ForConstructionPros.com

Anyone in the concrete industry will tell you decorative concrete is hot - customers all over the country are requesting stained concrete floors and stamped patios and driveways. Concrete countertops are also getting a lot of attention as customers realize they can be customized to be as unique as they can image.

I found nine decorative concrete contractors who have been creating some unique and interesting countertop designs for their clients. Read through the next few pages for inspiration and ideas to put to use in your own countertop, sink, bar or other concrete projects. 

CUSTOM DESIGN USA, INC.
Oklahoma City, Okla.

Frank Wise has been creating concrete countertops and staining concrete floors for about six years. A recent countertop project he took on was in a home where he had completed a host of other decorative concrete works. The homeowner's kitchen has a Mediterranean theme and she originally wanted purple granite countertops. After finding out how expensive purple granite is, she turned to Wise to create her countertops with concrete to achieve the look she wanted with colors that matched the décor of her kitchen.

Five separate slabs make up the kitchen countertop system - an island with a small sink and stove, an elevated bar above the island, a counter with the full-sized sink, an additional counter, and a built-in desk. Wise used the white concrete enCOUNTER mix on this cast-in-place project. Wise casts most of his countertop systems in-place. "Most people we do countertops for want them continuous with no joints," he says. "So we need to pour them in-place."

All slabs were poured 2 in. thick, reinforced with 4-4-6 rebar and consolidated with a pencil vibrator. Wise used Stegmeier Corp.'s "marble round" countertop forms to achieve the rounded edges on the slabs.