Length - 03:58 Award-winning designer, Fu-Tung Cheng, shows us one of his projects, the Teance Tea Shop in Berkeley, Calif. This shop incorporated a great deal of decorative concrete and design. Durability is a key component of good design. Concrete has its strengths and its weaknesses. Understanding this during the initial design phase of a project is important. At the tea bar, there is an area that gets heavy use and wear from water, cup, and tea pots. This is not an optimal place to have exposed concrete. Cheng chose to cover the concrete with a copper plate that protects the concrete and takes the initial punishment from the hot water. It is also important to consider the finish of your concrete countertop surfaces. A polished concrete countertop surface with lots of aggregate exposed will show less wearing. Whereas, a smooth finished countertop will show scratching and wear much sooner. One question that is often asked is whether or not concrete countertops are durable enough for a commercial environment. Fu Tung's response is, "Yes, they most certainly are." One of the concrete countertops in the tea shop that is used for cleanup and hot water making was used at trade shows by a large kitchen appliance manufacturer for over 10 years. This countertop traveled the country on display, in trucks, getting beat up. It has held up very well. Be aware of the certain characteristics of concrete that fit with a particular situation. For example, using concrete in an area that has heavy use, constant water flowing over it, harsh soaps, in kitchen sinks would not be optimal. To get around some of the weaknesses in concrete consider lining it with stone, stainless steel, copper or granite. Take a look at the what the space, sink, etc. will be used for before you decide on installing concrete countertops in that particular space. Find a Concrete Contractor 23 Services in 200 Metros -- U.S. and Canada © 2008 ConcreteNetwork.com None of this site may be reproduced without written permission |