Concrete Patio Table
4 Materials
A couple years ago I took a few classes at a Concrete Show in Nashville, TN. One of the classes was by a man named Ben Ashby, great guy... very creative and the class was chock full of information and inspiration. He has a system for countertops that is truly unique and quite amazing. As soon as we got home I ordered materials and started a table for the back patio.
I knew I wanted a "liquid" shape with no corners. This is what we came up with.
The boys did the mixing... I used three colors, placing it how I wanted within the framed top. When all is said and done, it will be flipped over so the top is actually on the bottom while we're "pouring". There is a product that you use to keep the colors from bleeding together too much and it leaves crevices where you put it to add interest for the next step.
Adding more concrete....
Here it is all filled up. When we flip it this will be the bottom of the tabletop.
The boys (my hubby and 2 sons) and I flipped the table over.... thankfully we didn't break it. The boys were young, probably 10 and 12, and I'm not that strong (the thing weighs quite a bit)... I really don't know how we did it.... Now you are looking at the top as it came out of the forms. The white you see is baking soda. There is a specialty product but baking soda works and is a lot cheaper.... it keeps the colors separate and allows crevices to form....
This is the tabletop with midway through the slurry process. You use a slurry coat, sand, slurry coat, sand, slurry coat, sand.... until you fill the crevices to your liking.
I knew I wanted to play with tree stumps sometime so we made them the bases for the table.... My husband framed them up using sonotubes and Styrofoam to make the base structure and then I used the vertical carving mix to finish them off.
Put them together and you have a unique, OOAK patio table.
I would love to make wall panels for my basement bathroom and possibly a fireplace surround.... who knows when that'll be ready for finishing touches.... future project!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 of 106 comments
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This is fabulous. I'm headed to your blog next, for any additional instructions. Must say; most inspiring DIY project to date!
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Fabulous!!! When you said slurry, sand, slurry sand. Was that adding sand or sanding like the verb? ( ie. with sandpaper)
Frequently asked questions
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What is the material to create the mold/frame of the table top? How do you keep the concrete from bonding to that frame? Thanks for your help.
What did you use to frame the concrete and how did you keep the concrete from sticking to it?
How did you make the stumps? Materials, process, steps, etc.
How did you make your forms? Materials, process, steps, etc.