DIY Concrete Countertops For DUMMIES 

tip, use Rapid Set Flow Control additive to make the cement consistency like cake batter and it'll flow and fill in all the nooks and cranies and you can pour it while your rebar is already in place

Concrete finisher tip. Add water in the bottom of your pan before mixing and makes mixing a little easier. Vibrate the form before you screed your slab and use a float wood or fiberglass that way the bleed water can rise to the top then seal it with your trowel

Some interesting tips! I've had to improvise many times, over the years. It can be both necessary and fun!

Vibrate the sides of your molds with a sander to move the air bubbles to the surface and then trowl

This is exactly the look I'm going for on my kitchen lowers. Concrete, wood, copper. In expensive techniques! winner!(will use glass fibers though)Thanks much

I did something similar to my bathroom counter. Unglued 70’s yellow green color. Didn’t remove counter but used some featherite mix, I think that’s what it’s called. Several coats and then a few coats of poly. Took awhile with the drying and sanding but that concrete look is just awesome. Good job on yours. Oh and Go Vandals!

That was a great video! I learned a lot and I think I'm going to do this instead of buying formica kitchen countertops. I'll let you know how it turns out thanks for the video

Prices have sure changed! 😄 We just poured our concrete countertop today. It went well. We are going to wet sand it tomorrow.

Gonna buy some concrete now! Great video, so inspirational!

GREAT JOB!!!!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. I PLAN TO TRY IT MYSELF!!!!

I've been watching your videos for a bit but just recently subscribed. Your edits are fantastic. Your projects are interesting. You make things feel attainable. Great work. Are you in the Boise area? Like the BSU shirt!

You’re killing me, Smalls!!! Concrete... granite... concrete... granite...😜🤪

New drinking game. Take a shot every time he calls it granite. All jokes aside, great video.

If you take a rubber mallet and hit the frame while the concrete is still wet it will get rid of a ton of those bubbles.

Brilliant video, thank you for sharing

Definitely a diy’er. I can only imagine how twisted that slab is while sitting on a set of plastic Home Depot saw horses. You’ve got to have a solid perfectly flat surface to rest the mold on while pouring. Otherwise it can be a nightmare trying to install the slab on a set of cabinets. But a good video for a weekend warrior. Thanks for putting in the time to make the video.

Perfect! Thank you

Very nice and well made video! I would attach to the underside of the table top a non-visible recess, this can save a lot of weight. Greeting Frank

That countertop concrete is 5x the price for no good reason. Buy 5000 psi concrete and some fibre reinforcement and spend $10 instead of 50.

Damn I didn’t realize you can make Freakin Granite

Looks fantastic, man. Great job.👍 Have you seen the ground back, slabs, where the stones are exposed, then polished and clear coated? They look amazing.

It's BEAUTIFUL!!!

Thanks. Very helpful.

great-tips---we-learned-a-thing-or-two

My concrete countertops are 12 years old and not cracked. Small slabs like this will not crack in light countertop use

Oh, and by the way, you need a table saw to cut the big boards, because... of course... everybody have one in the garage, just like you. Perfect! My DIY concrete counter top list is complete, let’s start it. 🤨

Hey Alex GREAT PROJCET and I should try to do a concret video to but I don't know what and can't wait to see your next video

Only problem is using metal reinforcement wire can bleed later as rust coming thru to the surface. Make sure you use a good sealer

I ran out of places to put counters and am now going to make my house foundation look like countertops.

Great video congrats on 10k

Does anyone else feel like he was going to jump out at you through your screen?? 🤔 Lol

Great video!

Solid video bro!

Nice project. Instead of using the credit card, on the caulk, there is an alternative tool that pastry chefs use. I have no idea what it's called, but it has a handle with a ball at the end. You just roll the ball all around each side. Gives a perfect finish.

you kept calling it granite

Great video... !!! thank you.. Witch electric shears you where using? (to cut the steel mesh)

How would you go about cutting or making a hole in it for a sink? Would it be too delicate to build the mould to have a cut out for the sink?

Just an FYI if you take an orbital sander and go back and forth on the melamine it will get most of the bubbles out. Nice channel good luck!

Thanks for the video. When you filled the surface with Portland, was there any sand in the mix? Or just 100% Portland cement with water? Thanks

Love it.

I would consider doing a slump test after mixing the concrete. Also, for those doing it at home, while vibration is important, make sure not to vibrate it TOO much, which could cause the aggregate to settle at the bottom (aka, the top after it's flipped).

Great job :-)

Cool project! Just so you know, the L in caulk is silent. 😂🤣

Love whta you do this vid is just for my

Awesome Videos

You can avoid cracks in concrete by curing the slab with water 3 to 5 times a day for at least 3 days.

I saw someone use a reciprocating saw without the blade on the side to use it as a vibrator to settle the concrete and get all of the air bubbles out.

A magnesium float when it's wet. A steel float when you finish it.

So how did u install it and mount it ??

Hi,we have made a concrete countertop but we do not have a concrete sealer in my country. We don't have beewax either,can we use a wood stain and sealer. what is the best alternative? Need help!! Thanks

Digging the bsu shirt bro!

the sides of the form were destroyed when disassembled, but can the base of the form be reused? I am thinking of building multiple shelves and want to minimize forms if possible.

2:19 I thought you were eating grout lol

Was it concrete or Granite? Who wrote the script?

Love the shirt. Go Broncos

How did you mount it between the walls

you got on that mud with the steel a little quick. You want it to be almost hard (normally 2 hours) before you use steel on it. Screed it, vibrate it (wont get those voids), edge it (so you dont have sharp edges that will end up chipping and breaking), let it sit for a couple hours, then "burn" it with the steel. Putting the steel on it early will bring too much cemented water to the surface and cause flaking.

i want to try attaching a reciprocating saw to the base with bungies while it is drying and just leave it on. Anything to simulate the vibrating tables the pros use.

Isn’t there like a flow control powder you can use that only takes a little bit to make it super super liquidy without adding more water and sacrificing the strength. Then you wouldn’t have to take all the time of pushing it into the corners and things

I could not catch what did you say about filling the little wholes? What did you use for it?

Hi, I live in Indonesia and buying that kind of concrete mix is quite hard and a little expensive, so my question is, can I use ordinary sand and cement to make this?

I couldn’t tell how you installed the counter. Is it sitting directly on the washer and dryer? I was wondering how it is holding up with the vibrations of the machines.

Did you use anything on the mould to stop it sticking?

Please have a look at the concrete countertop institutes website. It will take your concrete forming and finish to a whole other level. Nice DIY job but it won't last much longer than a year before its stained and cracking. Not all concrete is the same as you'll find out from the website above. No offence meant buddy. This is my profession and the more people that promote it right the more people realise concrete isn't easy to do right whrn your making it last for decades looking awesome on day 1 and day 30000!

You can use a apecial vibrator made for this purpose,. to eliminate air bubles. it might be too expensive to own but i'm sure you can rent it for a day.

Hi can you please tell me what it was you used on the top before the seal? You said som cement but I didn't get what it was. Thank you.

I wonder how much differently GFRC operates than standard concrete. I want to play with small trial stain/colors but don't want to pay that much more for trials

Application of sealer should be applied in thin coats. Don't leave pudding

that's a finish trowel, a mag or aluminum float should be used first to knock down rock and make it flat a finish trowel used first will seal the concrete before all the moisture is out causing blisters

At 9:46 he went from concrete to granite.

Very nice Alex! Have you given any thought on using AR Glass fibers w/ GFRC mix? Apparently, you can get the slabs down to around 1.5in thick with no need for re-bar. Ideal for smaller projects, probably not for large surfaces.

How do I get a clean wipe with toilet paper ?

A mallet would help with the bubble voids

Hi. Thanks for the video. Question? How much concrete do you need to make a 4 foot by 3 foot slab. Thanks

Another way to make a nice finish on top is to start with a slurry coat then pour the concrete.

If you float ur slab first then trowel once it tightens up you will have better results #cementmasonsunion

What did you do to secure the final product?

What was the dimensions of this counter? How did you get it so close to top of appliances while making sure you had enough support for the weight

Making next time make sure you wear the proper PPE, notably a particulate respirator. Breathing that concrete dust will f-u-up pretty badly, and it doesn't take much - looking at your concrete dusted clothing and the "cough cough" around the 7:06 mark in your video is pretty alarming. Be safe people!

can you put shells and stones for the top

You said “wack off” XD

Awesome work! Just one question.... how did you mount it to the wall?

What is your take on fiber glass reinforcement fibers?

flipping without shoes/boots ! what could go wrong

What about different colors?

Don't put your reinforced bar as close to the form work as you can. Bring it back 30mm away from the form work.

Holy cow. Are you from Boise? Or just a Boise State fan? Or both?

He said "whack off" he he he he.....lol

I've got a PhD in DUMMY...perfect

If i were to do this for a 79"x39"x2" how nuch concrete would i need?

I mo do this in my house

I don't think I will caulk my corners... doubt much cement could run down there, and I think sanding the bit that does will give a nicer corner.

I'm not a fan of wet sanding so what I did was, wet sanding?

👍

Dude, get your hands and arms under control. LOL. Great video though!

How did you attach it to the counter?? Did you drill holes through it and use masonry screws??

Yikes, 813k people follow this guy. Talk to a concrete contractor, not a guy on YT making commercials. This dude knows jack about concrete.

Go BSU!

Excellent! cuz... I am DUMMY. hahahaha

I don't have a old credit card can I use one of yours?