After searching for a long time for the right table but not finding one we liked, I built a concrete tabletop for our kitchen. The table top is 4.5 ft by 4.5 ft and seats 8 people. I ordered the steel legs through Amazon for about $950. The sealer was a few hundred dollars, the wood for the forms was pricey, but the concrete itself was very cheap. I added portland cement to the concrete mix to make it stronger and mixed in coloring to make it darker. I also inlaid 3/4" plywood in the center portion to displace the concrete and make it lighter. The tabletop alone weighs several hundred pounds. After the concrete cured for a couple days, I started the grinding process. It took so many hours of grinding. Since I was in the garage and the process was incredibly messy, I set up the canopy over the table and hung tarps from the canopy to protect the rest of the garage. I ran a hose into the garage to keep things wet, and it was freezing cold because I was working in the winter. After I exposed the aggregate and ground it smooth, I learned that I had polished it too smooth for the finish to adhere to. So I used some acid to rough up the surface. I regret that choice because it made little pits in the surface that are very abrasive on our washrags when we wipe down the table. All in all though, I'm very proud of this project and it's a major talking point whenever we have guests over.
October 13, 2020-February 1, 2020
