Ardex Feather Finish - Kitchen Concrete Countertop Update

The hubs and I are thinking about putting the house on the market, so... I took advantage of a few days off from work between Christmas and New Year's to update the kitchen in anticipation of the big day.

I originally wanted to pour concrete counters and looked at many systems including the basic melamine forms, rebar, and a bag of concrete, to the awesome systems from Buddy Rhodes and Z-countertop Forms... but I am on a budget... a crazy tight budget.  I then saw some posts from people who used the Ardex Feather Finish, including the information from Young House Love. I thought I would give it a try.

So I purchased 3 boxes of Henry's Feather Finish.  I chose Henry's over Ardex simply because it wasn't available in my area and the price to purchase it online, plus shipping, was close to $35 per box.  I was able to purchase Henry's from a big box store for around $16 per box.  I also purchased the 511 Impregnator and AFM Safecoat Acrylacq to seal the counters based off of the YHL posts.



DEMOLITION!

Step 1) Disassemble the kitchen sink only to find the sleek, single basin, 9" deep, beautiful sink I picked out was too big, and butted up against my supply lines, and I had a small, annoying, and persistent leak in my supply line.

Step 2) Run back to the store to exchange the sink and pick out a second, cheaper, still nice, but not at all what I wanted double-basin sink.

Note: When the sink box says it includes everything, it does not include the supply line hoses that connect to the faucet. One additional trip later, and locating the late-night plumbing expert, I had everything I needed to install the sink and connect the lines to stop the leak.   



LETS DO THIS!

So after Day 1 and the plumbing leak, I unfortunately had to install the sink prior to working on the counters.  I definitely think it would be easier to do this finish prior to installing the sink to make the lines around the sink a little cleaner. On the other side, it was nice to be able to have a functioning kitchen over the 4 days it took me to do this entire project.

Step 1) Scoring the countertops.  Some blogs said this wasn't necessary, but I am a "better safe than sorry" kind of girl.  I tried a few different techniques and settled on a heavy duty sand paper to get the coating off of the laminate, and screws to scrape lines all over the counters.

Step 2) vacuum and clean off the counters.  I opted for just plain water for this step to get all of the dust off.  I then wiped them dry.

Step 3) Mixing the Henry's Feather Finish.  The box calls for 2 parts Henry's to 1 part water, but I also found this to be too thick.  I started with the 2:1 ratio, but then would always add a little water each time.  My mix would be closer to a tooth paste consistency, maybe a little looser.  The product sets up fast, and even though I was making small batches, I still had a hard time working within the allotted set-up time.  Everyone is correct in waiting until the product sets up a little to a clay-like consistency to do the sides of the counters.

Step 4) Some people would sand here, but I didn't.  I would scrape down the larger ridges from my trowel to smooth them out, but I put the next layer right on top.  I felt the texture would give the next layer something to grip and give it a more "industrial" look.

Step 5) Wait, wait, wait, and wait some more for the concrete to dry.

Step 6) Repeat steps 3 through 5 for a total of 4 layers.  I did alternate the direction of how I would apply the product.  I started up and down, then diagonal in each direction, and then side-to-side.

Step 7) Sand, sand, and sand some more.  I didn't sand a lot of the bumps out of it... partially because I was exhausted at this point, but also I didn't want it to be perfectly smooth.  I liked all of the imperfections.

Step 8a) Seal the Deal - I started with 511 Impregnator.  Let me tell you, this stuff STINKS!!!!! Make sure you have a well ventilated area and tape off your work area if you can.  My kitchen is just off of a hallway where the heat intake is located.  The hubs told me he could smell that stuff throughout the house.  YIKES!!!!!  I only put two coats of this on because it was then 11:00 at night and I couldn't leave my windows open while I went to bed.

Step 8b) AFM Safecoat - I accidentally purchased the gloss version.  It is definitely glossy!  The bottle says 3 coats at a minimum, but I went 4.

Step 9) Caulk around the sink, the edges where the counters meet the walls, and anywhere else you think water could get in.



THE FINISHED PRODUCT

I used only about a box and a half of the Henry's product, but have plans to use the rest of it to redo the bathroom counters next.  That will be a little different process since I will need to build the countertop base since the existing sink and counter are one unit.  I will share that post as well, and provide an update on the kitchen counters then.  Right now I am like a cleaning ninja, swooping in after my kids and hubs to make sure there aren't any spills that haven't been cleaned up

Kitchen Island and Sink

Close-up of the counter including the gloss finish

One of two counters on each side of the stove.