When trying to put together the perfect kitchen of your dreams, you’ll come across plenty of options. There are so many choices for flooring, cabinet-type, and most importantly – countertops. The countertop is any kitchen’s lifeblood. It accounts for all cooking activities and is the first thing many see when stepping within your home’s hearth. Thus, it should always be stunning. Many homes may choose to go for the contemporary stones, but concrete countertops can offer your home a distinctly industrial look that both modernizes and improves the generalized feel of your kitchen. These durable, functional countertops are not only beautiful but also are completely customizable to your specifications due to the innately on-demand nature of concrete. This is one of the few surface options that are, realistically, completely at your creative mercy.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Variability

The biggest advantage to a concrete countertop is that the potential for creativity is virtually unlimited – they’re made on-site compared to buying a countertop pre-prepped at a factory or store. Instead, you or your contractor will be hand-designing it right in your very home. Edge profiling embeds, polish – changing the color, the grain, the texture; applying stylistic changes to fit any home features. The possibilities are endless with such a varied material.

Durability

Another well-known feature of concrete is the sheer durability of the material whenever builders use the right mixture of additives for reinforcement. One of the most common inclusions to cement mixture for your concrete countertop is glass fibers, keeping the surface both strong and lightweight at the same time.

Value

These concrete countertops are usually a beautiful, lasting addition to any home. It’s almost guaranteed that adding these to your kitchen as a feature will increase the value of your home. Any homeowner can rest assured, these counters are an apt investment for future sales.

Cons

Staining Frequency

One of the negative features of concrete countertops is, unfortunately, that these surfaces are more prone to staining than other surfaces. Reapplying sealers and waxes to the countertop is a newfound chore that owners of other countertops might not have encountered before. Thankfully, it’s usually not much of a hassle in comparison to waxing and sealing an entire floor.

Construction Time

In comparison to a pre-cut stonework counter, these countertops can take a considerable amount of time to build. This is mostly in reference to the casting and curing time, as ensuring your materials are properly hardened is paramount to preventing any unfortunate breaks in the surface before they’re ready for usage. Regardless, the timesink is still well worth the wait, according to many that build these novelties.

DIY

If cost is something worrying you, some can opt to build the countertops themselves, provided they have some modest experience with tools, polish, and design. This is a complicated process and can be rather difficult – It would be more apt to have a specialist in concrete assist you in this wonderful finishing piece for your home. Contact us at Hicks Asphalt and Paving. We are more than happy to help you ensure your concrete countertops are flawless.