# Counter tops



## Waiting Falcon (Nov 25, 2010)

What would be a good counter top for my kitchen? I would like to have a butcher block on my island, I would rather not have formica , have thought about oak slab if so what kind of oak would be best? I have thought about tile
and am trying to compare prices. Someone said they had seen old barn wood used as a counter top and it was beautiful.
Suggestions please!


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## Fingerlakes77 (Oct 5, 2010)

How about concrete? Google pictures of concrete counter tops they look great.


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## farmhome5 (Dec 20, 2005)

I second concrete. My DH put them in my kitchen two years ago.I will never have anything else. I love them!


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## wind power (Sep 29, 2010)

FWIW I have heard of folks using hardwood flooring. Lowes has some oak "Noble House" brands which are about 3-1/2 inches wide ( standard 3/4 inches thicks) a sheet of plywood then maybe a layer of roofing felt and then the flooring and maybe a few coats of urathane. 
I think its white oak...could be red oak, however the wood grain is real nice all quarter sawn stuff.


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

Artificer made a concrete "counter top" for our Masonry Heater and it's very nice indeed. I was originally going to tile it, but after seeing it, I'm going to leave it as is. 

With wood you have to be careful about cutting on it, and what you set down, as well as stains. But some of them are extremely beautiful. Oak, ash, hickory would be my top three to choose from. Close grain, and Oak/ash are usually not horribly pricey. 

Tiles...a tiled counter can present problems. they're never "smooth"..there's always that pesky line between the tiles. You can make some BEAUTIFUL counters with it, tho. my goodness...mosaic inserts, different colors making designs....


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## mrs oz (Jul 3, 2007)

Granite tiles make a nice, durable and beautiful countertop. The nice thing about them, versus a ceramic or porcelain tile, is you can basically butt them together, so you end up with a supertight grout line.....about 1/16". I put them on our bathroom vanity and then put a wood nosing for the edge. I am also thinking of doing that for our kitchen island, which has our stove in it. Our sink counter we put t&g wood flooring, stained it red and then poured this epoxy coating over it. Fine for that counter, but wouldn't want it near the heat of the stove.


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

Cement, while a personal obsession with me, will take longer and require a lot more work than many other types of counters. The results, though, can be amazing.

Cement can be very different than the cement methods I have seen used for counter tops. Most of those counters (on TV, or printed) are about 2 inches thick. That makes them very heavy. Due to the weight, that means many examples are either made in place or moved by a crew. Some cement sinks/counters are made upside down so the surface is glassy. Those poured in place require surface finish work. This means a lot of dust. Heavy counters require substantial support structure.

I made a cement counter with a sink. The cement is 1/4 inch thick. 

I sewed 1/4 inch hardware cloth into the shape I wanted and attached it to the old countertop, cabinet and wall. The old counter top was not the same shape as the new finished counter, it just provided a flat surface for mounting the hardware cloth form. I removed the old sink.

The first batch was about a gallon. Then I started adding the cement in batches of about 2 cups each. Each of the smaller batches was a different color. 

Batches were allowed to set up for at least 24 hours before another batch was allowed to touch it. Uncured colored cement blends on the edges with other colored batches. I wanted a granite look, so there are random splotches of color with sharp edges, not blended edges.

I used a yardstick to find low spots and bring to level as I applied each small batch. Then I used a 18volt drill (low rpm) with a diamond sanding pad. These gradually went from 50 grit to 3000 grit. The finished product is as glossy as glass.

I played with many polishes. The products labeled for granite did not work very well. Turtle wax did much better. Mineral Oil was the best.

I would not repeat this counter top process in a place that is habitated. I would make it in the workshop and then install it finished. This would alter many factors, like how to attach it, the shape, et al. The good thing is that repair and touch up would not be impossible.

So my recommendation is to be cautious about having a cement counter made for you, and thoroughly study and do smaller practice runs before you do it yourself.
good luck
gary


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I like copper. Germs cannot survive on it.


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## Waiting Falcon (Nov 25, 2010)

Any pictures of the completed concrete counter tops that you have built? 
How long did it take?
Has anyone used ceramic tile?
Are you saying that poly on wood can not take heat?

What are you using for a back splash?
My cabinets are being built this week. The counter tops are waiting on my decision which still is not made!!


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## Curtis B (Aug 15, 2008)

I used tile, and will never again do it. I did 3/16 joints, and they catch everything. My parents did tile with 1/16 joints and they like it other than it is still a pain to clean. I did make butcher block for one counter and after three years it still looks like new and we love it, but we are very careful not to put anything to hot on it.


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

I do have a photo posted on a free site. I have never been successful at posting a photo on this site. The link to my pics is http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2767743930052212483hlqVEu.

The sink in the photo is a bathroom counter and sink. It includes the sink, backsplash, and shelf. The whole project, calendar wise, took months. Time wise, it could have been done in about 2 weeks, if I had a deadline. The 2 weeks is not the total labor, but the calendar from the start to the end.


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

The photo in the link is the sink etc prior to completion.


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

Stainless steel.
But then again I have a late 40's early 50's style kitchen. But I have always enjoyed stainless steel conter tops - no trivest or hot pads needed, no hunting down a cutting board, no stains, very hygenic.

I suppose the counter top dessign really depends on your cabinets.


~~ pelenaka ~~


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## 5RFamily (Apr 6, 2014)

I would like to do porcelain countertops, not the tile, but put a white porcelain finish (like the sinks/counters of old) over the existing laminate counters. Has anyone here ever done that and if so, would you be willing to let me know how labor intensive/easy to mess up that might be? Thank you.
:help:


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## farmerted (Dec 21, 2012)

I have a friend who is a really good chef, I asked him once, what are somethings that me as a non chef could use to make me a better cook. He said a big wooden butcher block, a couple of proper knives and instead of regular use kosher sea salt.

We have some old barn wood, considered using it. But there are so many crevices and joints that there is no way it would ever be clean. Imagine a tile counter, which totally grosses me out, and then imagine how much more irregular barn wood would be, yuck. 

We are going concrete, it doesn't look particularly easy, but if you do it right it'll last forever. I repair plaster for a living so am hoping that skill translates.


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## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

Real porcelain is a high temperature process (think firing ceramic glaze) that could only be done on a steel or similar substrate.

I'm considering going with this stuff:

http://countertopepoxy.com/shop/pag...ukbVr2jnJIK2ygsAHwaQOBAX90tMwCLih&shop_param=


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## Solar Geek (Mar 14, 2014)

MushCreek said:


> Real porcelain is a high temperature process (think firing ceramic glaze) that could only be done on a steel or similar substrate.
> 
> I'm considering going with this stuff:
> 
> http://countertopepoxy.com/shop/pag...ukbVr2jnJIK2ygsAHwaQOBAX90tMwCLih&shop_param=


HI we had cement floors with this stuff over it with the colors in it. While it was beautiful and dramatic, we had to be out of the house for 24 hours as highly toxic to apply.. 

More to your point. It *SCRATCHED*. Alot. Not from moving furniture or such but from the dogs running or our kid's shoe heels and from just simple use. We would not do that again. When we complained they said that all epoxy will scratch. Would have been good to know that first. We could not get it fixed without a complete room sanding and then reapplication - too expensive for us. 

Also, since it is a hazardous material (look up the MSDS on it -material safety data sheet), if you even cut a little with a knife as hey, it is on a kitchen counter, it would be very bad to get in food. Here is an older article talking about the likelihood of scratching and such and difficulty of repair after it is scratched.
http://greenhomeguide.com/askapro/q...fely-not-with-oils-but-a-true-waterproof-seal

Just wanted to let you know. And supposedly, the floor epoxy is the toughest so if that scratches, I have to assume so will the counter tops.

All this being said, we had our upper snack bar, a 3.5" pine slab, dipped at a professional place that does the epoxy on restaurant tables. Since we only sit there with drinks and never cook on it, we get the beauty but not the worry of scratching. 

I do love the look.


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## jamesdaclark (Aug 2, 2012)

I have butcher block counter tops and hate them! They were here when I bought the place and were not maintained properly before. I had to sand them all down and refinish them. I used a bees wax and mineral oil finish that was easy, but I have to oil them monthly. I will eventually tear them out and install large stone tiles. I've had a 12" granite tile counter before and loved it. No maintenance at all required.


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## WildernesFamily (Mar 11, 2006)

I don't know how it would hold up long term (the writer used this as a temp solution), but this blog shows how to do faux butcher block countertops using 2 x 10 planking. The result is beautiful.


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## 5RFamily (Apr 6, 2014)

What about the tub/sink refinishing products? Could they be used on a countertop with the same type of finish?


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## fullmetal (Nov 2, 2013)

i talked to a guy once that did concrete counter tops in sections. and while the concrete was still wet he poured a few big scoops of crushed glass bottles (all different colors) on top then when it had fully cured he burned it with a propane torch (he also thinks a charcoal fire might work but he had cheep propane at the time) till the glass ran together forming a multicolor mostly smooth kinda ripply glass counter top. labor intensive but he said it wasn't too expensive. and it _was_ beautiful.


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## Jim Bunton (Mar 16, 2004)

5RFamily said:


> What about the tub/sink refinishing products? Could they be used on a countertop with the same type of finish?


I refinish tubs, and tile. The product would work fine, but you probably wouldn't want to cut on it. The finish isn't that tough.

Jim


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

I have some kind of wood, stained it dark, put 10 coats of thin coat on it. Looks great and crazy cheap.


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## Waiting Falcon (Nov 25, 2010)

What kind of thin coat are you using? Hydro Ban looks good but it is $68 per gallon.

Can not say I like tile after having it 3 years.


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## 5RFamily (Apr 6, 2014)

Jim Bunton said:


> I refinish tubs, and tile. The product would work fine, but you probably wouldn't want to cut on it. The finish isn't that tough.
> 
> Jim


Jim - thank you so much. Is that stuff tricky to apply or is it just follow the directions? Will it adhere to the smooth finish of a counter or do I have to scuff it up first? If all the directions are on the package, just let me know please, I'm not looking to be a bother. 

Thanks again!


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## FarmChix (Mar 3, 2013)

Make sure your floor can handle the weight of the concrete counters! They are beautiful and there are so many ways you can polish them for maintenance and design options. My next counter will be concrete......someday!


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