Diy cement countertops

When my hub and I were redoing our kitchen we were torn between concrete counters or a nicer laminate.  Let me just add that we were on a very tight budget so any other countertop options were just out of the question.  These options were pretty much the only thing in our price range but Ive always loved the look of concrete counters and there are really pretty laminate counters.  Our cabinets are the Home Depot cabinets you can buy off the shelf, and honestly we were a little nervous they wouldn't be able to hold the heavy concrete counter.  So that wasn't going to work.  We then were going to go with laminate, but when we went to order them it was going to be 5-6 weeks out before they could install.  We had already been living in the house for a week or two with out counters, doing dishes in the bathtub, etc.. So waiting that long was not going to work.  Plan B!.. or C.  I started looking online for cheap but pretty counter tops that we could do ourselves.  That's when I came across this cement mix called Ardex Feather Finish. The perfect solution for out counters. 

 

The Ardex mix is just a dry cement mix you mix in a bucket with water. It can be applied to virtually any surface including old ugly laminate counters.  I found many tutorials on how to do it.  It is key to read the directions on the bag completely though.  We tend to always learn the hard way by trial and error. Don't try to mix the whole bag.  Mix small amounts at a time when applying. 

 

 Since we had nothing for counters we put down 1 inch plywood and then applied the cement mix to the wood.  Our first go around, we mixed the entire bag and the mix dried incredibly fast which lead to a big lump of cement that was not pretty.  So we had to sand A LOT to get it not so mounded.

 Once we read the instructions, we got things down packed.  We used drywall knives to apply the cement and spread the mix very thin across the counter.

 We had to make a little go along way because every time we mixed a new batch it was slighty a different shade of gray.  We mixed the same amount every time but it still had a slight different tent.  Other tutorials I read said the same thing.  So we tried to make one batch cover the entire counter so it was all the same color.

 We applied about 4 coats and then let it dry for 24 hours.  I then went over it all with a sander to smooth out all the edges and rough spots. 

 I love the patina the sanding gave the counters.  All the layers of different  shades were coming through and I loved it.

And this is after I sealed it.  I love them and highly recommend them if you are looking for a cheap solution for counters.  This whole project cost me under $100.  Not to shabby!