How To Clean And Seal Concrete Countertops

Do you have physical countertops that develop stains when you lot leave things on them? I'll walk you through the process of how we took our kitchen countertops from stain-filled to food-condom and stain-resistant. This physical countertop sealer will make all the divergence in appearance and protect confronting penetrating stains!

The number one thing people ask me about in our house is our concrete countertops. We built, installed, and sealed them ourselves almost 2 years ago.

When people ask us why we went with a concrete surface instead of granite or something else, nosotros always tell them a fun footling story. I mentioned it in this post if you lot want to catch it there, but at present the story is even more fun to tell.

Cheque out how pocket-size the world actually is!

Physical Countertop Inspiration

Scott and I were on holiday in Asheville, NC the week before we were supposed to shut on our business firm. We were doing lots of heady heedless and planning and looking for ideas and inspiration admittedly everywhere.

Later some lively debating of countertop ideas, we were enjoying luncheon at an awesome place called Corner Kitchen. Nosotros saturday at a bar and couldn't assist just find the amazing thick, gorgeous concrete countertop. The natural wait and advent of the physical surface won us over!

So, naturally, we installed them in our new abode.

A Chance Run-In

Fast forward to the summer… Scott and I went to Atlanta for a DIY blogger conference and were chatting with Jeremy from Buddy Rhodes Concrete during some downtime. He asked nigh my blog. I told him nosotros did our own concrete countertops. He mentioned that I looked familiar, and together we figured out he had seen our physical countertop post. Then cool, correct?

Believe it or not, it gets fifty-fifty cooler!

And then he asked why we decided to do physical countertops. We told him the dreamy story of our romantic lunch in Asheville where nosotros held hands, sipped wine, and planned out our remodel.

He asked the name of the restaurant. When we told him, he said, "I built those concrete countertops."

Wait, what????? Howrandom and cool!

A Concrete Countertop Sealer Offering

Needless to say, we formed a fun connexion. And then Jeremy told u.s. he would be in Dallas for a conference and would relish coming past to help united states of america with re-sealing our countertops.

We were super excited because our cute, scratch-resistant, rut-resistant, and stain-resistant countertops were… stained.

Fifty-fifty though nosotros were fairly faithful with resealing them every 6 months, we couldn't leave whatsoever water or liquid on our countertop for any amount of time. If we did, a stain would appear.

Not very practical for a kitchen, right? 😁 In addition to the penetrating stain problem, the countertops had gone from a dark gray to a strange light cloudy gray that I didn't dearest.

Do concrete countertops need to be sealed?

Concrete offers many advantages as a countertop material, including being resistant to scratches and rut while offer a beautiful sheen. Yet, information technology's also a highly porous cloth which makes information technology prone to spots and staining.

To prevent that from happening, you'll want to plan on sealing your concrete countertops.

What can stain concrete countertops?

If your concrete countertop isn't sealed with a high-performing sealer, most things can stain the surface. Every bit with our experience, even simple water on the unprotected counter can cause spots. Additional staining items tin include:

• lemon juice
• red wine
• mustard
• coffee
• oil

In order to make your countertop truly food safe and stain-resistant, you need to apply a high-quality countertop sealer.

How do y'all prepare physical countertops for sealing?

Never fear though, Jeremy had a program. We needed to remove the old, ineffective concrete sealers and seal the physical countertop with a better one.

I won't lie to you – it was a messy process and a lot of work, merely (spoiler!) also totally worth it!

Notation: Y'all can catch the handy printable recipe educational activity card at the lesser of this mail service to accept the entire process nearby equally yous exercise your own countertops!

Removing Onetime Countertop Sealers

We started by removing the sometime sealer.

To prep the area, we cleaned it and used tape around the edges to keep the water from splashing on the floor (or at least attempt to).

Then, we sanded using Buddy Rhodes Diamond Mitt Polishing Pads and Buddy Rhodes Diamond Polishing Pads with a random orbital sander.

To practise this, yous need to add lots of h2o to your countertops. TIP: merely sand a physical countertop when information technology's wet! This is the messy part. Be prepared for mud to wing around everywhere! (at to the lowest degree it cleans off easily, though).

Diagnosing The Countertop Stain Problem

Subsequently sanding, Jeremy pointed out the root consequence of our countertop penetrating stains. We had tiny little holes in the concrete that were retaining the water and other liquids and causing stains.

Concrete is a naturally porous fabric that needs to be sealed thoroughly to create total stain prevention. Apparently, our previous concrete countertop sealer wasn't able to do a thorough enough job.

To set this problem and add the necessary protection, we did an piece of cake-to-use skim coat using unsanded tile grout and water.

Simply mix them together and so apply a thin blanket to the countertop surface. Nosotros used a putty knife to make sure the holes were filled and then wiped the excess off the counters.

At this point, we left them alone and immune 24 hours of curing fourth dimension.

Some other Circular Of Sanding

Afterward the advisable dry time, Scott and I went dorsum to piece of work. We used the wet sanding technique with the diamond pads to lightly sand the countertops down until they were flat and smooth.

Then nosotros immune another 24 hours of curing fourth dimension.

Prepping The Concrete Countertops For The Nutrient-Safe New Sealer

At this point, we had all the quondam sealer removed and were downwards to simply the bare, dry concrete with the skim coat smoothed. Then it was time to prep the counters for the new physical sealer.

We used ICT Counterhard Prep. To apply, we mixed a one:one ratio of water to the Counterhard Prep and applied it using a slightly damp microfiber material.

It'southward important to keep a wet border and to utilize big round or S-shaped motions and then the concrete surface is evenly covered. After the first coat, await 20 minutes and and so do a second glaze with the ane:1 ratio again.

After drying for another xx minutes, yous can then apply ii coats of total Counterhard (each xx minutes apart). At this point, we let the countertops dry out for some other 24 hours.

I told yous all this was a long procedure!

Applying Countertop Sealers To The Concrete Surface

Finally, we were prepare to add the terminal piece: the bodily concrete countertop sealer!

Nosotros used Buddy Rhodes' Satin Physical Sealer and once more applied information technology using a microfiber cloth, making big swooping s-shaped patterns. Be sure to read all production instructions to provide more than detailed and helpful information.

Nosotros added 5 coats of countertop sealer to the concrete countertop surface and allowed twenty-thirty minutes of dry out time in between each coating.

And then we permit the counters completely dry overnight.

Examination For Penetration Protection

The next morning we did the water drop examination. You basically put a few drops of h2o on diverse spots for 30 seconds and see if they leave a dark spot. If spots appear, you need to at least one more layer of concrete sealer. If non, they're washed!

We had one concrete countertop surface area that needed 2 boosted layers of sealer, but everywhere else passed the drop examination.

How often do you lot have to seal concrete countertops?

The answer to this question completely depends on the product you use to seal your countertops likewise as how much y'all utilize (and abuse) the surface. Kitchen counters tend to be used a lot, so the general rule of thumb is to seal every vi months to protect the surface.

Exist sure to read the production instructions for information specific to the sealer yous employ.

What is the best sealer for concrete countertops?

We've tried other products in the past, which you lot can read more than almost here, with less than ideal results. Nosotros were extremely pleased with the surface after using Buddy Rhodes' Satin Physical Sealer.

Final Functioning Review For This Project

I'm happy to report that several weeks later there is no sign of staining and our cups no longer go out water rings on our countertops! The countertop appearance was even restored to the original rich gray color.

We are so happy with how gorgeous they look and their high gloss end! The concluding consequence and their beautiful sheen were totally worth all the time and effort.

I can say without reservation that nosotros finally used the swell product nosotros needed and it protects our surfaces from scratches and prime staining materials such as lemon juice and cherry wine. Exist sure to employ this physical countertop sealer as part of your regular countertop maintenance.

We have to give a huge thanks to Jeremy for all his help and to Buddy Rhodes for supplying all the products we needed! If yous are even because concrete countertops, bank check them out! The products were provided to me free of toll, but this review and my feedback are (as always!) 100% my own.

Removing Countertop Stains & Resealing A Physical Countertop

Here'due south the method we used to remove unsightly staining from our concrete countertops and reseal them to prevent time to come stains.

• Buddy Rhodes Diamond Hand Polishing Pads
• Buddy Rhodes Diamond Polishing Pads
• putty pocketknife
• poly blend non-sanded grout
• orbital sander
• Buddy Rhodes' Satin Concrete Sealer

• Prep your work area by cleaning it and adding tape around the edges to foreclose the water from splashing on the floor.

• Using the orbital sander with the diamond polishing pads and the hand polishing pads, sand downwardly the countertops to remove the stains.

• Mix together polyblend non-sanded grout and water and use a putty pocketknife to use a thin blanket and fill in micro holes in the concrete to create a solid surface.

• Use a microcloth to wipe off any backlog grout. Allow 24 hours to completely dry.

• Using the sander and diamond polishing pads, sand the countertops one more time. Permit them to dry for 24 hours.

• Prep counters to seal by mixing together a 1:1 ratio of Counterhard Prep and water. Apply the mixture to the counters with a damp microfiber material using large circular or S-shaped motions. Let to dry for xx minutes, then echo the process to utilise another coat. Dry for 20 minutes again.

• Next, utilize 1 coat of full Counterhard. Permit to dry out for twenty minutes. Repeat the process and sllow to dry for 24 hours.

• Employ a microcloth to apply Buddy Rhodes' Satin Concrete Sealer in big circular or S-shaped motions. Allow to dry xx-xxx minutes so apply some other coat. Echo the process several times. We applied 5 coats. Afterward the terminal glaze, allow the sealer to dry out overnight.

• The following morning, examination the countertop seal by dropping a few drops of water around the counter. Leave them for thirty seconds and wipe away. If spots appear, y'all'll need to utilize at least another glaze of sealer. If no spots announced, the counters are sealed.

Source: https://www.runtoradiance.com/removing-stains-resealing-concrete-countertops/

Posted by: goldmanvizing.blogspot.com

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