Monday, April 17, 2017

DIY Concrete Over Laminate Countertops Using Feather Finish

Hey, Everyone! I'm so excited to share my concrete countertops with you! I've been wanting to do this forever. The hunter green had to go!

I have done tons of research and felt like this was the best, budget-friendly option I could find for up-dating laminate countertops. I made a video to share the whole process with you.



I'm not a professional and this was my first time trying this. So, your results may vary.


Check out this awesome green sink! It was sure heavy to take out. I'm surprised how much I love my new faucet.


The main steps are:
1. Prepare your home for dust & concrete.
2. Sand & clean your countertop to accept the feather finish.
3. Apply feather finish in about 4 thin, even layers.
4. Let it dry about 3 hours between layers.
5. Sand & clean your countertop between layers.
6. Apply 2 coats of 511 Impregnator about 1 hour apart. Cure for 24 hours.
7. Apply 3 coats of Safecoat Acrylaq in even strokes.
8. Let it dry about 3 hours between coats.
9. Sand between coats. But, not after final coat.
10. Cure for 24 hours.

I go through the entire process quite thoroughly in the video. So, I won't write too much more about it here. I also share the top 3 things I'd do differently.


One of my favorite things is how the white outlets blend in so much better with the white backsplash instead of sticking out like a sore thumb.


I can't take credit for the original idea. Check out these other great blogs to read about their experiences:
1. Young House Love - Process >> Young House Love - Sealing Countertops
2. A Beautiful Mess >> A Beautiful Mess Using Ghostshield
3. Kara Paisley Designs
4. Design, Dining, Diapers
5. Little Green Notebook
6. Blesser House

If you decide to take a crack at this, please leave a comment with your tips. Good luck!

16 comments:

  1. How much was the total cost?

    ReplyDelete
  2. How much was the materials for just the countertops? Not the backsplash or sink?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't remember exactly how much we spent. I think it was close to $200 for the countertop & backsplash supplies. The new sink, faucet, plumbing stuff about $200-$300 on top of that.

      To give you an idea, at the time I purchased, feather finish was about $17 per box at Home Depot, the Safecoat Acrylaq was about $54 on Amazon, 511 Impregnator was $33 at Home Depot, & paint was about $20 +/-. We also got masks, sandpaper, caulk, and a bunch of other things you might have on hand. But, we ended up returning several unused boxes of feather finish after the fact too. I hope that helps.

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. You bet! My e-mail shows you asked how they are holding up also. Although I can't seem to find the comment here. I will probably do another video on this topic. But, really quickly...

      The feather finish (concrete) is holding up great! There are no dings or anything. I love it other than yes I do see oil spots. It kind of adds to the look. But, it might bother some people (my hubby).

      The topcoat does show some scratch lines in the glossy finish now. I would suggest more of a satin.

      Other than that just what I mention in the video. I hope to sand it down and fix the things that bothered me the first go around. Perhaps I'll try a different topcoat at that time.

      Delete
  4. Hi Maria beautiful work! I'm planning on doing this but my kitchens has extra heavy use. Was wondering how's it holding after these months? Any crackings? Any difference or changes?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's holding up quite well. Please see my comment above to Maria&Jefferson. :)

      Delete
  5. Hi Maria! I have countertops that carry the laminate up the wall backsplash area as well. Did you apply tile on top of the laminate or remove the laminate? I appreciate any help, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For now it's just painted white like I show in the video. I chose a glossy paint that works on multiple surfaces. Make sure to sand and remove the grease like I did and it actually holds up well and wipes off great with a wet rag. I thought about applying some of those peel and stick faux wood pieces. But, we already have a lot of wood in the kitchen. So, I like the white.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousJune 18, 2018

    Did you re-enforce your bar? I am planning this project and we have a free standing bar with an overhang similar to yours. It flexes when it gets leaned on so I am concerned about cracking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We didn't re-enforce the bar & haven't had any cracking.

      Delete
  7. Thank you for this video! My countertops are almost done- great tutorial :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. hi thanks for this, i need to put a laminate upstand between kitchen sink and laminate counter as the gap is too big to just silicone it. Do you recommend to do this before or after cementing? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  9. You are great to put this together for others to use. Thank you. It's on our list for the next month.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I m so glad to visit this blog.This blog is really so amazing.Thanks for sharing with us.

    ReplyDelete

Yay, You Made a Comment!