Does your concrete stain?
Not anymore! Our new sealer provides excellent protection against acids and oils without sacrificing the look and feel of polished concrete. This stain resistance, however, develops slowly, so for the first week following application, we ask that you be extra careful with water and oils.
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How often do we have to re-seal it?
Never. The sealer becomes part of the concrete and cannot peel off. It can, however, be ground off, so please don’t use anything abrasive on it. If you do end up with a ‘bald’ spot, we can touch it up without removing the sealer from the rest of the surface.
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What should we clean it with?
Any gentle cleaner, such as a mild natural dish soap, will do well. But please, don’t use Ajax, Comet or similar abrasive powders – at best, you will dull the surface, and at worst, you may rub out the sealer altogether.
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Do you pour concrete in the clients’ kitchens or in your factory?
Nearly all our work is precast in our facility because we are able to achieve a much flatter surface with this method. We also have more control over the entire process. However, we are able to cast in place, especially if the client wants a very large countertop to be seamless.
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How much does concrete cost?
Obviously, the cost varies depending on mold design, but it's comparable to premium grades of solid surface materials such as granite and engineered stone surfaces. In fact, lower-end grades of granite and synthetics are cheaper than our concrete. While some DIY magazines have touted concrete as an inexpensive solid surface, this may be true only if you make it yourself, but then you risk making a countertop that is not worthy of such a prominent place in your home. A quality concrete countertop is not a DIY project.
If you feel that granite (or engineered stone surface) is a superior product, and you're looking at concrete only because you think it might be cheaper, we suggest that you get the surface that you really want. Don't get concrete unless you absolutely love it, and then we'll make sure that you get a countertop you'll love.
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Can we put hot things on it?
Yes, we can even make a fireplace surround out of it.
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Isn’t porosity a problem?
Our concrete has very low porosity, and the sealer completely protects the surface. Porosity is not an issue with our concrete.
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Can we cut on it?
You won’t hurt the concrete, but you will ruin your knives. Always cut on a wood surface. We can mold a recess for a cutting board into the concrete slab for a sleek look with no protrusions.
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Will it crack?
Most likely, no. Our concrete does not experience shrinkage cracks, and we design the reinforcement for our slabs to suit the cabinets that support them. A 200-pound person can stand on top of most parts of a concrete countertop with no fear of causing a crack. Two exceptions would be an unsupported overhang and the narrow strips between the countertop edges and the sink. Even outdoors, our concrete is so dense that it does not absorb enough water to suffer damage from freezing and thawing.
Since we started using slag aggregate, we have noticed that our concrete tends to develop hairline cracks in front of and behind sinks. Slag concrete is not as strong as concrete made with ordinary sand and gravel, and the weakest areas of countertops reflect this. These cracks do not separate, but if you want to avoid them, the only option is to put seams around the sinks. Using ordinary sand and gravel would reduce, but not necessarily eliminate, the risk of such cracking.
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Will it chip?
Yes, if you hit it with a heavy stone or metal object. Wood and plastic will not hurt it; a turkey serving platter falling from the top of your upper cabinets may cause a chip. We can repair chips, but the repairs are not invisible. The slag aggregate has made our concrete slightly more prone to chipping – this is the cost of being environmentally considerate.
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Can you cast a kitchen sink?
Absolutely – and if the countertop with the cast sink would be too heavy to bring in, we can pour a countertop with an integral sink directly on top of your cabinets.
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How thick is the concrete?
Our minimum countertop thickness is 1.5 inches, and our standard thicknesses are in ½-inch increments up to 3 inches. Backsplashes are ¾” thick. We can also make custom thicknesses of any size.
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How much does concrete weigh? Do you use a lightweight mix?
A 1.5-inch-thick slab made with regular sand and gravel weighs about 18 lbs/square foot; a 2-inch-thick slab weighs 25 lbs/square foot. With lightweight slag, these numbers drop to 14 and 19.4 lbs/square foot, respectively.
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What is the largest single piece you can make?
Our largest casting table is 12 feet long, so we can make a piece up to 142 inches in length (we need some room for mold sides). However, we do not recommend such long pieces because in addition to extra delivery and installation charges (due to additional hired muscle), such long slabs tend to warp, even after installation. Also, if there is a sink opening in the middle of a long slab, there is an increased risk of cracking around the sink. We try to keep our slabs under 8 feet in length, unless the customer demands otherwise and agrees to the risks and additional costs involved.
And we do go out of our way to accommodate clients who insist on large seamless countertops: the piece in the photo weighed 530 lbs and was delivered by barge to an island cottage on Georgian Bay.
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Do we need special cabinets?
When selecting cabinets, please ensure that your cabinet maker will build them with screws and dowels. Brad nails are only a 'third hand' - they hold pieces together until the pieces can be fastened more securely. We cannot accept any responsibility for improperly constructed cabinets, so please choose them carefully. If you are looking to save money, IKEA cabinets are a good option.
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Do you sell prepackaged countertop mixes?
We’re getting this question more and more, likely because some US countertop manufacturers are selling DIY mixes and kits. We do not prepackage a mix. In our process, there are key dry and liquid ingredients which must be added in a specific sequence in order to create a proper mix. Since prepackaging eliminates the sequencing, the mix will produce an inferior product. Also, the wet grinder/polisher and all the diamond grinding media cost hundreds of dollars to buy, and such an expenditure defeats the purpose of saving money by making one’s own countertop.
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Can you repair/reseal/repolish a concrete countertop made by someone else?
We can have a look at it, but we cannot accept any responsibility for other people’s concrete.
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Do you pour or polish concrete floors/patios? Do you make stamped concrete?
Not at this time. Our experience with traditional concrete work is very limited, and it requires a totally different skill set from precasting countertops. For such projects, please contact Mr. Steve Addison of Concrete Evidence – www.concrete-evidence.com – at 416-898-1193.
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Where can I get even more information on concrete countertops?
Follow this link to the Concrete Connections website to read through some very informative articles and look at other people’s concrete creations. This website is maintained by the Concrete Countertop Institute in Raleigh, NC, and Concrete Elegance Inc. has no vested interest whatsoever in its content. The Concrete Network also has a wealth of articles on all things concrete. |
