Ferrous Concrete Countertops

Concrete counter-tops are a great alternative to slab, tile, or composite counter-tops.  They are relatively cheap and can be easily customized for any kitchen.

A few years ago, Casey's brother-in-law poured his own counter-tops in a monolithic pour, and the results are breathtaking.  For our own counters, we decided to try something we haven't seen anyone else attempt: ferrous concrete counter-tops.  

The term 'ferrous concrete' or 'ferro-concrete' literally means concrete with iron in it.  Actually, almost all concrete pours have some metal incorporated to add strength, but in our niche, 'ferro-concrete' usually refers to a specific building technique.  This method relies heavily on slip-forms and a very high metal-to-concrete ratio to build thin, freestanding structures, and also is utilized by many to encapsulate wooden structures within a stucco shell.  The stucco shell is basically what we are using to create our counters, but we are using three layers of increasingly fine material and hope to have a very smooth finished surface.

We began by building very strong and well supported counters out of lumber and plywood, and then stretched stucco lath across the top and over the edges.

Once the lath was firmly secured with screws, the first coat (aka the 'scratch' coat) was troweled on.

The first layer is worked deep into the lath, smoothed out, and then scored. We then let the concrete dry slowly, dampening it as necessary with a spray bottle.  The more slowly concrete cures the stronger it is and less likely to crack.

After the first layer had a couple days to cure, we added the second layer, which was mixed with an acrylic fortifier to help it adhere to the first layer and make the whole counter more impervious to water.  

The second layer is where we worked out the humps and valleys, built up a lip along the edge, and created a straight and smooth base for the finish coat.

All in all, it is very messy and time consuming, but extremely rewarding and cost-effective.  Stay tuned for pics of the finished counters.