How to make your own concrete countertops

Are those granite and quartz countertops out of your price range? We know. The counter surface you choose really contributes to the overall feel of your kitchen. But don’t worry. You can still have a gorgeous kitchen, and for a much lower price. If you’ve ever seen an episode of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper,” you already know how affordable a concrete countertop can be—and how delightfully shabby chic!

Not only are concrete countertops affordable to have installed, they’re also pretty easy to make yourself if you’re up for a somewhat lengthy DIY project. Let us walk you through it.

Pricing

According to Cost Helper, getting concrete countertops professionally installed would run you $2,550 – $5,250 for a typical 30-square-foot kitchen counter. Doing them yourself, on the other hand only costs about $240 – $450 for a typical 30-square-foot kitchen counter. That’s thousands of dollars in savings!

And considering granite can run anywhere from  $45 to $200 per square foot and quartz can cost $50 to $100 per square foot, you wind up saving quite a bit by going with concrete.

Process

There aren’t too many steps involved. The time-consuming nature of this project comes from making sure the concrete is dry and sealed properly. But if you’re up for the challenge, it can yield incredible results. Lucky for you, there are lots of tutorials online to show how this is done. You should watch several of them before you start, as it can definitely pay to do your research before embarking upon a project as large-scale as this one.

DIY Network, for example, gives detailed, step-by-step instructions, including the measuring of the counter surfaces, the creation of a mold, the cutting of the concrete so that the counters fit around sinks and other obstacles, the mixing of the concrete, the drying time and, finally, the installation of the counters.

You can see all of the intricate details on the DIY Network website., and also watch some of their videos:

Videos such as these will help give you practical insight into the process. In this video, for example, the person making the countertops mentions spreading the mold’s surface with olive oil before pouring the concrete so that the removal of the countertops will be even easier. This is such a genius hack that you might not have thought of before!

Finished Look

And if you need some inspiration—and a hint of how the finished product will turn out—look no further than Pinterest and Instagram, which will reveal gorgeous photo such as this one from @hayfield.house:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYa_iTIjgjI/?tagged=concretecountertops

And this beautiful concrete bathroom countertop from @artisan_custom_homes:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYdbHJujlap/?tagged=concretecountertops

If this massive kitchen island from @muddstudios doesn’t inspire you, we’re not sure what will:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYYhifflU01/?tagged=concretecountertops

Make a run to your nearest hardware store and, in just a few days, you’ll have gorgeous, practical concrete counters installed in your home!