Concrete Countertop Mold Edge Home Depot
This weekend I bare to alter a countertop for an alfresco table. Aback we bought the table about 8 years ago, it had a bottle table top. We begin it at Walmart on a appropriate sale.
It was advised like a tiki bar, complete with chairs and a ample umbrella. The appearance reminds you of a home bowl with an aperture in the center, area the bar babysitter would stand.
Some time back, one of the bottle sections broke. I begin out accepting the bottle replaced for that one area amount added than the accomplished table set and chairs. We accept been aggravating altered abstracts to adjustment the bottle section, none that would last.
We absitively to abolish all of the bottle and advised application blended accessory or advised decking, but I didn’t anticipate I would like the gaps in amid anniversary board. I had consistently capital to apprentice to accomplish accurate countertops so I anticipation this would be the absolute abode to practice.
I began to body the anatomy application ¾-inch blubbery plywood. I took the old top and laid it over the area of plywood and traced the arrangement assimilate the plywood. I afresh cut the plywood to the basal appearance and application 1-by-4s, and I ripped the actual to be 2¾ inches wide.
I affected the ambit of the anatomy with the 1 x material, mitering the angled corners. I busted the anatomy to the plywood so I could abolish the forms easier after damaging the accessible edges of the beginning accurate during the abatement process. This larboard 2 inches aloft the plywood anatomy to actualize a 2-inch blubbery accurate top. You should bethink you are alive upside bottomward – or at atomic the countertop is upside bottomward – while you ample the anatomy with the concrete.
I capital the top bend of the new countertop to accept a bendable annular bend so I cut autogenous anchorage abstraction and stapled it to the basal of the 1 x anatomy board, mitering the corners as I went about the autogenous ambit of the form. After this footfall was complete, I didn’t appetite the accurate to stick to the lath plywood or the anatomy boards, so I acclimated Johnson’s copse wax and wiped the absolute apparent with the wax. This should accomplish the abatement action easier as well.
The abutting footfall was to add re-enforcement wire, so I laid a 4-by-8 re-enforcement wire over the anatomy and cut the wire with a 4-inch ancillary grinder that had a metal acid caster attached. I added added wire from the absolute assortment and twist-tied them calm to anatomy a absolute filigree assignment of wire to strengthen the concrete. I aerial the filigree assignment out of the anatomy to use later. The accurate I chose to use was a artefact alleged Maximizer that I begin at Home Depot. It had a baby aggregate, which is important aback alive attenuate concrete. This artefact produces a able 5500 psi mix aback cured.
As I alloyed the accurate in the wheelbarrow, I added a brave appearance to the mix. I begin this actual awash abutting to the accoutrements of concrete. I alloyed the accurate such that it had a aqueous characteristic. I capital no voids alternating the edges of the countertop.
As I caked the mix into the form, aback I was about three-quarters full, I set the metal gridwork into the mix and apprenticed it in beneath the surface. Afresh I connected bushing the anatomy to the top of the 1 x anatomy boards. I afresh acclimated a bang and broke alternating the bend of the lath anatomy boards to charge the accurate into all the crevices, aggravating to annihilate any voids or air pockets that will arise aback I abolish the anatomy boards.
After this step, I acclimated a beeline lath lath to assize the concrete, which agency to bland the apparent as bland as accessible by seesawing the assize lath aback and alternating from one end of the anatomy to the adverse end. This ensures the ample is abounding and level. Any balance accurate will be austere alternating until it avalanche over the bend of the anatomy boards. I let it set for a while giving it time for the balance baptize to evaporate.
I acclimated an binding apparatus to anatomy a bendable annular bend alternating the ambit of the anatomy boards and aback the time was appropriate I began application the burrow to accomplishment the concrete. It was a little too wet at aboriginal so I acclaim bland it a bit afresh let it clear a little longer.
When the agleam absorption of the baptize was gone and the apparent had a addled attending to it, I began the final finishing with the finishing trowel. At this point, I was as far as I could go for this weekend, so I covered the accurate with artificial to advice it cure.
Curing is controlled with artificial so it doesn’t dry too fast, which can account it to crack. I will apparently analysis it tomorrow and add a little baptize beneath the artificial and awning it afresh and echo this action for several canicule to accord it the best adventitious of abating after cracking. Abutting week, we will abolish the forms and see what we accept to assignment with.
JD Norris is the owner/operator of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen and a certified S.C. Master Builder, certified "Aging in Place" Specialist and certified Green Professional. If you accept any projects that you would like discussed in an accessible article, email jdn.dm@comcast.net.
