Outdoor Kitchen, Part 2: Concrete countertop forming, pouring, and finishing
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- čas přidán 2. 12. 2020
- In this installment, we build the forms for our BBQ island's concrete countertop, including its bar area, and fill them up with very rocky concrete. There is some discussion about the pros and cons of Sakrete Extra Strength 5000 vs the Quikrete pre-mixed countertop concrete, some hiccups, headaches, and snafus we had, and how we resolved them. Finally, the fixing, scraping, sanding, and sealing.
In the end, we are very happy with the result. We did not want a perfectly smooth and angular slab. If that were the case, we would have just gotten granite. Instead, we ended up with the beefy, industrial hunk of art that we had invisioned.
Clearly, we are first-timers, and recommendations and warning are based on this one experience only.
NOTE: It was pointed out that Flow Control is meant to be used with Rapid Set concrete (the kind with polymers in it). So us thinking it made managing Extra Strength concrete easier could be total flimflam! Expert Googlers and concrete masters feel free to clear it up in the comments :)
Accessories we used (affiliate links included):
Mophorn Outdoor Kitchen 14W x 20H Inch Wall Construction Stainless Steel Flush Mount for BBQ Island, 14inch x 20inch, Single Door with Vents -- HEADS UP! The opening was too narrow for a standard propane tank. It was too late to return it, so we ended up just buying a smaller tank. Bonehead move, but we made it work.
amzn.to/34NZT2x
Mophorn BBQ Access Door 20W x 14H Inch, Horizontal Single BBQ Door Stainless Steel, Outdoor Kitchen Doors for BBQ Island, Grilling Station, Outside Cabinet
amzn.to/3pnpyZj
Mophorn 18x20.5 Inch Outdoor Kitchen Drawers Stainless Steel with Handle for BBQ Island, 18 x 20.6 x 12.7 Inch
amzn.to/2RqQpal
Also, one should note that the handles are different on each item. Just a heads up, in case that's a deal breaker for you.
The drink trough is an Ariel 42" zero radius undermount bar sink, and we got it from Overstock. We top-mounted it, in case we ever have to replace it.
www.overstock.com/Home-Garden...
I've even seen people use a length of gutter, but we wanted something sturdier and wider, with straight sides. - Jak na to + styl
I've made pre-formed concrete countertops before. I recommend using plasticizer in the mix for workability. I also recommend vibrating the sides with at least a palm sander without sand paper. Tapping just doesn't cut it. Leave the forms on for at least 24 hours to avoid the risk of damaging the whole slab by removing them too early. 3 hours was super aggressive. I'm glad it worked out. If someone reading this wants to get REALLY serious with it, mix your own concrete using white Portland cement, white sand and small white aggregate. That will help with adding color and you won't have the big rocks found in the 5000 mix off the shelf. I also added in nylon fibers to help prevent cracking. It's hard work, but can be really satisfying. With wet sanding, you can you achieve a very smooth finish if that's what you want.
Thanks for the pro-tips! I pinned it, so others can see. 📌
Awesome job Martha..I am feeling more confident now to start this project after watching your videos
You guys are awesome. Cool build and helpful video!
That was a great video/tutorial. I am getting pumped up to do my own. Thanks!
Good video. Well explained. Looking forwards to doing something similar next year
Amazing. I love to see OTHERS work. A great job.
Thank you! Cheers!
Wow. Looks wonderful.
Part 1 and 2 were very helpful. Thank you.
Glad to hear it!
Great job
Great videos! Thank you,
WOW ... this was super impressive. I can't even imagine trying to do something like this on my own. Great job!
We did so much research and planning, but it's totally do-able!
Nice job
For future reference, use portland cement and a rubber float to fill in the faces. It's a lot easier. Also use T25 structural screws, won't have to worry about swelling. Good job !
Thanks for the tips! Hopefully they will help out some viewers who plan on taking this on. :)
nice job. You could cut down your finish effort with a mag to rework it. I'm pouring one tomorrow for a restaurant . I've worked concrete for 28 years, it's all about how wet it is when you finish. Hope i can figure it out tomorrow lol. thanks for the vid, i'm trying to get in the mode.
Good luck! You've got 27 years and 11.5 months more experience than we do -- you'll do great!
So cool, you explain everything so well, very nice job 👏👏👏
Awesome!! 💪🏻💪🏻🔥🔥🔥
Soooo much work. Thank you for helping me decide to go with Granite! JK - great work! :)
lol - work smarter not harder! 😂
I used granite too!!
Looks great! The 5000 mix sets up faster than a lower stength mix which mean more arm work to finish it.
💪 You aren't kiddin'! 💪
@@ShoestringMartha 😂
A bit rough finish, looks like the concrete was setting fast.
i thought that was going to be a gas fire pit - gave me an idea lol but a sink is cool too
Also a great idea -- think of all the s'mores you can have!
Hawkeye fan? Saw your shirt at 1:19! Nice work!
Well-spotted!! Yes indeed, 50% of this duo is Iowan. :D
Great video and awesome job! I am using Durock as a base for my countertop as well and it comes out about 7 inches from the base. I was thinking of building the wooden form on top of the Durock instead of attaching the 2x6s to build the floating countertop. Once the cement cures and I remove the wooden supports, do you know if the cement would have bonded with the Durock? If not, I was thinking of removing it along the outer edges once the cement countertop had cured. Any advice would be great!
Thank you! Honestly, I do not know. But in my UNprofessional opinion, I *think* it would bond with the Durock, since it's so porous -- but that is an absolute guess. Perhaps one of our concrete experts will chime in with a definitive answer.
On a project like this I highly recommend either buying a cement mixer or renting one.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants to avoid the back-breaking work of mixing like a maniac! 😂 We considered renting for this project, but decided to save a little cash and we don't have a pick up truck or trailer. We might actually buy one before our next concrete project, so it's just delivered to us.
Wondering what you attached the 2 x 4 to on the island for the framework of the countertop. Also curios on the overhang why wood instead of cement board. Do you have a complete directions for the counter top build? I see the 2x4 but not clear on how to attach. I would like to do this on a steel frame also.
I believe we used hex head lags, maybe 3" long?
As for the overhang, I'm not sure that cementboard would hold that much weight, unsupported, but I could be wrong. I also suppose you would have to leave it there, when the cement is dry. We just saw that everyone else used wood, so we did too.
We are definitely too inexperienced with concrete to provide good instructions, and we made a lot of mistakes. We learned all we know (be that as it may) from the REAL concrete experts on CZcams. Happy to help with any other questions you might have, however.
Beautiful job, hate to tell you now but it you slap the concrete several times with your float it brings the water to the surface and gets smoother
Alas, that part happened during the time when my phone battery died 😑 Though, I did more of a squish and push, than a slap. 🤔. It was like a block of feta in a tub of brine. 😄 Others have suggested a magnesium float too - but we didn't see the point in buying one for a one-time project, and in the end, we were happy with the interesting, varied surface. Folks who are about to take this on, if you like smooth concrete: magnesium float, and give it some slaps!
@@ShoestringMartha very well done, i like the over engineering. I just started mine
@@bsdetjack shaking your screed board and your magnisium float on the very few times of floating/screeding will help push the aggregate down and juice to the surface which makes it way easier to close with a steel trowel. Good job either way. That's a lot of work and not easy. Very Brave lol
Does the flow control work with regular concrete mix? I was under the impression it’s for rapid set type of concrete that has polymers added to it.
Not sure where we got the idea to use it -- probably one of the dozens of concrete countertop videos we watched -- but entirely possible that those people were using rapid set concrete, and we didn't notice!
It certainly *seemed* easier to manage the concrete when we were using more of it. Could be more coincidence than causation. Perhaps it was more to with the ambient temperature or water ratio or we were just tired. I do not know.
I will add a note to description to warn people to do their own research when it comes to Flow Control (and everything, really), and certainly do not take the word of a couple of bozos from the internet. :D
This is very nice. My question is: the base upon which you pull the concrete mix, when the concrete drys up, do you remove it or you leave it there?
If you mean the wood under the bar / overhang -- yes! It happens very fast, but you can see us pry it off around 12:37
Concrete vibrator helps with the air bubbles
Amazing work ! What grit sand paper did you use?
Thank you! It was a long time ago, but I think it was 400 or 600 🤔
One additional question....I went to both home depot and lowes for the concrete wire mesh and in both stores the mesh was rusted. Is this an issue. My concern is the rust color bleeding through the contrete. Where did you get you wire?
We got it at Home Depot. From what I've read, it's pretty common for it to be rusty, and shouldn't cause an issue.
No issues woth rust
very nice whats the height of the bar area
Thank you! Finished height is 37.25". We were shooting for 36", but then decided to go for a thicker slab.
How are you loving the bar top? I am thinking of doing this at my house in Mesa, Go Hawks!
So much! Between it, the firepit lounge area, and bag boards, there is honestly no other place we would rather hang out. We're trying to figure out where we can fit a putting green next. :D You should totally go for it!
@@ShoestringMartha, Thank you, I was afraid that the concrete overhang would start to carck with a little time.
We used extra strength mix, reinforced it, and worked out the bubbles. It's solid. I'm pretty confident that it will hold up for a very long time. We shall see!
How is the sealer holding up after a year?
Pretty well! Still resisting water and general crud, but we've found that oil and grease will stain (but can powerwash them off). Could probably use some fresh coats of sealant, for sure.
Next time watch the Michael Builds series.
nice Video! what is the thickness the countertop?
Thanks! Finished thickness is 2.5".
How many bags of concrete did you use?
I think there’s a tally in the Start-to-Finish video, but if I recall, we bought 10 and returned 2 - so 8. 🤔
Looks very nice. Just wondering if you have had any cracking issues with the counter top Really looks very nice.
Thanks so much! 🤞 No cracks so far 🤞
Where did you get the sink/trough insert?
We got the drink trough from Overstock (or maybe Wayfair?). Unfortunately, it's is no longer available. It's an Ariel 42" zero radius undermount sink.
The 32" is available on Amazon, but it's a bit more expensive:
amzn.to/37KXHe8
Looks like it's back in stock at Overstock! www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Stainless-Steel-Undermount-Kitchen-Prep-Bar-Sink/8198228/product.html?option=11453901
Martha, great video! Where did you get the drink trough? I can't find one anywhere
Thanks so much! We got it on Overstock -- this is the one: www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Bar-Sinks/24857/subcat.html?featuredproduct=8198228&featuredoption=11453901
You can just hammer the socket head onto the bolt and then undo
Where did you get the drink holder?
It’s from Wayfair: www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Stainless-Steel-Undermount-Kitchen-Prep-Bar-Sink/8198228/product.html?option=11453901
I wish you were my neighbors
where are the air vents located
There’s one level with the counter, directly behind the grill, and one near the ground on the backside. I think they’re shown in part 3.
Ya right
I see you are not a concrete expert 😂
Well no sh*t 😂
Ready for tile wtf you spent money on color now your putting tile over it yes I would to
🤔
If you are good at finishing concrete u can skip the sanding step😅
👍🏼
If you are a do it yourselfer please don’t do concrete like this, talk to a pro or contact me i will give free advise
So many bad ideas here. People should do more research before you attempt such things.
Sorry guys. Butcher job.
🙄