DIY Network

Concrete Vanity: Form Completion and Pouring the Concrete You'll be surprised at the results you can get with concrete and broken glass. From "Rock Solid" episode DROC-202

(Continued from page 1)

	Once mixed, the concrete is smoothed into the form using a trowel.

Mixing and Pouring the Concrete

Tools and materials:

melamine form on a level table
clean 5-gallon buckets
Portland cement, type II, white
playground sand
coarse sand
bathroom scale
perforated hoe
wheelbarrow
rubber mallets
magnesium trowel
garbage bag
mask

advertisement

	Figure I
	Figure J
	Figure K

Mixing the concrete is as precise as making the vanity form. To figure out how much material you'll need for the project, you need to first figure out the total weight of the countertop and then measure out parts by dividing.

A two-inch thick countertop weighs about 25 pounds per square foot. Calculate the total weight of your project by multiplying the vanity's square footage by 25 lbs. Round up so you have a little extra concrete to work with.

Example: A 4 ft. by 3 ft. vanity is 12 sq. ft. and has a total weight of 300 pounds. Round up to 315 pounds so you have a little extra material to work with.

Example: Each part of the 4 ft. by 3 ft. vanity (rounded up to 315 lbs) is 35 lbs. Thus, you would need to measure out 105 lbs (3 x 35 = 105) of coarse sand, 105 lbs of white playground sand, 90 lbs (Type I/II Portland cement) and 35 lbs of water.

Figure L

• Measure out each ingredient ahead of time in clean five-gallon buckets, using the bathroom scale. It's also a good idea to measure out the water in smaller containers. It will make the job easier if you add the water a little at a time.

• Add the dry ingredients to the wheelbarrow and mix them thoroughly with the perforated hoe. Be sure to wear a mask. Then slowly add water, mixing as you do, until the cement's texture turns from a crumbly mixture to an oatmeal consistency (figure L). Watch your water amount carefully – to create a strong mix, your water amount should always be less than half the weight of your cement.
  

• Once your concrete is mixed, add it in small batches to the leveled melamine form. You should add the first layer with your hands or a bowl so that the glass design stays put at the bottom of the form. Fill up the form halfway (figure M), and then get rid of air bubbles by banging the bottom and sides of the form with rubber mallets – and don't forget to get the corners! You should continue to hit the form until no bubbles rise to the surface (figure N).

  Figure M

  Figure N

  
  

  	Figure O
  	Figure P

• Next set the steel in the half-filled form. Set the expanded lath first and then the steel mesh on top of it. Make sure that none of the steel touches the edge of the form – if it does, then it will show through in the finished vanity.

• Fill up the rest of the form with concrete until it's flush with the form's rails. Once it's full, pound the form with the rubber mallets until no bubbles rise to the surface. The concrete will settle a little during this process so continue adding concrete and malleting till it's flush with the edges of the form.

• The last step is to take a magnesium trowel and smooth the concrete (figure O).

• Cover the form with a plastic garbage bag (figure P). This keeps the concrete hydrated as it cures. Hydration is the chemical process by which concrete hardens. Let the concrete set up for about 48 hours before de-forming it.

In the final phase of the project, the form is removed from the concrete, the surface is polished and the vanity unit is installed.

1 | 2

RESOURCES :

Concrete Countertops: Design, Form, and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath
Authors: Fu-Tung Cheng, Eric Olsen
Publisher: Taunton (2002)
ISBN: 1561584843
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Concrete at Home: Innovative Forms and Finishes: Countertops, Floors, Walls, and Fireplaces
Authors: Fu-Tung Cheng, Eric Olsen
Publisher: Taunton (2005)
ISBN: 156158682X
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Decorative Concrete
ISBN: 0376011602
Author: Jeanne Huber
Publisher: Sunset Publishing Corporation (2005)

GUESTS :

Dan Gobillot
Stone Soup Concrete®
www.stonesoupconcrete.com