"Cover Up" - Concrete Countertop Overlay on Laminate
Laminate has been a popular countertop material for a number of reasons.
Not only is it more affordable than stone, it can imitate the appearance of granite and other stone. It’s also available in a large number of colors, textures and special edges.
Unfortunately, just like other countertop materials, laminate can have its disadvantages. It just isn’t as durable as stone.
Damages from heat, stains, scratches and burn marks can all be difficult to remove. Cleaning laminate surfaces can even lead to problems, since abrasive cleaning can cause further damage. If you’ve got a countertop made of laminate that needs to be replaced, concrete may just be the solution.
A concrete countertop or a concrete overlay can withstand heat, blemishes, scratches and other types of damage far more easily than laminate. Or, if you’re looking for an aesthetic change for your countertops, a concrete countertop can also be beautiful and add character.
The homeowners at this home were interested in creating a new look for their kitchen countertops. They had a split level laminate countertop with a drop-in sink and a second laminate countertop made of two sections, one on either side of a stove.
We could have removed the laminate, if the homeowners had wanted us to do that. Without the laminate in place, the new concrete countertops would rest directly on the wooden cabinets.
Wood is strong enough to support concrete, so this would have worked out fine. We would build a mold to hold the wet concrete until the hardened, and then we would remove the mold.
But the laminate in this kitchen was in good condition. This meant we had a second option. We could leave the laminate in place and lay a new concrete countertop overlay directly on top of it. With the laminate acting as a base, we would have no need to build a mold. This would save time and expense.
Without a mold, we would be unable to make new edges and contours in the concrete overlay. We would have to follow the existing contours of the laminate countertops. This can look very nice, and this plan was fine with the homeowners, so we got to work.
First, we scuffed up the laminate surfaces with the help of a sander. This would give the laminate an abrasive surface, which would allow the concrete countertop overlay material to bite into the laminate and stick to it.
Without these abrasions, there was a possibility that the concrete layer and laminate layer could separate at a later date, which would ruin the new concrete countertop overlay. We didn’t want that to happen, so we used the sander.
Once we’d scuffed up the laminate, we poured a skim coat overlay on top of it. We laid a smoother microfinish overlay on top of that. We used the same process for this project that we use for floors with microfinish overlays.
This particular concrete countertop overlay took less time and cost to create than some of our other refinished countertops. Unfortunately, this is not always an option in every project.
We can lay down the material for a new concrete countertop overlay only if the existing materials are in good condition. If the laminate countertops at this home had been in poor condition, we would have had no choice but to remove it.
Once the concrete countertop overlay had hardened, we applied a chocolate brown stain and sealer to its surface. The laminate countertops had vanished from sight; the new countertops and edges looked wonderful.
The chocolate brown stain added a bit of personality to the space and went well with the pale-red walls and lighter colors in the kitchen.
