We needed an inexpensive way to make durable countertops for our outdoor kitchen, and after a little head scratching we came up with a pretty good solution at a fraction of the cost of custom made – about $20 instead of $2,000. (This cost is for 12.5 lineal feet of 25-1/2” countertops.) This savings more than paid for all materials for our outdoor kitchen and multi-purpose stove. Nice!
We chose poured-in-place concrete countertops for our outdoor kitchen because of their strength, ability to withstand the elements, and resistance to wear and tear. For example, we don’t have to worry about water damage if a storm blows some rain into the kitchen. Strength is important so we can clamp a grain grinder to the countertop. (An important issue if you’re going to be baking healthy breads like we are.) And because concrete countertops are very hard and durable, we don’t have to be overly concerned about damaging the surface.
To read the rest of the article, which includes step-by-step directions with color photos and a detailed drawing, order the December 2010/January 2011 issue of The Owner Builder magazine.
[For readers outside of Australia who haven’t seen their magazine before, I can assure you it is a top quality publication that’s packed with good articles, lots of photos, minimal advertising and printed on high quality paper.]
Those links don’t work any more. Try these:
https://naturalbuildingblog.siterubix.com/other-uses-for-%C2%BC-steel-rod/
https://naturalbuildingblog.siterubix.com/installing-additional-electrical-boxes/
That’s a really good way to save money for an outdoor kitchen. That’s also one of those discount countertops that are durable and at the same time with good quality. Great idea. Thanks!
An awesome technique for incorporating benches and countertops in earthbag structures. You can embed a number of pieces of rebar in your wall, and bend the rebar on the outside. Then create a metal mesh formwork around the rebar, build a temporary form to hold the cement while it dries, then pour your concrete, you have a custom made shelf, bench, or countertop with lots of space underneath for anything else you may want! Here is a link to a book on the subject. http://www.amazon.com/Concrete-Countertops-Design-Finishes-Kitchen/dp/1561584843
We did something similar on our roundhouse countertop. Works great. We’ve been using 1/4″ rebar (steel rod) for lots of things:
Other uses of 1/4″ steel rod: http://earthbagbuilding.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/other-uses-for-%c2%bc%e2%80%9d-steel-rod/ and
http://earthbagbuilding.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/installing-additional-electrical-boxes/