Concrete Countertops – Beautiful, Sustainable, Durable

Most people think of sidewalks and highways when you mention the word concrete, so the thought of using concrete in your kitchen may come as a surprise. 

Concrete countertops are gaining popularity in American households.  It can be molded, colored, and textured just the way you like it.  You can even make concrete countertops look like marble and other natural stone products. 

If you think concrete countertops are bad for the environment, think again.  Concrete countertops can be made using recycled glass and other recycled products.   

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Kitchen/Bath Design Secrets Now Available to Consumers

 Kitchen and Bath Countertop Industry Secrets
Now Available to Consumers on CounterTopBusiness.com
CounterTop Business Magazine releases its trade publication to savvy customers

(Rockford, IL) Have you ever wondered how those designers on famous home shows get their ideas for amazing kitchens and bathrooms? Or how your neighbor’s interior designer chose the trendiest backsplash and countertop surface for her newly remodeled kitchen? Those designers read industry publications that taught them the latest trends in countertop designs. It used to be that those publications were only available to professionals, but now CounterTop Business magazine is allowing consumers to be privy to information on today’s latest countertop trends through its new Web site CounterTopBusiness.com.

CounterTop Business magazine, the countertop industry’s leading publication for professionals, is bringing its knowledge of all topics that are hot in countertop materials – from kitchen surfaces and backsplashes to bathrooms – to its new Web site CounterTopBusiness.com. Consumers can read in-depth articles that will assist them in choosing the right surface, whether it be eco-friendly countertops made of recycled materials or the newest luxury materials.

“Today’s savvy consumer wants to know what the professionals know,” said Linda Ohm, Editor of CounterTop Business magazine. “Reading CounterTopBusiness.com will keep them ahead of the curve on the latest trends in countertop design, and their kitchens will be the envy of their friends and neighbors.”

CounterTopBusiness.com also allows the consumer to interact with the countertop professional through online forums. Ask architects, fabricators and designers your most valued questions to ensure your countertop decision.

“Consumers can log on and see what’s new, then ask a professional online if the countertop is difficult to install, produce, or is the most environmentally-friendly. Then they can go back and tell their architect or designer what they want,” says Ohm. “This allows consumers to be proactive in designing a kitchen or bathroom that works best for them.”

About WATT
Established in 1917, WATT is a service company that provides knowledge and solutions to the agri-food and woodworking industries, to buyers and sellers of goods and services within these industries, as well as others that need such vital information in order to conduct commerce successfully. This information is shared through a variety of media channels: business-to-business print publications and corresponding digital editions, e-newsletters, Web sites, webcasts, RSS feeds, blogs, streaming video, podcasts, digital white papers, custom publishing, custom research, in-person events, and consulting.

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Greening concrete – sustainable concrete countertops

As an alternative to traditional concrete countertops and other manufactured stone products, Urbanslabs is one of the few interior design products that fabricates like granite, and is lighter in weight. The product can be cut, bull-nosed, seamed and polished just like the fabrication of natural stone slabs.

Read more: Greening concrete – sustainable concrete countertops

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Working With Concrete Countertops – Videos

Concrete countertop videos:

See how a concrete countertop is poured and packed into a mold

Watch a concrete countertop go through the slurry process

 

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The Concrete Countertop Institute Announces the First Concrete Countertop Design Expo

The Concrete Countertop Institute, organizers of the annual Concrete Countertop Industry Conference (CCIC), has announced an exciting new venue for designers to learn about concrete countertops. The first Concrete Countertop Design Expo will be held August 23, 2008 at the Sacramento Convention Center in Sacramento, CA, in conjunction with CCIC.

CCIC draws hundreds of concrete countertop professionals from the local area, throughout the United States and Canada, and beyond. With the new Concrete Countertop Design Expo immediately following CCIC, architects, builders and designers will be able to meet these professionals, see examples of their work and learn how to successfully use high-quality concrete countertops in their projects.

Read more: The Concrete Countertop Institute Announces the First Concrete Countertop Design Expo

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Free Countertop Magazine – Delivered via email

CounterTop Business is a free digital magazine that focuses on laminate countertops, solid surface countertops, cultured stone countertops, granite countertops, concrete countertops, tile countertops, and other countertop materials.

CounterTop Business also provides an extensive database of articles related to the tools and products used to design and fabricate countertops.

This digital magazine is for anyone involved in the specification, sale, fabrication and installation of countertops. It is delivered to readers via e-mail, in an advanced format that does not require extra software to read.

Click here to receive CounterTop Business magazine – completely free of charge.

Kitchen Remodeling: Different Countertop Materials

Laminate Countertops
Well known by trade names such as Formica®, these countertops have stood the test of time. New innovations make for a broad range of colors and patterns and more recently, the addition of textures.

Solid Surface Countertops
Solid surface is basically a plastic but that’s where the blandness ends. Many styles and colors are available and the seamless characteristics work well for expansive countertops and integral sinks.

Natural Stone Countertops
Granite, slate, soapstone, quartz, marble, gemstone… . Natural stone has an inherent beauty but there is some maintenance involved in keeping them ‘healthy’.

Engineered Stone Countertops
Predominantly a quartz material that’s been crushed and combined with resins to form a hard surface like stone, but without the maintenance requirements like periodic sealing. Some of the colors and patterns do a pretty good job of mimicking natural stone.

Wood Countertops
Wood countertops no longer mean just butcher block. Large full-expanse wood kitchen countertops are available and offer a beautiful warm look. There is some maintenance involved to keep them looking good however.

Metal Countertops
Stainless steel is probably more widely known but if that’s too clinical for you, picture your kitchen countertops in the rich color of copper, which gain a unique patina over time. Or consider the interesting gray pallet of pewter countertops.

Concrete Countertops
Concrete offers endless design options since they’re fabricated to your specifications, either right in your home or in a design studio and then shipped to your kitchen. Concrete offers a smooth surface in just about any color along with a stoutness that embodies solidity.

Composite and Recycled Materials Countertops
Composite and recycled materials deliver some interesting alternatives for kitchen countertops. Some are made from recycled paper and combined with resins to form a surface that’s hard yet warmer than stone. The eco-friendly nature of these choices may also give you the satisfaction of having helped the environment.

Lavastone Countertops
Lavastone is volcanic lava that’s hardened into a stone-like consistency. Most Lavastone countertop material is covered with a hard enamel that makes the surface similar to tile, except you don’t have to deal with grout lines like you do with a tile countertop. It can be expensive but you have a virtually unlimited supply of colors.

Tile Countertops
Tile’s another choice that’s been available for years but you’re not limited to just the basic 4-inch squares anymore. Natural stone tiles like granite are available and come in large sizes which means you could have a granite countertop with just a few grout lines for less cost than a granite slab.

Glass Countertops
Glass offers a sleek, modern style that doesn’t have to look like a bland glass tabletop. You can find various colors and different textures to give it some distinction. Glass countertops are sturdy enough to stand up to their role however you’ll still want to be sure you avoid dropping something large and heavy on them.

Need more kitchen remodeling ideas? Looking for great bathroom remodeling ideas? Read our countertop magazine.

Concrete Countertops: The possibilities of concrete are endless

Concrete Countertops: The possibilities of concrete are endless

The possibilities of concrete are endless. Charles Miles of Charles Miles Construction Corp., located in Nazareth, Pa., creates concrete countertops to match just about any paint chip, including metallic, in either a matte or high-gloss finish.

Before Miles began doing concrete countertops, he did masonry façade restoration and is experienced in working with mortars. He developed his own mix recipe, although he says there are a lot of products available in the market. Most of the countertops he creates are precast in the shop. There are some instances, such as when there is no physical way to get a precast form into the building, that the countertop is produced in the field.

Concrete also creates warmth in any kitchen. “Concrete lends itself to the work of architects and designers who do elaborate projects,” says Miles. “You can put a wall of concrete up anywhere.” The most commonly requested color is gray and a lot of clients like glass bits in the counter. Another popular color is off white with gray aggregates. The matte finish is more popular in residential applications, while commercial applications favor the high-gloss look in more exotic colors.

Read more about concrete countertops.

Concrete Countertops: Concrete Counter Intelligence

Concrete Countertops: Concrete Counter Intelligence

Homeowners craving a personalized, artistic countertop  are embracing concrete. However, turning hard gray matter into a sophisticated countertop surface requires skill.

Cheng Concrete Exchange is offering its first-ever concrete countertop fabricator training program at Academy Headquarters and Cheng Design Fabrication Shop Nov. 12-14, 2007 in Berkeley, Calif., for fabricators, builders and designers marketing and managing a concrete countertop business. The three-day seminar will focus on design, craftsmanship, and specification of concrete pieces.

The course designed by award-winning designer Fu-Tung Cheng, teaches his secrets of working with concrete. The Cheng team will also provide sessions on mixing and pouring, design, engineering reinforcement, multiple mold-making methods, polishing and detailing, inlays, sealing, sink installation, and advanced trouble-shooting methods.

“As clients become more discerning, the professionals they hire will need to understand the importance of design and craftsmanship,” says Mike Heidebrink, director of product development, Cheng Concrete Exchange.

Read more about concrete countertops.

Concrete Countertops: A New Kind of Concrete

When the concrete countertops Sonoma Cast Stone made for restaurant chain P.F. Chang’s China Bistro started showing wear after just two years, Sonoma’s president, Steve Rosenblatt, knew something had to be done.

He turned to his researcher, David Jensen. Jensen spent two years testing Sonoma’s concrete, throwing different substances at it from wine to oil to vinegar to solve problems with staining. Jensen experimented with everything from the materials that go into the cement mixture to the drying and curing techniques.

Nucrete’s stain resistance also makes it a good choice for residential use. The result was Nucrete, a revolutionary type of concrete that doesn’t show wear.

Since its introduction over a year ago, Nucrete has met with great successes, from the busiest P.F. Chang’s store in Las Vegas, where the two-year-old countertop still looks new, to residential homes. While the price of Nucrete is between 15 and 18 percent more than for standard concrete, the new material allows the company to work in more high-volume, high-stress commercial markets. “We couldn’t do those commercial jobs without Nucrete,” Rosenblatt said.

Read more about concrete countertops.