Let's discuss concrete countertops

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Concrete has fly ash, gypsum, and a host of other goodness. If you want your food coming into contact with it, go ahead.

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If you are concerned with what is in concrete, do yourself a favor and don't ever read up on the host of bacteria hanging out in a kitchen. Stuff in your concrete is the last thing to worry about.

As far as concrete countertops, you have to seal them and reseal them on a regular basis. So take the maintenance into account.

Soapstone looks great in farmhouse kitchens as another option.

My island is already butcher block. We'd like something solid surface (concrete, stone, etc) for the counters.

I made mine when I built my grill stand. It's of course outside. It's been there for almost 7years now. I put several coats of polyurethane in it and it still looks great.

To make them I used high strength quikrete (2000 I think). Built my forms out of melamine. Ran wire and rebar and then vibrated it really good to get bubbles out.

I know they are rather costly to have installed by professionals. Almost the same as getting actual stone, if not more. At least when I looked ~4 years ago. I thought it'd be a cheaper alternative. So I would think it takes some expertise. Seems like it would be very easy to get hairline cracks, etc.

Mine still look good. I put his sealer on. I had a lot of counters, that is why I did them outside. I didn't want to pour in place too much mess. I built tables first, then poured on the tables. Used the tables as shelves in my shed when done. What Cheng does is give you the nuances and little details he is very meticulous. Like using black caulk in the seams, and how deep you can go with your forms before ghosting, etc. You can do anything with concrete. I used quick Crete high strength. I rented a mixer, but you could buy one at HF for what I paid in rental. I used foam and packing tape for my cutouts, it helps for smoothness. The hardest part was the finish. I over ground some, but overall, they have done well. I did blue, brown and black. HD has the black and you can make it look good. In the house I would definitely color it. Look at Chengs stuff online and it will give you crazy ideas. One thing to remember is you can't vibrate them enough. I used a sander against the form, but wished I had one to put into the form. Had to use a slurry to fill gaps on two and the color didn't match.

I made some Cheng counters about a dozen years ago, but I left the cream layer on mine since I was doing black.

They etch with lemon juice and worm holes open up over time, but depending on your style they can be very personal and rich.

Here's a photo of one of my slabs and the concrete backsplash base I made under a bookshelf in our kitchen. This one is in better shape than the two by the stove.