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Designing Your Own Countertop Mix:
Is it Worth the Effort?
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Dear Jim,
When it comes to choosing a concrete mix for your countertops, it essentially boils down to two options: use a commercially available prepackaged mix or design your own mix from scratch. Obviously, using an off-the-shelf mix is more convenient. But many concrete countertop contractors prefer to formulate their own mixes, and say the extra effort is well worth it. "There are pros and cons to both approaches. Which one you use is ultimately a personal preference," says Jeff Girard of the Concrete Countertop Institute (CCI). Following are some of his pointers for deciding between a from-scratch mix versus a prepackaged product.
Jim Peterson,
The Concrete Network
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When to use a from-scratch countertop mix
- When you want greater control over the performance, workability and
 aesthetic characteristics of the concrete mix. A bagged mix offers very little flexibility if you need to alter it suit a specific project or any external variables.
- When you want to economize. Typically a bagged mix will be more expensive than one you make yourself from local ingredients, purchased in bulk.
- When you want to tweak the performance and appearance of the mix. Since you know the exact proportions of all the ingredients, you can adjust them and use additions such as superplasticizers, pozzolans, pigments, and decorative aggregates to modify the mix to meet your needs.
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When to use a prepackaged countertop mix
- When time and convenience are important. With a bagged mix, all of the
 necessary ingredients, including the pigment in some cases, are preblended. All you need to do is add the proper amount of water.
- When you want greater consistency. A packaged mix is consistent from bag to bag, and the concrete is designed to meet specific performance criteria and be appropriate for certain casting methods (such as cast-in-place versus precast).
- When you don't have the expertise to tinker with your own mix. From-scratch mixes are less user-friendly than bagged products and require an understanding of mix design and the variables that can influence the fresh and hardened properties of the concrete.
- When space it at a premium. If you have a small shop, a bagged mix will be easier to store.You won't need to stock up on a bunch of raw materials, and you won't need equipment for batching ingredients.
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REGISTER FOR CONCRETE DECOR SHOW WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS 
Industry experts will offer a selection of hands-on workshops and seminars on countertop and furniture making at the 2012 Concrete Decor Show in San Antonio, Texas, Feb. 20-24. The courses will provide creative inspiration and technical education for cast-in-place and precast fabrication for counters, bars, vanities, tabletop surfaces, fireplace surrounds and furniture. The courses offer the full spectrum, from solid fundamentals to advanced methods for outrageous creativity. Workshop sizes are limited. Read more.
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