I think it makes some sense for me to replicate my pictures from my countertop, they are available on my build thread, but I think it's more convenient to include them specifically here also.
230v Diamond Polisher (wet) - Eibenstock EPN1310Available here:
www.eibenstock.co.uk/acatalog/Polishers.html - EPN1310
Concrete Mix (per batch - a batch being what I'd mix in the mixer at one time)
- 2 x 25kg Prebagged Hanson 40N concrete
[/a]
[li]100ml Sika Black liquid colouring[/li]Like this:
www.travisperkins.co.uk/Sika-Maxmix-Cement-Colour-Black-1L/p/329937[li]20ml Sika concrete waterproofer[/li]Like this:
www.travisperkins.co.uk/Sika-Maxmix-Waterproofer-1L/p/329934[li]100ml superplasticiser[/li]Like this:
www.fibretech.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Flowaid-SCC-TD.pdf Available on eBay in much smaller quantities, like 1-5L.
[/ul]
Stainless Steel Reinforcing:Expamet - Power tie flat wire ladder reinforcement
Available here (but need to arrange delivery through builders merchant):
www.expamet.net/content/powertie-flat-wire-ladder-reinforcement-now-colour-coded/index.htmlOther aggregates I added to the concrete mix indirectly (i.e. placed in the mould before pouring in the mix):
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[li]Glass - Aqua[/li]From:
www.specialistaggregates.com/[li]Mirror Glass - Silver & course[/li]From:
www.specialistaggregates.com/[li]Mother of Pearl - chippings[/li]From:
www.specialistaggregates.com/[li]Glow in the Dark - Sky Blue 18mm[/li]From:
www.ambientglowtechnology.com/tumbled-glow-stone.html[li]Glow in the Dark - Aqua Blue 18mm[/li]From:
www.ambientglowtechnology.com/tumbled-glow-stone.html[/ul]
Concrete Sealer:Sealers aren't very widely available in the UK, at least they weren't when I was looking. There are many pros and cons of each, and the use of the countertop can change which sealer you opt for. Being outside and hard-wearing, I opted for a sealer called Dekoflake - Biomaster. Dekoflake are still around but at the time of writing their website isn't working (www.dekoflake.co.uk).
ProcessCreated a very strong and level base with 4 saw horses and lots of 4x2's.
Template made in situ (using pallet timber)
Showing the two seperate pieces of the template / mould. I originally was going to do this as one giant piece, but then the logistics of flipping over then moving such a heavy piece made me split it into two (which will still prove difficult to move).
Templates made from 2 8'x4' sheets of melamine from Travis Perkins, made to fit the templates... except a last minute decision to reduce the width by 5cm for ease of measurements with the melamine.
Forms secured to the timber base, side walls reinforced and all corners silicone caulked. Aggregate put in one piece and glass rose caulked in place in the other.
Rebar (stainless steel brick ladder, 3mm wire x60mm wide) used as "normal" rebar is way too thick for a 2" slab.
Rebar and aggregate.
1st form almost filled. Missing pics of the rebar, but it's in there
Aggregate in the 2nd piece ready for the slop.
1st piece levelled (but not yet skimmed).
2nd almost fully filled, showing the rebar in place (15mm from the bottom of the 50mm slab) - which when flipped will mean it's in the top 3rd of the slab which is where the tension will be given the 12" cantilever from the supporting brickwork.
Just in case you like pictures of cement and rebar
Removed the sides after 4 days, the concrete set incredibly quickly so I had no reservations about doing this:
Very roughly polished/grinded out the peaks from the (eventual) bottom of the slab, didn't spend long, maybe an hour.
Anyway, roughly polished:
Here's the other piece - which I somehow managed to flip on my own without breaking my back. I estimated by the concrete volume this weighs in the region of 200kg. The bigger piece in the background - 250kg.
Note the small black dots - ghosting. This is usually undesireable, however it's not important given I always meant to grind off the cement cream. The ghosting was a result of the aggregate being placed in the form, concrete on top and then vibrated meaning the cream didn't remix properly on the surface.
The glass embedded rose - with the silicone caulking used to hold it down showing.
Started to grind away at the cement cream with 50grit diamond pad. You get ludicrously wet using these things - you'd be less drenched taking a shower - seriously!
Et voila - the caulking and cement cream have been removed to reveal the rose. I love it.
Once I completed the whole slab @50grit - (which took about 8 hours!!) I then applied a cement slurry to fill whatever tiny air-holes were present. Let the slurry dry for 2 days then grinded off again - it was much quicker to do then the initial exposing.
Whilst waiting for the slurry to dry, I built and cast two more slabs, 1 on the left for the chimney transition from brick to pot and the one on the right as the entrance to my oven.
Oven entrance removed - I didn't add enough water to this mix, nor did I vibrate at all so the corners were not very well finished. I corrected this by using a cement slurry to fill in all the gaps. This slab doesn't need to be strong, it will be fully supported.
Checking the transition works OK
The plant pot was the perfect size to cast the hole which will let the chimney sit on the outer rim.
The slab with the rose polished up to 3000 grit - with a brief stop off at 400 grit where I did another slurry to get the remaining fine holes. It was difficult to get a decent photo at about 7 this evening as the sun was going down, but hopefully this photo shows the reflection on the slab.
More light reflecting to the left of the rose:
Top down picture:
The larger slab still not fully exposed. An expected 6 hours left just with the 50grit pad alone!
Close up of the rose. The light grey streaks is just dust on the surface of the slab.
Oven entrance slab having had the holes filled in with slurry, then repolished to expose aggregate on the front lip. I decided that I didn't want to expose as much aggregate on this one (I didn't put any decorative pieces in it either). It's not yet levelled or mortared in yet, that will come at a much later date when I've got the chimney in place (to avoid mortar splashing it).
The finished articleThis thing is so strong that I frequently sit on the edge of the overhang with my full weight and there's been zero problem. Thats 85kg on a 12 inch overhang!
And finally, the party trick (glow in the dark).
