Sunset Magazine Article about
the Revival of Concrete
A Concrete Revival
Kaleidoscopic colors and textures bring contemporary style to an ancient material. Remember how the film The Wizard of Oz shifts from sepia to color once Dorothy and Toto get to Oz?
Concrete is undergoing a similar transformation: drab, utilitarian gray is giving way to muted and vivid color palettes, surprising textures, and bold experimental forms. This wonderfully tactile material can be made as slick and shiny as a mirror or as rough textured and nonreflecting as sandpaper. Today you'll find colorful concrete used as counters, sinks, bathtubs, furniture, fireplace surrounds, and floors.
"I've got over 140 colors to choose from," says Mark Rogero, owner of CONCRETEWORKS STUDIO, a custom-fabrication shop in Emeryville, California. This color spectrum gives homeowners broad choices for coordinating a surface with other colors and materials in a room. In general performance and cost, concrete competes with both solid-surface synthetics (such as Corian and Avonite) and stone (granite, marble, and limestone), but is not as limited on color, thickness or natural patterning. Synthetic surfaces are sold in sheet form, stone in slabs and tiles, and both are limited to standard thicknesses. But because concrete is cast in molds, it can include subtle texturing, decorative objects (such as pieces of metal, fossils, glass, or even coins), changes of contour, and greater thickness; it can even form integrally cast sinks of almost unlimited shape.
A concrete counter adds the perfect finishing touch to an outdoor kitchen area.
ConcreteNetwork.com
Concrete contains natural materials - stone, silica-based cement, and water. Like stone but unlike synthetic products, concrete requires careful maintenance, and even when it's properly sealed, its surface can show stains and wear over time. (Whether that patina is desirable or not depends on your taste.)
Concrete Costs
None of these materials are inexpensive. On a square-foot basis, the entry-level cost for a standard-width counter runs about $50 for solid surface, $55 to $65 for concrete, and $65 or more for granite.
Costs go up from there for more complex edge details, custom-aggregate mixes, cutouts for sinks, holes for faucets, and curving backsplashes.
Installation charges vary with the complexity of the job.
Concrete Caveats
"Concrete is not bulletproof," says one fabricator. Although a concrete counter might contain expanded metal lath, a reinforcing bar, or strands of fiberglass or polypropylene to strengthen it, cracks may appear. They can be filled with polyester-based resins colored to match the mix.
Don't leave acidic liquids - citrus juices, wines, vinegar, and alcohol - on unsealed concrete, since they can etch into the surface. Also, oil and fat can soak in.
Consider having raised strips of metal cast into countertops (like runners) to support pots and pans in areas of high use (such as near sinks or cooking surfaces). These strips can help protect against abrasion.
Do not use abrasive pads or powders on sealed counters. Clean with warm water and a non ammoniated, nonabrasive cleanser when not using a stone soap.
Do not place hot objects or adhesive tapes on the waxed surface - they could cause the surface to become discolored.
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