'As Easy as a Box Cake Mix'

As the concrete countertop business continues to grow, so do the choices of countertop mixes available to the countertop contractor. The industry is no longer a two or three product industry.

One of the areas that is improving with the newer mix designs is the speed in the cure time for the concrete mix. This increased speed is allowing contractors to produce more precast pieces in shorter time frames allowing them to increase the job output without increasing their overhead. The quicker curing times also free up their warehouse spaces faster than the methods they have used in the past.

Another area of improvement is the density of the finished pieces. Because these mixes are engineered to have less bug holes, there is less of a need to grout coat the whole piece. Some holes may show up, but they are easily filled with the fines from the original mix. These engineered mix designs also allow the mix to flow cleanly around any inlays that might be included in the precast piece, giving them a completely tight finish on all the edges of the inlay with very few bug holes, if any at all.

These new mix designs are formulated to make the process of concrete countertops as easy as a box cake mix. Just make a good form, mix the dry powder with the liquid and cast into the form. Follow all curing guidelines and soon you will have your concrete countertop or precast piece ready for removal from the form. From there the contractor will finish the piece as requested by the owners, seal the piece and install. It's becoming just that easy! Today contractors have more choices for countertop mixes, but because of the continued improvements in mix designs, those choices are no longer difficult ones to make.

- Article by Lifetime Floors