Tiled benchtops?

Discussion in 'Renovation & Home Improvement' started by Jess Peletier, 15th Jun, 2016.

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  1. Jess Peletier

    Jess Peletier Mortgage Broker & Finance Strategy, Aus Wide! Business Member

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    Hi All,

    I've had a thought - not necessarily a good one though ;)

    I have a daggy kitchen in my PPOR, which we are slowly renovating with a bit of an industrial look. The current old bench is quite a thick profile, which I like more than the normal 2-3cm thick stone you get in new kitchens.

    I would LOVE a concrete benchtop in my kitchen, but it's hugely expensive and we're trying to keep it reasonable - a fine line between having what I want, and making a profit on the project.

    I've just done my bathroom with 35x70 concrete-looking tiles and wondered if tiling the benchtop would be a better/cheaper option than getting new?

    Has anyone lived with a tiled bench? A con would obviously be the grout, but with large tiles it may be minimal? Love to hear your thoughts - my feeling is that it's not widely accepted...
     
  2. Hodor

    Hodor Well-Known Member

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    I rented a place with a tile bench around the sink. I didn't like the look - it had a wooden edge around it. However it was surprisingly OK to keep clean the edge was really the only part that wore badly it was fairly old.

    If you tile it you'll have to put up photos
     
  3. neK

    neK Well-Known Member

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    Wouldn't they be prone to cracking?
     
  4. Jess Peletier

    Jess Peletier Mortgage Broker & Finance Strategy, Aus Wide! Business Member

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    Maybe - but stone benches chip too if you drop things on them so not too different I wouldn't imagine. And cheaper to fix.
    @Hodor The wood around it would look silly - I'd mitre the edge (in theory).
     
  5. See Change

    See Change Well-Known Member

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    so 70's ...

    choose burnt orange ...

    Cliff
     
  6. EN710

    EN710 Well-Known Member

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    Caesarstone have the concrete look stone if it's in budget :)
     
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  7. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    Get mr jess to diy concrete one! There's a good author that has a few books on it. I almost did one, just did a sample piece.

    There's a few different ways to seal it for use.

    Ebay can get you the grinder for around $80 from memory. I'll have to see if i have any links or info sanded somewhere
     
  8. Jamie_

    Jamie_ Well-Known Member

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    Only issue with these concrete look honed engi stones is they mark terribly, and are a ******* to keep clean.
     
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  9. Jess Peletier

    Jess Peletier Mortgage Broker & Finance Strategy, Aus Wide! Business Member

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    Mr Jess is not that way inclined ;) I might see if I can find an out of work concreter to have a go.
     
  10. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    @Jess Peletier fair enough. Look for a concretor that isn't a concretor ;) Put the call out on the local Facebook page. It's basically pouring and grinding and sealing concrete but you need to be fairly accurate and attention to detail. Maybe the guys that do stencil concrete worth a call

    If you do go tiles I'd be looking for a tile with a neat square edge so you can get the grout flush with the top. Also look into grouts that aren't porous or can be sealed so that they do not absorb any liquid or discolour
    @pinkboy is your guy
     
  11. vbplease

    vbplease Well-Known Member

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    I've used concrete tiles on a kitchen floor and I think they looked good.. they were quite big though, not subway size. Not sure the 'concrete look' would be effective with such small tiles since concrete is quite homogenous - grout lines every 70mm isn't very 'concretey' :p

    We used 'sleek concrete' caesarstone in our last reno but wasn't cheap.. A conc slab made in-situ would be heaps cheaper and you could have some fun with the tinting the colour and choosing different aggregate.
     
  12. Jess Peletier

    Jess Peletier Mortgage Broker & Finance Strategy, Aus Wide! Business Member

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    We used sleek concrete in our recent build too - love it but it's not rough enough for this one. I want it to look less pretty....we have exposed brick walls in the kitchen (whitewashed) so it needs to be a bit less 'new build'.

    Actually, stainless steel might work well too...
     
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  13. vbplease

    vbplease Well-Known Member

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    I reckon an in-situ concrete slab would have a lot more character than stainless steel (may be confused with a surgeons table? :p).

    Interested to see a photo of the exposed brick? Sounds great.
     
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  14. Jess Peletier

    Jess Peletier Mortgage Broker & Finance Strategy, Aus Wide! Business Member

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    [​IMG]
     
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  15. Jess Peletier

    Jess Peletier Mortgage Broker & Finance Strategy, Aus Wide! Business Member

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    This is the before
    [​IMG]
     
  16. EN710

    EN710 Well-Known Member

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  17. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    Very cool!

    I think you need a dark plain concrete. A lot of textures going on. There are some sleek dark grey concrete after a quick google
     
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  18. Jess Peletier

    Jess Peletier Mortgage Broker & Finance Strategy, Aus Wide! Business Member

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    I NEED that stuff! That would be perfect!! I'm going to find that and do it in the school holidays. Exciting! :D
     
    Last edited: 15th Jun, 2016
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  19. Jasmine

    Jasmine Well-Known Member

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    I really liked the look of the brick in the BEFORE photos. IMHO, the most effective change you could make is to replace the big black range hood with a glass canopy style. This would make the kitchen appear larger and less "top heavy" in black weight.
     
  20. vbplease

    vbplease Well-Known Member

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    The feather finish concrete benchtop looks very interesting.. You could try the same with rapid set concrete from bunnings for $8/bag.. that's essentially what it is.

    I noticed this person had a bad experience with it.. DIY Feather Finish Concrete Countertops - {And How They Failed Us} - Tidbits
    But they mixed in colouring grout 1:1 which would reduce the strength and durability considerably.. and their substrate was jointed plywood which would cause the concrete to crack. They also added more water to the mix when it became unworkable.. not a good idea. Strength and durability of concrete is completely dependent on the water: cement: sand (or other additive) ratio.
     
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