I salivate at the mention of carrara marble. Seriously, though, it is so expensive, and I’ve heard that it’s really hard to come by these days. (most people are using Calcutta?) I don’t do work on kitchens and I have never done a serious kitchen remodel of my own, so I don’t know all that much about counter tops.
But, I know I fell in love when I saw these cement counter tops on design*sponge. The home owners MADE the counters themselves, and, admittedly, they said it was a lot of work, though the cost of goods was pretty low.
Do any of you readers have cement counter tops? I’ve read that sealing them can be tricky. Though carrara is not exactly stain-proof!
At any rate, concrete counters make for a very pretty kitchen. And check out those vintage lockers they installed as a pantry! Genius!
And don’t you just love the ink blue cabinets? They really did a great job here.
And now, just like that, I’m back to wanting a big home in the suburbs. :)
I love the magnet board… where is it from… Thanks for the post….
xxx
CEO
Hi Jenny! A couple of your readers commented on my blog that you had my kitchen here so I had to come check it out! I've been puttering around your blog this morning, what a lovely, lovely site you have! Thanks so much for the kitchen love, it's been an interesting process but we love the results. I wanted to say that we did not grind the countertops and I think in some ways that make it less porous and stain prone. We sealed it right after we installed them and waxed after that and since then I have only waxed them once. They have been very durable and we haven't really had any problems with stains (and we have two grape juice loving, I-can pour-it-myself kids!:)) That said, I think concrete is not for people who want a very clean, crisp look, it has a slightly rugged, industrial look and there are lots of variations in the color even though it was all from the same batch of concrete. If your readers have any more questions, feel free to ask, And thanks again for the love :)
Gillian
driedfigsandwoodenspools.blogspot.com
I adore concrete counter tops too! I'm thinking of having an outdoor one someday & yes, those vintage lockers are adorable!
LOVE!!!
HELP!! I LOVE those wall shelves.. where are they from?? My little kitchen is in need of storage!!!
I love the idea of cement countertops too, I think they are brillant actually! Maybe someday. On another note, I love your blog and have a little somthing for you! http://storingupmytreasures.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-first-ever-award.html
I work a lot with concrete counter tops and I highly recommend these sealers, they really work the best.
I don't have anything to do with this company but is what one of my vendors recommends
http://www.blueconcrete.com/reactivesealersstains/reactivesealer.html
I absolutely love how they put the lockers into the wall – amazing. Do you know any place to buy vintage or even vintage look-alike lockers?
We made out own concrete counter for our bathroom in our last house….worth it, and upkeep really is easy. We posted some details here if anyone is considering a diy: http://modfrugal.com/2009/01/e-bay-sweat-and-patience/
We spent the big bucks on gorgeous concrete countertops about 6 years ago when we remodeled and it was the worst decision we made. We love(d) the organic look of them for about two years. They have cracked over time at important spots like in front of the sink and at the stovetop. They will stain with acidic things, but as long as you wipe them quickly, it's fine. I will miss the look of them when we replace them since the cracks are getting worse. Now the best decision we made in the kitchen….cork floors! We love them!
I think you go for the kitchen countertops because it have many colors which you can normally choose for kitchen countertops so that you can also take decision perfect.