Buyer's Guide to Concrete Countertop Mixes

Prepackaged mixes can take the trial and error out of concrete countertop making. Here's a roundup of some of the products available, ranging from those designed for maximum ease of use to mixes you can customize to suit the job.

By Anne Balogh, ConcreteNetwork.com Columnist

It's certainly fitting that the biggest market for concrete countertops is in the kitchen, whether residential or commercial. In many ways, the artisans who make concrete countertops can be compared to creative cooks, often experimenting by combining ingredients in unique ways to liven up the menu or satisfy different tastes.

Decorative Concrete Institute

This passion to innovative is what makes the products of accomplished cooks and countertop makers alike so distinctive and appealing. Yet even the most experimental cook will admit that certain recipes, such as the perfect pie crust, simply shouldn't be messed with because consistency is so essential to good results. Likewise, concrete countertop makers will often insist that the perfect countertop begins with a consistent, proven mix design.

Many concrete countertop pros have experimented with their mixes over the years, fine-tuning them to perfection so they can achieve consistent, reproducible results time and again. Some of them have even patented their field-proven mixes and sell them in packaged form to fellow concrete countertop makers. (Be sure to thank these guys for making your life easier!) You can often buy these bagged mixes directly from the contractor or through a local materials supplier or home-improvement retailer. Some major manufacturers of bagged concrete and mortar mixes now also offer formulas developed specifically for countertops.

If you haven't yet fine-tuned your own mix to your satisfaction or you are new to concrete countertop making, you can avoid all the trial and error by using one of these prepackaged blends. As the demand for concrete countertops grows, more and more of these mixes are entering the marketplace, giving you a broader array of options to choose from to meet your specific project requirements.

Bagged vs. From-Scratch Mixes: Pros and Cons

Pros

Clearly, convenience and ease of use are the most compelling reasons to use a bagged concrete countertop mix. All the necessary ingredients are preblended—all you do is mix in the specified amount of water and a pigment, if desired. (Some mixes may also require the addition of a polymer admixture, which is sold along with the dry ingredients.) You don't have to worry about obtaining and batching all the ingredients separately and storing the raw materials.

Pouring a Mardi Gras colored concrete countertop.

Consistency is another big plus of using a bagged mix. Most of the variables have been removed from the equation, as long as you follow the manufacturer's mixing and placing instructions. That means you don't need to be knowledgeable about mix design or worry about troubleshooting a mix that's not cooperating. With a bagged mix, your concrete will be identical from job to job.

Cons

If having complete control over your countertop mix is important, you are probably better off starting from scratch, says Jeff Girard of the Concrete Countertop Institute (see Concrete Mixes: Bagged vs. From Scratch). He notes that when making your own mix, you can tinker with accelerators, superplasticizers, pozzolans, pigments and decorative aggregates to tweak the performance and appearance, allowing you to strike the best balance between aesthetics, workability and physical performance. This degree of flexibility isn't possible with a preblended product. Often you don't really know what's in the bag or the exact proportions, Girard adds, so you have to adhere to the manufacturer's instructions to get the best results.

You may be limited in terms of decorative versatility as well. Although nearly all bagged mixes can be integrally colored, you might be required to use the manufacturer's pigments, which could limit your color palette. Usually, you are also stuck with the aggregate blend used in the mix, limiting the possibility of using another type of aggregate.

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Minimum-Fuss Mixes

Although prepackaged countertop mixes are easier to use and more foolproof than a mix made from scratch, some products are designed to be especially user friendly and are intended for use by do-it-yourselfers and pros alike.

One such mix is Cheng Pro-Formula from the Cheng Concrete countertop line, developed by award-winning designer Fu-Tung Cheng. It's described as an "all-in-one" concrete countertop mix that the user simply mixes with sacked concrete (such as Sakrete) and water. Designed for precast countertops, it contains special admixtures to ensure a smoother surface, a water reducer to make the mix easier to work with, and high-quality iron-oxide pigments to produce vibrant, long-lasting color (several color choices are available). All the ingredients are combined in one kit in premeasured quantities. Two different package sizes are available to yield either 1 or 3 cubic feet of concrete.

Another user-friendly blend is the Quikrete Countertop Mix, part of the Quikrete Cement & Concrete Products line. Suitable for precast and cast-in-place projects, the mix requires only the addition of water and needs little mechanical vibration after placement into the forms. It blends high-strength 5000-psi concrete with superplasticizers to improve flowability while keeping water requirements low (you only need to add 7 to 8 pints of water per 80-pound bag of mix). The product is available in two colors—white and gray—and can be combined with Quikrete's Liquid Cement Colors, available in five shades, or its Stucco & Mortar Liquid Color, available in 20 different shades.

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High-Performance Mixes

Some prepackaged mixes are formulated to produce countertops with exceptional performance features, such as high strengths of 5500 psi or greater, minimal cracking and shrinking, lighter weights, faster setting times, greater workability and the ability to be poured into thinner slabs. These qualities can enhance the durability of your countertops, help prevent damage during shipping and installation, and improve productivity.

The Stamp Store's enCounter mix blends white limestone rock, well-graded aggregates, cement, and performance-enhancing admixtures to minimize shrinkage and cracking, improve finishability, and achieve strengths topping 8000 psi after 28 days. Stamp Store owner Doug Banister says enCounter is more flexible and structurally stronger than other countertop materials, which allows the material to take any shape and be cast in long unsupported spans, making it ideal for cantilevered countertops (see Bending the Rules in Concrete Countertop Mix Design). Packaged in 50 pound bags, the mix is available in white or gray and can be integrally colored with a choice of nine liquid pigments. For additional decorative effect, the surface can be polished after it cures to expose the white limestone rock.

enCOUNTER in Oklahoma City, OK

Counter Weight from Decosup is touted as a lightweight countertop mix with both the structural strength and workability of regular concrete. It weighs up to 33% less than other standard concrete mixes, according to the company, reducing the load on the countertop base and allowing installers to haul around bigger pieces. Counter Weight achieves strengths of 5500 psi within 28 days and it sets quickly, permitting diamond polishing, staining or dying the day after placement. The mix is light in color and tintable, resulting in brighter color tones.

As the name implies, Xtreme Countertop from SureCrete achieves super-high compressive strengths exceeding 10,500 psi and flexural strengths greater than 1,400 psi. The cementitious composite material is suitable for both cast-in-place or precast projects and permits you to pour countertops as thin as ½ inch with no rebar and wire mesh. The mix is also fast setting and can be removed from the mold after 4 hours and polished with diamond abrasives after 8 hours. The product is packaged in 50-pound bags to which you add a gallon of liquid modifier and SureCrete's Color Pack for an integral tint, if desired.

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Special-Effects Products

Some prepackaged mixes allow you to achieve special decorative effects, such as marbling or veining. These products are great when you want consistency while still having the ability to create a unique look.

One example is the Buddy Rhodes Concrete Counter Mix, developed by concrete countertop guru Buddy Rhodes. With this product, you can achieve two different finishes using the same mix—a hard-troweled finish using cast-in-place techniques and Rhodes' signature pressed finish, which results in a veined effect when the concrete is precast. The mix also is bone white so it takes color particularly well, resulting in greater vibrancy. Rhodes sells a liquid colorant packaged in premeasured quantities for easy dosing.

Buddy Rhodes Concrete Products

To help you create distinctive veining effects that mimic granite, Microbatch from Blue Concrete produces mini 3-pound batches of concrete that are designed to contrast in color with the main pour. It comes in two variations: Microbatch Black, a blend of black pigment and jet-black aggregates, and Microbatch White, a combination of white pigments and white aggregates. You simply add Microbatch to the mold before pouring in the main batch of concrete. Microbatch will then flow and vibrate differently from the main pour to create the white or black veining effects, depending on the version you use. With Microbatch, you'll still need to mix up a batch of your own concrete, but you don't have to worry about mixing a second full-size batch to achieve color contrast.

Blue Concrete in Social Circle, GA

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Customizable Mixes

Even though prepackaged countertop mixes are carefully formulated and precisely proportioned to ensure foolproof results, many products allow you to add a few of your own embellishments or enhance the performance with optional modifiers.

Concrete Countertop Insitute

For example, both the Quikrete Countertop Mix and SureCrete's Xtreme Countertop can be seeded with decorative aggregates or other decorative embedments, such as pieces of recycled glass or metal shavings. However, you will need to grind the surface after it sets to expose the aggregate. Both companies also sell acid-based stains that can be applied to the cured countertop to create a variegated stonelike finish in a variety of earth-toned shades.

To produce countertops with an extremely smooth, abrasion-resistant surface, you can enhance The Stamp Store's enCounter mix with enForce, a heavy-duty nonmetallic fiber that is said to boost long-term durability without changing the appearance. The product is packaged in premeasured water-dispersible bags that are added directly to the mix.

NeoMix, another countertop product from Cheng Concrete, has three separately packaged components that are added individually to bags of premium sacked concrete: a liquid water reducer, pigment, and an admixture with micro-reinforcement fibers and an accelerant that speed set times while making the concrete stronger and less prone to cracking. Cheng says that NeoMix is designed for concrete professionals who want to customize their mix and have greater control over variables such as set time, plasticity and color, since each component is added separately. You can mix and match NeoMix pigments or use your own pigments to produce a custom color.

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Tips for Using a Bagged Mix

Match the mix to your casting techniques. Make sure the mix is right for the specific casting, forming and finishing methods you plan to use. Many can accommodate both precast and cast-in-place operations, but not all. Likewise, some mixes are stiffer and may require mechanical vibration while others have higher slumps and can simply be poured into the forms with minimal vibration.
Consider your performance requirements. Since bagged mixes are proprietary products, they will all perform somewhat differently in terms of compressive strength, workability, setting and curing times, weight, texture and other variables. Use a product that provides the best combination of characteristics for your needs.
Mix up a trial batch first. Because they are touted for their consistency, you might assume that a bagged mix will always yield the same results, since most products require the addition of water only. But external factors such as temperature and even your geographical region can have an impact on water requirements. For example, instructions for the Buddy Rhodes countertop mix note that water requirements can vary by as much as 3 quarts per bag. Mixing up a trial batch or two will get you acquainted with the proper "feel" and consistency of the mix. Be sure to add water gradually until the desired stiffness is achieved.
Check the yield. An advantage of using a bagged mix is that the manufacturer can tell you the exact volume of concrete each bag will produce. Some bags will provide the yield of concrete in cubic feet; others may tell you how many square feet of countertop you can produce at a specified thickness. This data will help you determine how much of the product to buy and mix up for each job. Even if you miscalculate, unopened bags of mix can be stored for future use, so it's a good idea to purchase a little extra to make sure you have enough on hand.
Be ready to relinquish some control. Bagged mixes are certainly more user-friendly than from-scratch mixes, but they won't permit much tweaking if you want to modify the workability, physical performance or setting time of the concrete. If absolute control over these factors is important, you may be better off mixing up your own materials in the desired proportions.
Don't be afraid to experiment a bit. Even though the modifications you can make to bagged mixes are limited, you can customize many of them to some degree to achieve different looks, such as seeding them with decorative aggregates.
Know what you're doing. No prepackaged mix—no matter how reliable or easy to use—can make up for poor workmanship. You still need the proper equipment, skills and training to achieve great results.