Friends.  I’ve made it.  I’m finally feeling like I’m a part of this whole blogosphere, DIY, Pinterest-pinning world.

I’ve jumped on the concrete counter bandwagon, and I-AM-LOVING-IT!

In fact, there are sooooo many other posts about concrete that I almost didn’t even write one… what could I possibly add, other than confusion?!  But actually, I might have a few tips for ya!!

Remember this ugly, stained, bad boy?

Well, How you like me now?!  How. You. Like. Me. Nnnnoooooowwwwwww….?!?

So shiny and purdy, huh?!

I know there’s some concrete around the edges, but I didn’t worry too much about a little getting on the walls since I knew that paint was next on the agenda.

Basically, I followed all the advice of our friends over at Young House Love.  I had been reading so many blogs with different types of sealers, (all used the Ardex concrete, which is key), but I trusted their research the most.  You can and should read all about their experience by clicking the link.

I bought everything from Amazon for about $150 bucks, in 5 minutes.  A bit steep for the size of my counter but now I can concrete everything… and I plan to!  The best part?  I didn’t even have to remove the sink or anything!  I really loved how I just bought a bunch of stuff and could dive right in.

Full disclosure, time.  This is not an easy project.  It’s messy, and laborsome.  And I absolutely forbid you to do this project without a sander and proper mask!  I read one blogger sanded it all by hand and seriously, that’s just crazy town.  Expect a big, ol’ mess over multiple days and plan for 1-2 hrs of work a day over 3 days, and then figure in some sealing time (10-15 mins) over the next 3 days.

With that said, let us begin!!

Sand your counter first.  I used 60 grit on my orbital and then by hand on the hard to reach areas, like around the faucet.  Obviously, wipe it all up clean and let it dry.

For your first coat you will need a nice batch of mixed concrete since there’s nothing on the counter yet.  I mixed mine by hand in a plastic bucket with a small trowel.  My first batch was 3 cups concrete, but I added in an extra cup of water to soften the mixture a bit, and then added in a bit more about 10 mins later… it starts to harden super fast!!  I had to make two other “batches” to fully cover the counter, but the last two were only a cup each.  It is a good idea to make more smaller batches vs one big batch because the fresh stuff is much easier to work with and spread.

My first coat…

Yes, I realize it’s not good.  I was taken by surprise at how difficult it was to spread the mixture on evenly.  The good news is that with a bit of sanding and a few more coats, you will be fine!  And if you have a few spots that got missed – you can fix those too with the next coat!  Phew!!

After sanding with 60 and 80 grit for about 45 mins, I was ready to messy it up again.

My second coat went much, much better.  You will only need 1/2 as much concrete this time because you are basically filling in holes and gaps and smoothing it all out.  Don’t worry about adding in more water to get a thinner mixture – it will help with the smoothing.

After you put on your second coat, take this time to look over the area you did first.  It will already be hardening and you can use your trowel or drywall knife to scrape off the raised parts.  Then use your fingers to smooth the counter edges.  I even put a few drops of water on parts that had ridges to smooth them out.

Doing this will SAVE YOU TIME from sanding.  And let’s face it, that’s the worst part!

I ended up doing 4 coats actually because of a minor chip I saw while sanding the 3rd coat.  Whoops!

Here’s a before picture of the sink area… Do you see how there is a small band of metal strip around the edge?

It seems weird, but the sink area will make sense when you start covering the counter with concrete.  I decided to leave the metal strip showing, so there is less concrete there… it’s probably lower there, but it’s so slight that you cannot even tell.

While the concrete was wet, I used my finger and trowel to expose and push back the concrete from the metal strip.  Then, while I sanded, I tried my best to get a straight line around the sink edge.

Start each sanding with 60 or 80 grit.  I then used 120 after on coat #2 and finished off coat #3 and #4 with 220, for a super smooth finish.

Vvvveeerrrryyy nnniiiiccceee.

Sealing it is the best part – so easy it’ll make your sore fingers thank the heavens!  I won’t even get into that, but I will say that I put on 3 coats of the Impregnator Sealer and 4 of the Acrylacq.  See Young House Love’s take here.

The sealer will harden and become more durable over time.  Please, please resist the urge to use your counter immediately!  I would recommend waiting a week for it to cure.  I know, total bummer, but do you really want to scratch your beautiful work the first day?!?  No.  No, you don’t.

So, I did this little project during week 38 of my pregnancy, and I can tell you that the counter has held up great!!

It looks fantastic!  I love the variation in the color and how it will juxtapose the more feminine touches going into the laundry room.

Have you done this project?  Any tips you can share??

I included a few other blogs that go over the process because I know, if you’re like me, you’ll read everything you can before attempting this!!  Of course, you can always email me and I would be (very!!) happy to offer any advice or push you off the ledge!!

Keep in touch!  More to come!!

Happy Creating!  Jessica