About to start a Renovation and wondering what benchtops people opt for? The house is an old asbestos beach house, won’t be going over the top on the Reno so cost is quite important. I’m quite handy and was considering doing concrete benchtops myself but think they won’t really suit the coastal vibe (and will be a lot of work as I’ve never done it before). Open to any thoughts or ideas
I've never been to Asbestos Beach but if you're looking for cheap, Ikea or Bunnings will have standard 600 mm wide benchtops. You might do better going to somewhere like Bills Board Factory (or a Melbourne equivalent).
The range at Bunnings is pretty good these days. I wouldn't say the best value for money, but they have cheaper options that will work and be fine for many years.
Youcan do white concrete, which would suit more of a coastal vibe Pros & Cons of White Concrete Countertops — Boxwood Avenue Probably easier to go butcher block with white cabinets Google Image Result for https://www.thespruce.com/thmb/5XPJGCPlaWB2QznBCsqsWu_BlGI=/450x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Homepolish-15107-decorating-9165ad3f-1350x900-5c4619b846e0fb0001ed3370.jpeg
I think you’re right, butcher block could be the way to go. I do like the look of the white concrete, maybe I’ll have a crack at doing a vanity or small laundry bench first and see how it comes up
RE vanities and plumbing, I've bought many items from Highgrove bathrooms for over a dozen renos now and saved 10s of thousands. May be worth checking out. Also have to give IKEA kitchens a huge thumbs up . Recently used them for a Reno and the joinery quality was pretty good when compared to custom and offered more than 50% saving. Also the trades they engaged were very cost effective. I picked my own taps, tiles and appliances though to give it a more custom feel. I reckon 95% of ppl wouldn't have a clue it's IKEA joinery .
Common dude...you know my style... Allen keys are for tradies as pina coladas are for useless sackies
Another durable but budget DIY option may be to lay large flat ceramic, marble or granite tiles on top of a HMR baseboard, preferably something 600mm wide, like 600x600 or larger. Many modern tiles of marble, granite or other stone appearance are difficult to distinguish from the real thing, or use the real thing, much cheaper & probably easier to fit than a large custom cut/ manufactured slab top. Only really need the usual basic tiling tools to cut & apply. Epoxy grout is very durable & hygenic, as used in commercial kitchens & toilets etc. Edging may involve some creativity but many options are available.
DIY the concrete bench top! Cheap and you can customize it. Add in colours, stones, shells, asbestos whatever you desire Do a practise one first to get a feel for it. Get a bit of reo, some melamine and a few bags of ready mix
We have! Mr Angel did two - one for each side of the BBQ. He did them on two different days, the second one while I was not at home to yell at him. It is a different colour from the first one.
I will try to remember to take a pic for you tomorrow. I would prefer the glass pieces broken up smaller, but I love the polished effect. It was quite time-consuming to polish afterwards if I recall correctly.
For @Brendon Both sides look the same in the bright sun. Let me know if you want pics taken in the shade - I'm clueless at this tech thing
If we were to make kitchen bench tops sitting on indoor materials, rather than sitting on top of brickwork, would you make them shallower? And use extra bracing/supports to hold them. These are 300mm thick and we were careful to ensure no reo was exposed to the elements.
Yours look much thicker than 30mm?? When I was talking to my concrete man he said they make indoor and outdoor ones 70mm thick I've just had a bbq area bench top done on normal cabinetry and they had to be built a bit stronger to handle the weight
