Concrete Countertops

Wardall's biggest challenge was the lack of support underneath the desktop. Other than the rebar in the concrete, the only support the desktop had was from two, 6-foot-long, 3/4-inch-wide steel plates, Wardall points out.

Once the concrete was poured it had to be vibrated. "I used a Makita pencil vibrator to vibrate everything into place so we could minimize any air voids in the concrete at the surface and around the perimeter as well as get good consolidation around the reinforcing steel," Wardall says. After vibrating, the surface got a hard trowel and was left to cure over a weekend. Wardall came back the next week and used a cup grinder to expose the aggregate. He polished the desktop surface to an 800-grit level.

Three weeks later, Wardall came in to remove all the forming and grind the 3-inch edges that were now exposed. The whole desktop was then polished to a 1,500 grit, he says.

"I used Prosoco Consolideck LS - a lithium-based silicate sealer, hardener and densifier - as well as the Prosoco Consolideck LSGuard hardener to finish off the look of the concrete surface," he adds.

The final result was another one-of-a-kind specialty project that Specialty Construction Services Inc. likes to create.