One Way We Used Concrete In Our Home

The Chirping Frog
by The Chirping Frog
When designing our home I had my heart set on a curved island wall. My husband did not! He kept avoiding the wall thinking I'd change my mind. Finally, when the time came he started framing it out. Cursing me under his breath I'm sure all the while. We had a few issues when it came pour time, but all in all I love the end result.
First things first, he built a support wall in the basement. Then, here he started my island. Wow, was this a fun project. See those pieces of rebar sticking out the backside? That's my bar-top...eventually anyhow.
FYI- that's not enough kickers! Pour time was a mess. He was adding kickers as we went. Better to go way overboard than not have enough, trust me on that one!
Pour day. My sons (this is my oldest from about 7 years ago) and that's me. My hubby and the boys mixed in the garage and I shoveled into the wall framing. If memory serves I shoveled 18 bags into that wall. It was an exhausting day.
Here is how it was coming out of the forms. One of the things I love about concrete (and probably what others hate) is you never know what you're going to get. I love the surprise. We added black colorant to the concrete. I really wanted a "landscape" picture with varying degrees from black into greys. You can kind of see it but NOT! My husband wanted to tear it out and try again. Me- no way! I shoveled 18 bags of concrete into that wall....it'll work! So, how do you make that work?
Our solution- we sanded it, and sanded it, and sanded some more.
Here it is finished. Tear it out!? He must be crazy! It worked out. We both really love the finished product.
The Chirping Frog
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Bonnie Bonnie on Jan 13, 2017
    How did you stain it that color and how did you get it from the garage to the kitchen? Curious, Bonnie
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  • Angel Holloway Angel Holloway on Oct 08, 2014
    It's neat but makes the kitchen space look crowded
  • June Robinson June Robinson on Nov 05, 2015
    I love these ideas of how to use concrete in the home, the island looks great. I admire people that can do that on their own, I definitely need the help of a masonry company when attempting to do things like this in my home. I will have to show my husband this post and see if he will let me do something similar. Thanks for sharing! http://www.bouldermasonryltd.ca ;
    • The Chirping Frog The Chirping Frog on Nov 08, 2015
      @June Robinson You're welcome. I am quite enamored with concrete and the many beautiful ways it can be used. Really beautiful stuff and its so versatile. Hope you get a chance to work with it sometime.
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