Bathroom vanity cabinets are a staple of many homes. These compact multi-purpose units store bathroom essentials in drawers, hide cleaning products, and of course, act as a base for the bathroom vanity top and sink. You’ll find innumerable vanity tops available for purchase that fit your vanity cabinet. Another way to add a countertop is to pour your own concrete vanity top.
If the project sounds far-fetched, it’s anything but. For any do-it-yourselfer with a creative bent, making a concrete vanity top is fun and low-cost—plus you’ll have a counter that you truly can call your own.
Basics of Pouring a Perfect Concrete Vanity Top
Form the Concrete Upside-Down
Many of those immaculately smooth concrete countertops you see in high-end kitchens are made with a secret: an upside-down concrete form. Professional concrete technicians are adept at pouring upright countertops and smoothing the surface with trowels. But another way they achieve a glass-smooth finish is by pouring the concrete into an upside-down concrete form. The form’s perfectly flat bottom, sides, and beveled edges are transferred to the concrete vanity top, with very little post-molding work required.
Reinforce the Concrete
Concrete has excellent compressive strength but poor tensile strength. Concrete technicians embed metal rebar mesh inside of the concrete to improve its strength. As a do-it-yourselfer, you can do this, too. Home centers sell small sections of rebar mesh that are perfect for making concrete vanity tops. The mesh is easy to cut with a hacksaw.
Vibrate the Concrete
Poured concrete contains voids that can partially be eliminated by pushing the concrete around. Vibrating the mixture helps to force trapped air out, resulting in a denser, stronger countertop. Tapping the form with a rubber mallet or a hammer can do this. You can use any tool around your shop that vibrates, such as a sander, or you can rent a small electrically operated concrete vibrator for a day or two from a local rental yard.
Safety Considerations
Concrete is heavy. The volume of the concrete in this project is about .66 cubic feet or 100 pounds. Lift the vanity top and form with a partner. After you release the vanity top from the form, watch out of the edges. Even though you rounded down the edges in advance, some razor-sharp parts will remain. Wear gloves when handling the vanity top.
Source: The Spruce
