of the new counter tops.

The total project cost us about $50 in extra-strength quick-setting concrete, $40 for the plywood and lath, and $35 in wet look food-grade concrete sealer.  We actually sealed it twice, the first time with a matte look sealer, then realizing we wanted them to have a glossy look, the gloss which we love!

Once the counters were dry and sealed we ran subway tile all the way up and used a dark grey grout.

All the work had paid off!

It was so fun to look for a few new pretty pops of color to bring into our “new” kitchen. 

We thought about installing floating shelves but all of our dishes fit nicely in our pantry so we are loving how open the kitchen feels now.

We are taking out the center section of the soffit in the kitchen next and installing recessed lighting.  That will give the kitchen an even more open feeling.

When you come in our back door you walk thru a small dining area that we use for a home office, and can see straight into our dining and front living room.  It is amazing what some paint and allowing the light to come thru can do in a space!

While not everything we try is a huge success it seems like if we play it safe too much of the time we never try anything new.  We are so glad we went for it and ripped out those cabinets and counters without looking back.  What part of your home would you love to change but aren’t sure where to start? I would love to hear what your next project is or what you would love to change!

Thank you as always for reading, wishing you a blessed, amazing day 🙂

xo, Tanya

11 Responses

  1. This is one of those projects that I have been wanting to try but it seems so intimidating! I love how yours came out. I especially like the thicker edges that give your counters a more substantial look.

    1. Thank you Vanessa 🙂 we were a little nervous not knowing if it would be something we liked but we are so glad we went for it! Hugs and thank you for the comment love!

  2. I love it – it looks fantastic. Tell us what color paint you used on the lower cabinets. I think the concrete counters were a great choice.

    1. Thank you Pam! We bought our paint at Sherwin Williams and used a color called Peppercorn. We used the existing drawer pulled but removed them and spray painted them bronze which has held up really well. I love the warmth of the drawer pulls with the grey. Thank you for your sweet comment!!

  3. Your kitchen is really looking awesome. We did concrete counters in our last loft too. Loved it but be very careful of lemon juice, wine and anything acidic. It will etch even the sealed surface.

    1. Thank you for the tips Cindy that is good to know! I usually use cutting boards and so far they are very tough. Thank you for stopping in 🙂 Hugs!

  4. I like to see video step by step. I live in a mobile home and want something affordable and durable. I like to show this to my husband and in hope maybe this is something we could do.

  5. These look amazing. How did you end up attaching the frame to the base of the countertops to create the edges?

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hi there !!

Welcome to twelveOeight! I’m Tanya and I am so glad you are here. If you are ready to start loving the home you have now, then join me on my mission. One thrifty project at a time we can make our today homes our dream homes.

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