Concrete countertops

[TripletDaddy]

Here is one of mantles. The concrete is colored and has been sealed.


This is the sink. Also colored and sealed.

This house is in Utah????

How refreshing. Nice job. Looks sweet. Ian Schrager would be proud.

[hostile]

You're talking about the hearth, right? Down below the (future) fireplace? I'm just wanting to make sure you're not talking about that wall above the fireplace (which is awesome and looks great, but would weigh about a ton if it were made of concrete).

Yes. The wall is stacked slate.

[hostile]

This house is in Utah????

How refreshing. Nice job. Looks sweet. Ian Schrager would be proud.

Yes, I have my wife to thank for the overall design and layout. Our contractor did a great job.

[TripletDaddy]

Yes, I have my wife to thank for the overall design and layout. Our contractor did a great job.

I love it, seriously. Your wife has nice style and certainly went against the cultural grain around here.

Is the rest of your house done in similar fashion? Id love to see any pics you feel comfortable posting.

The one challenge with a finished concrete fireplace....are they mostly gas? Can you burn wood in a gas fireplace?

[FN Phat]

Wow. Looks great, Hostile.

[kccougar]

You probably already saw these, but here are a few shots of some countertops my brother-in-law has done. As long as you cure it correctly and use some light reinforcement (I think my BIL uses mesh) I don't think you need to worry about cracking. If it cracks it is because it wasn't built right. You do need to seal it. I'll ask my BIL what he uses.

http://kingbirddesign.com/category/counter-tops/

[kccougar]

I love it, seriously. Your wife has nice style and certainly went against the cultural grain around here.

The cultural grain? Sounds like you're just not looking in the right neighborhoods. Or only looking at tract homes.

[TripletDaddy]

The cultural grain? Sounds like you're just not looking in the right neighborhoods. Or only looking at tract homes.

Please provide me a list of neighborhoods that are decorated in similarly contemporary style. I'd love to move there.

I can provide you a list of areas with homes that are filled with oak colored kitchen cabinets, country decor, light brown carpet, and RC Willey couches.

In fact, go check out realtor.com or utahhomes or some other MLS listing source. Do a search and then show me where these homes are. I'm being serious as it would be a huge favor.

[kccougar]

Please provide me a list of neighborhoods that are decorated in similarly contemporary style. I'd love to move there.

I can provide you a list of areas with homes that are filled with oak colored kitchen cabinets, country decor, light brown carpet, and RC Willey couches.

In fact, go check out realtor.com or utahhomes or some other MLS listing source. Do a search and then show me where these homes are. I'm being serious as it would be a huge favor.

Upper Avenues. Olympus Cove. Sections of Salt Lake City above Foothill Drive. All good places to start.

[pellegrino]

The cultural grain? Sounds like you're just not looking in the right neighborhoods. Or only looking at tract homes.

Yes, the predominant strain of Mormon culture is very suburban and the taste in style is likely country, traditional or colonial. Modernist architecture, furniture, and design are decidedly too edgy for that crowd's taste.

[TripletDaddy]

Upper Avenues. Olympus Cove. Sections of Salt Lake City above Foothill Drive. All good places to start.

I've looked in the aves and we did see one contemporary home but it was way overpriced. We saw a load of homes decorated in utah style. I will do a search in those other areas on the MLS and post my findings.

We also looked around foothill drive....the zoo, harvard Yale area? Is that what it is called? There are no neighborhoods that i have seen that are this way. By and large, the homes look similar and it isn't like what hostile posted.

I will return with my findings.

You also indictaed that these are good starting points which must mean there are plenty of other areas beyond those. We have scoured alpine and that ghost town neighborhood in draper by the temple. Lots of pickings if you want a brown house with oak cabinets or country decor. In the hills above draper, I noticed that the faux French seemed to be a popular choice for homes that are now bank owned and unable to sell.

[kccougar]

I've looked in the aves and we did see one contemporary home but it was way overpriced. We saw a load of homes decorated in utah style. I will do a search in those other areas on the MLS and post my findings.

We also looked around foothill drive....the zoo, harvard Yale area? Is that what it is called? There are no neighborhoods that i have seen that are this way. By and large, the homes look similar and it isn't like what hostile posted.

I will return with my findings.

You also indictaed that these are good starting points which must mean there are plenty of other areas beyond those. We have scoured alpine and that ghost town neighborhood in draper by the temple. Lots of pickings if you want a brown house with oak cabinets or country decor. In the hills above draper, I noticed that the faux French seemed to be a popular choice for homes that are now bank owned and unable to sell.

I wouldn't expect that you could find anything in either Draper or Alpine. You are going to have to look in the older neighborhoods where 50's and 60's style homes have been renovated with modern style.

Look in the Avenues above 13th Ave.

[kccougar]

I asked my BIL for some tips - here was his response:

The easiest thing to do is use Quickrete 5000 psi sacked concrete (without the "pro finish" additives - supposedly they leave more air bubbles) and one or two layers of 4x4 wire remesh. That is plenty of reinforcement for most countertops. If there is a large overhang or long unsupported span, I use the smallest rebar (sparingly).

The best source for info, colors, and sealers is http://www.concreteexchange.com/ They have the best products that I've seen so far. Their book is also the best I've seen.

I hope that answers some questions. If you have any more just let me know. Your friend is also more than welcome to contact me directly if desired.

Concrete Exchange - Cheng Concrete Countertops - Design Gallery, Training, DIY Products, Contractors
www.concreteexchange.com
Concrete countertops - A full line of resources for designing and building concrete countertops for your kitchen and bathroom. Created by Fu-Tung Cheng, author of bestseller book Concrete Countertops and the new Concrete at Home

[UteStar]

I've looked in the aves and we did see one contemporary home but it was way overpriced. We saw a load of homes decorated in utah style. I will do a search in those other areas on the MLS and post my findings.

We also looked around foothill drive....the zoo, harvard Yale area? Is that what it is called? There are no neighborhoods that i have seen that are this way. By and large, the homes look similar and it isn't like what hostile posted.

I will return with my findings.

You also indictaed that these are good starting points which must mean there are plenty of other areas beyond those. We have scoured alpine and that ghost town neighborhood in draper by the temple. Lots of pickings if you want a brown house with oak cabinets or country decor. In the hills above draper, I noticed that the faux French seemed to be a popular choice for homes that are now bank owned and unable to sell.

KCCougar is correct in some respects. The majority of the homes are as DDD described...but the areas that are doing different things are the ones that KC described. Olympus Cove especially has been going thru a pretty big transition with quite a few modern homes. Holladay has a few. Harvard/Yale has been doing it as well but Modern does not fit that area as well as some of the other neighborhoods. But the style is classic, for the most part, in that neighborhood. Above Hogle Zoo - there is a transition as well to more modern and open, but not as much as been happening in the Cove.

[TripletDaddy]

KCCougar is correct in some respects. The majority of the homes are as DDD described...but the areas that are doing different things are the ones that KC described. Olympus Cove especially has been going thru a pretty big transition with quite a few modern homes. Holladay has a few. Harvard/Yale has been doing it as well but Modern does not fit that area as well as some of the other neighborhoods. But the style is classic, for the most part, in that neighborhood. Above Hogle Zoo - there is a transition as well to more modern and open, but not as much as been happening in the Cove.

I liked the house KC posted.

We looked in Harvard/Yale as well as above Hogle Zoo. There is no such home for sale right now, at least not on the MLS.

We have some friends building on the bench above Hogle Zoo or thereabouts. They are going with the traditional local look. In other words...the cultural grain.