How to make a Concrete Counter Top in 1 hour TIPS AND TRICKS

[@derekgleue3679]

Just made some countertops for my kitchen using this method. Biggest advice-tap those edges for a lot longer than you think you need to. Once I stopped seeing bubbles pop, probably after 5 minutes, I stopped. The edges of mine have tons of craters still, so keep tapping for at least 10-15 minutes

[@jmbarris8780]

We did it! we made an outdoor kitchen countertop. EVERYTHING worked just like Michael said. Next we are going to polish it following his polishing video. Thanks so much.

[@robbiebooth2980]

I absolutely LOVE your personality and videos! How do you not have 5 million subs or your own show on television? You are one of the best on youtube and thank you for all the little tips and being so informative!

[@MichaelBuilds]

That is a very good question! Hahaha. Well your comment definitely made my day Robbie! Thank you so much!

[@sancop]

Agreed!!

[@mjo8856]

Are you kidding me? Those countertops look amazing! Good job!

[@Holdfast]

I just made my second countertop after the first one cracked in 2. It was then that I learned all about how concrete has compressive strength but very little tensile strength - you really have to reinforce it with rebar, or smaller metal rods or fibre. I can see in the video that this was added but think it should have been mentioned!! Another tip that I have is make sure you have enough support under the melamine. Although my countertop was only 4 feet long I ended up with a slight bow because the melamine flexed under the weight.

[@stevenmorris2293]

I must of missed the rebar or mesh going in . I did not see any . 🙂

[@paulmaxwell8851]

Use mesh, not rebar! Rebar will cause 'ghosting': you'll see a faint outline on the surface of the cured concrete. Rebar is only suitable if you're covering it with at least two or three inches of concrete. Been there, done that.

[@Holdfast]

@@paulmaxwell8851 I used welded wire fencing inside and 1.5 years later it still looks great.

[@jacksonschmidt6487]

exactly what I am using! 4"x2" welded fencing works wonders. @@Holdfast

[@paulinehunt4069]

Did not see any reenforcement used.

[@shirleymorales3161]

Michael will you PLEASE do a video on making concrete sinks square and round that sit on top of the counter ! ? ! I saw a wood countertop with a sink on top thought how cool a concrete sink would look 😎

[@msmtnsunny958]

I really like the Cheng countertop sealer, it worked great for my bathroom counter top. What I'm excited to do on the kitchen counter top is the grinding and sanding to bring the cool look to it. Thank you Michael for another great video! :) Getting really excited for this project, darn winter has put me on hold at the cabin, but come spring. ..it's on! I need to take a photo and send it to you of the bathroom. So thankful I can even do that after the Cameron Peak Fire knocked at my cabin door . A shout out to all the firefighters that work hard to save our homes, cabins and everything else they do for us. :)

[@jman3732]

I did a similar project, but as i didn't have that much help I rented two electric cement mixers and attached and old bench grinder that was off balance to the form. It acted like shaker table so I didn't have to spend any time tapping the forms or spreading out the concrete as it self leveled . I did use two of the set control per bag and just waited to the next day to remove it from the forms. It all worked great and my wife loves the look.

[@samthompson1270]

First of all...WOW!!! That was like a well oiled machine. You guys make a great team. I know it was a lot of work, but I'm sure you all had a blast working together. Good on you and the Rapid Set Team for helping a guy out. That says a LOT about a product as well as you Michael. Love your videos and LOVE your channel man. Keep em coming.

[@dwayneclairmont3908]

This is the best pouring I've seen thank you

[@brentasher8148]

One of the best vids. Just excellent.

[@SteveC38]

Awesome Job EveryBody! What a Nice Thing To Do!

[@smartjbrfd]

Great job guys!👍

[@ledhed5717]

That kitchen looks absolutely fantastic. Great build!! Another great video Michael. Funny bloopers too. 🤣

[@MichaelBuilds]

Thank you so much Eric! I had so much fun edit this one LOL 😂

[@kevinsatz1110]

There were probably an hour's worth of bloopers. My wife said we're children in men's bodies. Could be a whole video/episode itself. LMAO 🤣

[@cowboycrna2811]

@@MichaelBuilds how did y’all make the long form? As in... how did you connect two pieces of melamine seamlessly like that? Thanks!

[@ehickey73]

Looks incredible

[@evarogers8775]

That is one awesome kitchen! Fantastic job guys! And it looked like SO much fun!

[@living9377]

Very helpful video. You’re a good man for doing this for a subscriber. Great tips. Thanks for sharing!

[@bryanlloyd9664]

Great job on the counter tops!!👍👍

[@HAL-dm1eh]

This kinda hits it for me. Very nice!

[@brianandlynphilippines]

This is so enviably fabulous! My countertops are the bottom grade big box store, but if I ever get 3 or 4 friends, I would do this!

[@kevinsatz1110]

You can always do smaller section. We just wanted the L-top not to have a seam. Yes 600lbs was pushing it.

[@brianandlynphilippines]

@@kevinsatz1110 I doubt my big box particle board cabinets would support that, the quiver under my 340 lbs!

[@belavet]

@@brianandlynphilippines I wouldn't worry. That's 600 pounds displaced over a rather large area. Point loading 340 pounds is going to out all of that stress in one, maybe two, sections of cabinet.

[@johnterpack3940]

Pour it in place rather than having to move it. Can be a 1-man job easily.

[@MikeDayConcrete]

Great job. I use Rapid Set products for a lot of things also. Love em!

[@drhenderson40]

That looks awesome!

[@jenniferkapp8069]

This is much more in depth! Very good to watch before a pour. The hubs and i made 2 different projects that turned out but man I wish I would have had this video prior! Thanks for the inspiration!

[@MichaelBuilds]

Thank you so much Jennifer! I really appreciate that. And thank you for commenting again!

[@MontyMcKinnon]

Great job and a lot of planning went into this construction and excellent video. Well done Michael!

[@MichaelBuilds]

Thank you so much Monty! It was a FUN ONE. I can’t wait to do this at your house when Canada opens back up LOL

[@olov244]

I so want to do this, need to start practicing on smaller pours though

[@ericb2247]

Nice to see a new video! - Ice water and citric acid will also buy you time for CSA cement. - I prefer modeling clay for sealing joints because it releases from the form much easier, but it sticks a little to the concrete. Useful if you want to preserve the melamine. A little more time consuming, but less messy. - Covering the concrete with plastic and a blanket helps retain the heat and moisture for faster strength gain, although this is a 1-hour video. CSA heats up a lot.

[@Schmetv]

Yes! What a great video Mike. You are constantly killing it. Keep it up man, you are amazing

[@kevincollins7102]

absolutely awesome JOB!!!!! from burien washington

[@dmartinnj]

what an AWESOME job... I'm still thinking of doing the same thing with my kitchen. I have a smaller kitchen. The biggest counter top would be 80 x 42 for an island sink area. All the rest would be smaller counter tops... However, I still might go with plywood and laminate because it would be significantly lighter.

[@trinakerr1095]

I love this project!! It would be great to have this in my Kitchen 😃 I'm glad to see your projects again!! I've been missing your stuff!!

[@MichaelBuilds]

I’m gonna keep’em comin for ya! 👍🏻☺️

[@c.p.2979]

LISTEN TO ME! I'm not kidding Michael you should get everyone's permission in the video, FIND THE CORRECT PERSON to send it to at HGTV. For consideration for your own show. You should make sure you have creative control of the show so they don't turn it into every other cheesy show on HGTV your videos are better than ANYTHING on HGTV. I wish they had a show like yours where you learn something USEFUL! I've done one of the projects from one of your videos it turned out perfectly. Really a great job on the counters, and what a beautiful home too. Well done! You need to listen to me and do it submit that video! Let me know if you do it. Regards, Carl

[@rchavez5056]

I would watch his show.

[@emilcasas2707]

Truly marvelous!

[@gb6420]

Awesome looks great!

[@uke-earl-lele]

MIchael, this is a great way to do these things. It will be the countertops for a small project I have planned. The one thing I would like to know is "What mistakes have people made and what were the symptoms of the issues?" Thanks in advance.

[@raventree2664]

First! Great job, cannot wait to try this in my house. Thanks for all the knowledge and tips!

[@ForGoodnesSake]

WOW!! That looks gorgeous 😍 Great job Michael Builds team!!

[@dunep6465]

GREAT JOB!!! WELL DONE ALL... :o)

[@nicknolan8254]

That looks stunning!!

[@green5sing]

Wow!! Loved and subscribed!

[@lechatbotte.]

I couldn’t click fast enough!!! Even if I can’t do some of the projects love watching and learning!!! What happens in rapid set stays in rapid set lol, that’s set in concrete lol

[@TheAlpine49]

That is funny!!

[@1-Mr.F.]

Simply Awesome! Okay, not so simple but still Awesome!

[@vera4799]

Beautiful job 👏

[@sancop]

At 14:27 there are supports under the bar. Can you show more about this. I want 15-18” to overhang without column supports and need advice.

[@bethaniwilson1120]

Well done! 👏 👏

[@gonzalopmolina]

Thank you Michael for all your videos. I have two or three questions: 1) What if your countertop needs to be longer than the melamine available? For example, 3 mts long when your melamine size is 2.6 mts long. 2) Dont you use fiber glass ? In case you use them, you can’t trowel the surface that smooth and easy. What can I do? 3) I the countertop shrink (like a banana) before you take it out of the mould, what do you think it happened? Warm? Cold? To much time inside the mould? Another reason? How to avoid that? thank you for all your help and videos! Gonzalo from Buenos Aires, Argentina

[@yvonnetucker2599]

Great job you guys did wonderful

[@patrickossowski5632]

finally back to the beginning awesome

[@butterfly2385]

Wow, awesome build, looks really nice..✌❤😁.

[@bbarney6139]

Amazing job guys! Can't wait to attempt something similar

[@jonathanroy8105]

Great video

[@bendall248]

Great video with a lot of helpful tips.Of course no matter how much info you put out, we still got more questions. How do you make the molds for long runs without seams? Suggestions about reinforcement such as how much, what type and hard areas like around sink cut-outs. Then there's the whole polishing and sealing thing. How long after you take off the mold before you start wet sanding? Tools and techniques used to do it. I saw your video about sealers but this seams to be on another level. You've got us hooked for sure. I will be watching for your videos (always do). Take care and have a Merry Christmas!

[@juliahunt4526]

Awesome job looks fantastic

[@demonspawnss2010]

Love to see you are back at it again as usual and loving the intro and editing.

[@bradw6413]

After watching your videos I made an outdoor kitchen top with fiber optics throughout.

[@summere1609]

Well now you're going to have to make a video so we can all see! Sounds amazing!

[@kevinsatz1110]

I'd like to see that.

[@jamessadler7157]

Awesome job

[@manningmade5761]

Love these and can’t wait to try it! Have you ever done a pour in place countertop? Did you use the same products?

[@marielynn5234]

Heeeeyyyyy Micheeeaaaal! 😍 THAT IS AN AWESOME JOB! BEAUTIFUL!!! Love the new intro BTW. I'm playing catch up on your videos. It's not like me to miss them. Lol 😆

[@alemt287]

Me encanta. Good job !!!

[@dcfrank1]

This is awesome! Can the be made to 1" thickness with this method? Which is stronger, the mortar mix or cement-all?

[@michelleperkins7797]

Great video! I have a question; can the form be made out of ply or something else, large sheets on melamine are hard to come by in the uk. I want to make a concrete able top. Many thanks.

[@MichaelBuilds]

Yes you can but it will give the concrete a lot of texture and wood grain in the concrete

[@mistyvolinski2776]

how long did you wait to seal? Have you ever added powdered pigment to this mortar mix? If so, I am wondering how much per 55 lb bag for a very dark charcoal? We used powdered pigment (8 oz per 55 lb bag) and just unmolded and the pigment is coming off on our hands!

[@patrickradke1482]

Made my 1st counter, needed 2 bags. Mixed and poured desperate. Can see the differences between bags. Next time I suggest mixing after pour?!? That's Michael!

[@natdog35023]

Awesome pour, I’m my experience set control is a must for any more than 1 bag , also flow. I also figured out to pour each bucket in the mold and move it around and you want have pour spots.

[@davegill429]

Hello I made a four foot pour for a outside sink. Came out great. I didn’t use rebar. I am gonna pour a larger L shape outside bar top. What was the placement of the rebar. Love your videos thanks

[@MichaelBuilds]

Keep the rebar about 2” away from the sides and overlap the ends where the L shape meets.

[@forestmorris2996]

Another fantastic video! Glad I subscribed some time back!

[@blamy1075]

Where did you find a piece of melamine long enough for the sink counter? I want to do this, but my countertop is 14' long.

[@derekbarrington667]

Just giving a second to this question. Mine is actually 98.75" long as in 1.75" too long for the 97" melamine. ANYONE have an answer? Is there a trick to connect two pieces without having a visible seam in the concrete?

[@JJVThou]

I love you Michele, I am short like you, and that start was far funny with the stand on....LOL..and yeh my first was cracked too, i didn't throw away, instead i rapid clue it back, it works just fine...

[@kevinsatz1110]

Yea, I had epic failures on different levels.

[@Spad68]

Just got home for work an bamo . You posted a video . First . That clip of you stepping down from the step was hilarious . Second awesome team work . Third . No way that's a one man job . It sure looked heavy a F.... lol Keep them coming mike

[@kevinsatz1110]

For the L-top, about 65ish lbs per bag after cure x 10 bags....... you do the math lol

[@jefflachapelle4123]

How many bags of set and flow control did you use for each bag of mortar mix?

[@EasyFirePits_]

Awesome fun video again Michael! Wish i lived closer. I'd invite you over for some drinks, err a countertop!!

[@thomasgagne3270]

good job guys

[@MarcLaneAus]

Great video mate.

[@MrPedagno]

Really enjoy your content. Using your technique for an outdoor countertop next month, 40” wide x 10’ long x 2” deep with a 36” x 28” cutout for the grill. Do I need to use any type of reinforcement in my pour? I’ve never poured a countertop but have poured several slabs and always reinforced with rebar mesh, so I just wanted your input. I’ll be pouring in a form and then flipping.

[@nataliedavis2999]

How long was your longest piece for the countertop? I am looking to do a countertop for outdoor kitchen and need it to measure 100 inch long and not sure if melamine board comes that long. Thanks

[@MichaelBuilds]

Unfortunately it does not come that long. In the video you can see that Kevin had to join two pieces together and support the mold well under the joint. He was then able to remove the seam in the finished top through the polishing process. But if your lucky enough to live near a supply company that specializes in concrete countertop supplies, the can special order longer sheets of melamine

[@nataliedavis2999]

@@MichaelBuilds Awesome and thank you so much for your help!!

[@darrellgordon9224]

2 questions I haven't seen asked here. What size rebar are you using and are the molds top side down or bottom side down? Thanks and great video!

[@kevinsatz1110]

That was 1/2" rebar since we went with 2" thick top. Top side is facing down in the mold.

[@brentneedham3747]

Can you use a liquid color agent?

[@cowboycrna2811]

How did y’all connect the melamine to make a long form? I need to make a form longer than 8 feet (common length of a sheet) and I want to figure out the best way to keep it seamless. Thanks!

[@derekbarrington667]

DItto>>> Can anyone answer this? I am in the same boat.

[@cowboycrna2811]

@@derekbarrington667 hey, man. I got it done and it turned out great. Is there a way on here you can direct message me.. I'd love to help. I just finished an entire outdoor kitchen

[@soundtw77]

Ready for a trip to Texas 😉😉😉😉😉

[@amyb5660]

Amazing ❤️

[@Debbyiamme]

@Michael Builds, First, nice videos, I love your positive, upbeat, happy go lucky personality and you're such an artist in your own right. Did you ever do the video on how he grind-ed that counter top, how he made it smooth and looking nice like that? I don't see it in the description above. You said that you would put it there.

[@jcabanaman5278]

Nice to see more video's. As usual, great content with helpful tips! If your looking for more project idea's, ive been thinking of doing a large concrete soaking tub. I know there are alot more variables involved with it, but it would be a cool transition from countertops and bowls.

[@svenpetersen7458]

Michael. I know its been a while but do you remember or know how much color (weight) was added to each bag that went into this project? Thanks!

[@adrianarodriguez6999]

Can you please tell me in what sequence to put the products in? Thanks

[@MichaelBuilds]

Water, (Set Control optional), Mortar Mix, MIX , add Flow Control then mix again ☺️

[@gregorywages5500]

Will this process work for pour in place? What was the mix ratios? I’m doing a outside bar top

[@unisuit]

In an earlier video, Michael used 5 quarts of water, a 55-pound bag of Rapid Set Mortar Mix and one packet of Rapid Set flow control.

[@jayelwin]

Home Depot doesn’t seem to carry rapid set anymore. How good is quickrete FastSet as a substitute?

[@derekbarrington667]

They Have Rapidset again... I was totally freeking out and went to the two local Home Depots and bought every last bag they had like it was March of 2020 and it was Toilet Paper... lol... but its back on the website and in stock in the stores.

[@obadiaoracle5573]

Damn awesome job....

[@jerrycooper2265]

Michelle,what kind of sealer would you use on a concrete kitchen counter top that is food safe

[@marikiemarie7622]

Need some advice!!!!!! Can I cover my tile/ceramic counter top with a layer of concrete? I have horrible tiled counter tops. They are 5in by 5in square tiles with wide grout lines... something you might see on an outdoor patio or something. Is it possible to do an overly of concrete?

[@DiverPilot]

Try epoxy. Pouring a thin layer of concrete over existing tile would be too brittle (and a big mess). You want a nice thick layer of concrete for it not to break. I think if you poured concrete over, it would be more prone to cracking and it would not last the test of time.

[@ronniestanley75]

I used this stuff to make my kitchen tops. But, on the inside of the mold, instead of just sealing the corners I cut the opening of the caulk tube and laid a huge bead of silicone. Then, I modified a plastic scraper to fit in the corner at an angle that left a fat bead with a huge mitered edge. It rounds the top edges over so well that it has a rounded feel even though it's just a 45° angle.

[@gagesukola269]

Very nice. I poured a few tops this past weekend for my kitchen(using your method), they turned out really nice. Were these countertops wet sanded or diamond grinded? I have wet sanded mine with 320 but I still have some white staining and the aggregate is not nearly as visible as these. maybe it will show better after I seal?

[@kevinsatz1110]

I wet sanded them using STADEA Premium Grade Wet 5" Diamond Pads (5 pack) on Amazon. Started with 50. Then jumped up to 200, 400 and finished off with a little 800.

[@wpb007]

Michael first off I love your videos! I have a question/ possible video request. There are quite a few “make your own concrete weights” videos, however I’ve yet to see any that use rapid set mortar mix. How do you think the durability of a rapid set mortar “weight “ would compare to a quick Crete 5000 as far as chipping/crushing? It would be awesome to see your take on this project.

[@davelindgren1072]

What do you know about rapidset and epoxy ? How long after pouring until it can be coated ? I emailed rapidset months ago , but never recieved a response .

[@darabaltuskonis3149]

Can you add crushed glass to the concrete? Also does this mortar come in white?

[@MichaelBuilds]

Yes you can add glass which is in the next video but unfortunately the Rapid Set does not come in white

[@darabaltuskonis3149]

@@MichaelBuilds Thanks, I look forward to seeing your next video!

[@michellegoddard5710]

Love the video! How did they install the gass cooktop without a cutout? Did they have to drill into the countertop?

[@MichaelBuilds]

Kevin had to cut into it after the fact. He drilled the corners first and cut the straight lines with a diamond blade

[@badcarrera]

Very cool man, I live in Bath Michigan right next to MSU.

[@K9Trooper]

Great video! I always suspected you were short. Merry Christmas! If you’re ever in the Milwaukee area hit me up. We’ll take you guys out for great beer.

[@richardhass3258]

Great vids Michael. So do you recommend any particular pigments?? I am wanting to do a light almost white concrete bar. Can you suggest anything to use with the rapid set mix???

[@MichaelBuilds]

You can use any pigment you want as long as it’s made for concrete. Home Depot has a Quikrete colorant in stock that works great but they don’t have light colors. But remember, you can’t go lighter than the base concrete that’s already in the bag. If you need to go lighter, you need to start off with a white concrete which unfortunately rapid Set does not have. Quikrete has a white base tho

[@richardhass3258]

@@MichaelBuilds Great info...thank you Sir!!

[@mojomike3913]

Can you use the rapid set product with pour in place countertops?

[@birdflysfast7547]

Love this!!! Been following for years and now ready to try my first one! Do you have anything on how to join melamine boards for a longer than the dimensional 8' length boards? I need to do a 12' run. Thank you for your channel!

[@donfrazelle7752]

Great video and great team effort ! Quick couple thoughts/concerns hoping you or your subscribers can address for me as I'm getting ready to do 2 end table tops and 1 coffee table for customers...in this video you mentioned (and I saw) the "pour marks" on the top side of the countertop once the form was removed. Are they avoidable with using different pour technique(s) as in maybe trying more entry pour points with less/slower volume ? Are they the result of the concrete solution pushing away the WD40 release layer and then coming into direct surface contact with the Melamine face ? With a full +/- 28 day cure will they be much less noticeable or not visible at all ? Do these pour marks show using this mortar mix regardless of color tint or standard (no color added) ? Thanks for your reply and advice !