Why I began on this project:
I needed to replace the countertops in the bathroom. There are marks on it and they are baby blue. This is really the last project that we have left on our house. The bathtub matches the baby blue sinks.
Odd size coutertops. I looked at the local hardware stores and the ReUse store and there was nothing even close. I would have to replace the base cabinets and the flooring if I wanted to go cheap coutertops. I could also go custome countertops with about the same prices.
I had the pieces for the form and YouTube videos to watch. I spent many hours planning and convincing my wife that it would be a good idea.
I am always up for the challenge. Most people that I talked to thought I was crazy. This was all the reason I needed to tackle this impossible project.
I am frugal. Ok, I am cheap. If I can design something that accomplishes what I want for cheap, I will do it. Concrete: $2.65 per bag. Concrete color: $5.00. Form: FREE. Wire Mesh: $11.00.
The above picture shows the mold for the first version. I was designing a countertop with a builtin sink (C-H-E-A-P). This required me to think about the faucet not being too far away from the drain. The sink had to have the right slope to make sure the water went the right way. I had to make sure the concrete wall was thick enough around the sink.
There were two difficulties with this design. First was the sink. I used 2 by 6's and cut them out with a skill saw. I then routered them to get them to the same size. I sanded them down to make them smooth. I used caulk to make it even accross the boards. Finally, I used wax paper to make sure that it was smooth and that it would release from the mold. It took a lot of work. When I was building it I promised that I would keep it forever!
The second hardest piece was making sure that the faucet and drain holes in the concrete. I started by using the plastic pieces for sink drain. What I found out is that it worked perfect for the drain, but not so well for the small one inch holes for the faucet. All of the sudden I had a genius idea, us the caulk tubes. It worked perfectly. I was able to roll them small enough and use packaging tape to make it work.
