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Thursday, April 25, 2013

The Adventures In Concrete Countertops

We have had quite an adventure with the concrete countertops.
Some might even look back and think, granite would have been a better choice.
NOT US!
These babies were worth the wait!

The forms went up on the countertops towards the end of March.
All the cabinets were draped in plastic and taped off, so not to get any concrete, stain or sealer on them.
Rubber forms were set into the wooden supports.
The rubber form is what gives the "look" to the edge of the concrete.
We chose the chiseled edge "look".
Buck had a problem finding enough chiseled edge form to do our counters.
He mentioned we have over 90 feet of forms needed for the house.
This was the largest countertop job Buck had ever done.
As always, Buck came through!
He found the forms!

In past posts, we have shared Buck's craftsmanship and talents he has in providing us our "Ranchey" home.
And now the countertops.

Buck has his own blend or mixture of concrete for the countertops, just like he has his own blend of stain he used on our floors.

Buck and crew poured our countertops on April 5.
You might be thinking...
 "Wait!  Your completion date was April 4th."
Yes, but we pushed the date back.
If you remember, Flower Boy was gone for two weeks.
With him being gone, Drewman and I couldn't do everything.
We felt it best to push back the date, rather than rush the crews and have mistakes or problems later.
We are so glad we did!

A few days later, Buck pulled the forms.

Check out that chiseled edge!
SWOON!!!

The countertops set for a few more days to cure.
Buck and crew came back in, to start the staining process.
This process takes several applications and is the most time consuming.

The first application.
We chose two different stains.
Walnut and Cola
These are acid stains.
They burn into the concrete and stain cloths!
Just ask Flower Boy about a brand new pair of jeans...
Walnut is a very difficult stain to work with.
 Normally it takes several applications to get the desired look.
NOT THIS TIME!

The next evening after the first application was applied, I came home and called Flower Boy.
"Buck is having some problems.  I'm not sure what is wrong, but something is happening.  He has everything draped off and there is a huge sander in the house."
All the crews know not to call me.
Flower Boy is the go to guy!
He keeps me calm and explains things to me, in a manner that I won't panic.
No calls came in...
We trust Buck!
He understands what we want.
We communicate very well.
He "gets" us!

The night Flower Boy got home from his two week training,
Buck explains the problems he was having.
Apparently the walnut stain "took" so well, it turned everything black.
Buck knew that was not the look we were going for.
He worked his concrete magic and got the walnut to have the color variation we wanted.

At this point, Buck and crew taped off some of the countertops to apply the cola stain.
I requested "rivers" of cola running through the countertops.
My vision was a creek bed or river bed look.
Buck and crew did such an amazing job of laying out my vision!
They started the "rivers" in Drewman's bathroom and finished them on the tub deck in our bathroom.
They are all lined up and continuously flowing the entire length of the house!
I don't know the amount of time it took for the guys to lay it out, but I was so excited to see it!

Of course, they had to set for a few more days.
Then the paper was pulled.
SEE THE RIVERS?!?!
Buck knocked this one out of the park!

The base coat of sealer went on.
The colors POPPED!!
Check out that variation and blend!
I almost hate to have the sinks cover it up.

Yesterday, Buck and Nick finished with the final coat of sealer.

Drewman's Bathroom

The Island

The Kitchen Countertop

The Small Kitchen Countertop

Our Vanity Top

The Tub Deck
Sorry, I didn't get a photo of the entire tub deck.
You will have to see that in person.
It is my favorite!
and Buck's.

The detail on this work is fabulous!
Buck and Nick have spent many hours away from their families!
All to make my vision come to reality!
We couldn't be more thankful!
We believe we have formed a relationship with Buck that is a friendship of a lifetime.
Buck was the person that laid out our house on the first day of construction and has been with us through the entire process.
He and The Builder are not just folks that draw a paycheck!
They hold a special place in our hearts and always will!

Our hats are off to you, Buck!
Take a bow!
YOU ARE CONCRETE KING!!!

2 comments:

  1. What an awesome job!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks much, Owlhaven!
      We think they turned out beautiful. A perfect fit for our ranch lifestyle!
      Thanks for stopping by.

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