Outdoor concrete table

This is really interesting. How fragile are the tops?

-- David in Damascus, MD

I’ve read about making your own kitchen countertops similar to this. I really like the look of your finished project! Did you do a lot of sanding / polishing on the top surface to achieve this look?

-- Robb

Now this is a project that I have been contemplating for some time. I have the bases built, but lost the summer months so I can’t do the concrete tops till spring. I want to do mine differently that yours, but am now re-energized byt the idea. I will save your table for future reference. :)

-- Homer : "Oh, and how is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain."

I love the idea of concrete table tops. I would love to know where you got your info to get started. Do you have a background in this or are you just experimenting.

Great job.

-- If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail!

The tops are a little fragile, but it is only 1” thick and there is no reinforcement. I got the bag of mix at Menards so I’m positive there are stronger mixes out there. I’m sure it won’t break just setting glasses and such on it though.

I didn’t do any sanding or polishing to the top. I just sealed with 3 coats of a grout sealer, which didn’t give it the wet look like I was hoping for. The form was 3/4” melamine so it was pretty smooth right out of the mold. The sealer actually made it a little smoother.

I actually got the idea from a Family Handyman magazine and my brother-in-law used to make concrete countertops for a living, so he was a good resource. This is actually the second top I made. The first one didn’t have any design or color in it and I broke a corner of it off :) So now I’m experimenting with things. My brother-in-law said he can still get me some of the professional mix though :)

-- Fladdy

There is lots of “how to” info on youtube and google. YOu don’t have to use the expensive Buddy Rhoades stuff. You reinforce it in the mold and all that. I can’t wait to try it.

-- Homer : "Oh, and how is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain."

Very nice!
I need a new coffee table, and I want a new kitchen. Seems to me that a coffee table is an excellent warm-up exercise before tackling the kitchen counter tops.
You might want to get Fu-Tung Cheng’s book on concrete counter-tops. He and Buddy Rhodes appear to be the gurus on this topic.

-- Life is a sales job.

Great idea for an outdoor table! Can you describe your method for making the top? Did you frame up a melamine form? What was your concrete consistency, etc?

-- Go Pats!

Nice mixed media project. The colored concrete looks good with the tiles.

-- Wag more, bark less.

It was pretty simple to make. I used 3/4 melamine for the form, and nailed it together with a finish nailer. Then I put painters tape along all the joints which I removed after I put down some black silicone. This way I have a nice, smooth line from the silicone. I also used the silicone to hold down the glass tiles and then rubbed a very light coat of vegetable oil over the entire surface. Then you mix the concrete per the directions on the bag (I added a little more water since I mixed it by hand), add the tint and poor into the mold, after making sure the mold is level. Then tap the bottom and sides of the form with a rubber mallet till no more air bubbles appear. You might want to put something under the form to make sure that it doesn’t sag, but make sure you can tap with the mallet. I had mine on sawhorses with 2×4’s underneath it. Hope that answers any questions. Thanks for the comments, my wife actually picked out the colors of the tiles and the color of the table. I just do the work. :)

-- Fladdy