Custom concrete countertops can be made in one of two ways. Either they are cast in place (manufactured onsite and poured directly on the space where they will “live”) or precast (manufactured in our facility to precise measurements, transported in sections to the customer’s home or business, and then installed).
Either option achieves a stunning end result. Cast-in-place countertops have no seams but require the area to be off limits for almost two weeks depending on the size of the build. We have to close off the area, build the mold, pour it, allow it to cure, sand/polish it, do any touchups, and finally seal it.
Each step can take from a few hours to overnight, especially when it comes to the sealer drying and it can get a little messy. It is also a more costly process than our other option – precast – as we have to go back and forth to the job site every day.
The greatest benefit of precast countertops is that we do all these steps in our shop and then install them, usually in just a few hours. Almost no downtime, which is a big deal, especially in kitchens. The con is that depending on the size of the pieces, there may be seams.