The Concrete Countertop Institute

The Concrete Countertop Institute—located in Raleigh, North Carolina--offers four days of in depth, hands-on instruction on every aspect of making concrete countertops, from templating, forming and wiring, to casting, curing and processing, to sealing and installing.

"We like to call it an academy—an institute of higher learning," says owner and instructorJeff Girard, a licensed Professional Civil Engineer. "It's comprehensive and includes every step of the process involved in fabricating concrete countertops."

The Concrete Countertop Institute's mission is to raise the standard for concrete countertops by helping people succeed in the business of making concrete countertops.

Girard also founded FormWorks, a leading manufacturer of concrete countertops, in 1999 after making a concrete countertop for his own kitchen remodel (he approached the project as only an engineer would: by pulling his engineering textbooks off the shelf, performing months of research, testing and design, and treating the countertop as an engineering project).

Girard's engineering background lends to the academy as well. "I couldn't do what I do as well as I do (without it)," he says. " I can back things up with engineering, and the justification gives students confidence."

The breadth and depth of the content of the class is such that even students (such as one recently) who have never worked with concrete can learn all the skills and information they need to create high-quality concrete countertops.

"We don't just talk," says Girard. "We do discuss why things are done a certain way and present the process, but every step is also done by each student—hands-on experience is powerful."

Girard explains that it's one thing to watch something and another to do it, and that only by doing can you learn and remember the advantages and disadvantages of the process.

Girard teaches students how to deal with the practical aspects of making concrete countertops, such as the surrounding cabinets, sinks, etc., as well as dealing with the material itself, what it's made of, how the ingredients work together, what reinforces it and why.

One demonstration of concrete's strength is in the form of a beam—smaller than a two-by-four--made of concrete that Girard stands on to demonstrate its strengths. "I call it the proof in the pudding aspect," he laughs. "It works, and that's confidence instilling."

Girard says that investing in the academy isn't taken lightly. "We know (they're) expecting us to help them succeed," he says. "We eliminate the uncertainty – I can guarantee things because I know they work."

The academy's broad, flexible steps are meant to instill the confidence to tackle any project, but Girard says the goal is also broader than where we are now. "The industry is growing in quality and population of fabricators," he explains. "I want to raise the industry standard so concrete countertops don't become a passing fad...they will be fad if there are no standards in concrete countertops."

Girard says that raising the quality of concrete countertops will benefit everybody,

Adding, "One bad example ruins it for 10 people."

Thought the academy gives people the core fundamentals of making concrete countertops, one thing they don't teach is design. "You have to crawl before you can walk," says Girard. "You've got to know how to do it before you make it fancy. If you can do it well in generic fabrication, then it's easy to develop styles and respond to clients' needs."

The Concrete Countertop Institute

www.ConcreteCountertopInstitute.com
3529 Neil St.
Raleigh, NC 27607-5412
888-386-7711 phone
919-882-9700 fax
Hours of operation: Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm EST

General Information
info@concretecountertopinstitute.com

Member Services
members@concretecountertopinstitute.com

Technical Support
support@concretecountertopinstitute.com

Accounting
accounting@concretecountertopinstitute.com

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