May 2020
7 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE CHOOSING CONCRETE COUNTERTOPS
By Annie Cebulski
EXCERPT:
While quartz, granite, and marble countertops are popular with designers, concrete remains a desirable option on the periphery, offering flexibility and a creative potential that other materials simply cannot provide. If a client is looking for a stand-out kitchen centerpiece, a custom concrete countertop is an option that puts all the control in your hands.
Countertops can define the personality of a kitchen and are a homeowner favorite: In the 2020 Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, countertops were the number one renovation, included in 89 percent of projects. Quartz, granite, and butcher block countertops topped the list for the most popular materials, concrete countertops offer a unique design opportunity. Because the countertops are poured rather than mined from slabs of rock, concrete is not bound to the traditional slab layout and can feature sculpture-like forms, embedded bits and bobs, and ergonomic design elements.
If you tried using concrete countertops in the early 2000s and found the process confusing and the final product messy, FuTung Cheng, founder and principal of Cheng Design, says take another look. Though he now designs houses, he got his start in the kitchen and bath industry. To this day, concrete remains his design hallmark, and in 2002, he literally wrote the book on the topic: “Concrete Countertops: Designs, Forms and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath (Taunton Press),” which has sold more than 300,000 copies. Since the book’s publication, a lot has changed.