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Above:
In cooler months, one can lean on the 85-degree
countertop surface that incorporates radiant
heat for a little comfort. Below:
These three concrete countertops are 11/2
inches thick with 31/2-inch-thick beveled
edges, which were then stained and polished.
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Photos:
Joe Nasvik |
In larger areas, he loads brushes with stain and "trapezes"
color through the concrete, melding it with additional
color to avoid a contrived look.
Concrete masonry block forms the walls that support
the barbeque and enclose the refrigerator. A concrete
overlay with a scratch coat beneath provides the vertical
surface color and texture. He finished the surface using
sandstone color hardener with a weathered sage release
agent that was textured with a slate skin. The spa walls
are faced with vertical flagstone resting on a concrete
footing. The pool coping, the spa cap, and the wall
cap surface had a wash of muriatic acid to reveal the
color hardener's fines creating a little sparkle and
grit.
The main 4-inch-thick concrete patio deck has #3 rebar
at 18 inches on center. The concrete is recessed 2 inches
for the placement of the flagstone. The slab was jointed
for crack control except under the flagstone, where
the reinforcement prevents cracks from reflecting through,
A 5x5foot slate grid pattern imprinted into the concrete
ties all the elements together with sandstone and weathered
sage colors. The concrete work was sealed but the flagstone
was left in its natural weathered state.
AN OUTDOOR KITCHEN FOR THE MIDWEST
John Novak, the owner of Fine Home Builders, Lombard,
Ill., built an outdoor kitchen in his backyard with
multitiered concrete countertops. "People have
to see it first. This is a great way to show clients
how to enhance their outdoor living in the Midwest,"
says Novak. He pairs concrete with other materials such
as clay brick pavers set in a sunken patio with dry
stacked Lannon Stone walls and all-brick cabinetry that
frames the kitchen. He addresses the weather with a
suspended outdoor fabric sail to shade the patio in
the summer, and portable fire pits and a heated concrete
countertop to extend the kitchen's use in the fall.
The three concrete countertops combined are 92 square
feet and form a U shape. One 4x8-foot wing is at a 30-inch
table height. The shaped kitchen countertop work center
is 36 inches high and the shaped serving counter is
42 inches from the ground. The serving counter is heated
with electric heating cables. Novak used concrete that
is strong enough to cast the countertop, which includes
a 6-inch cantilevered. section, without steel reinforcement.
With the help of Burlingame Concrete, Glen Ellyn, Ill.,
a threepart self-consolidating concrete mix was cast
into the countertop forms under winter conditions. Burlingame
used a nonchloride accelerator to achieve a three-hour
setting time. Six-foot concrete footings reach to the
clay base and support the grill, while the countertops
sit on a base of brick and steel.
Novak highlighted concrete's natural stone character
by diamond polishing the countertops and coloring them
with chemical stain. Amici Stone, Addison, Ill., used
a wet grinder starting with a 50-grit diamond pad and
progressed to an 800-grit finish that exposed some of
the aggregate in the concrete. The surface was chemically
stained with tan, brown, and rust colors. "This
is more creative looking to me. I could have chosen
granite, but I could not use a thickened edge or place
the heating cables with granite. These counters look
like they belong outside," says Novak.
MOVING AWAY FROM IMITATION
Both installations use concrete but move away from
imitation. "Now I do not limit myself," says
Ralston, "I chose materials that naturally articulate
the design concept." Novak continued the natural
look using oversized tumbled dark red clay brick for
the kitchen backsplashes, blue stone to floor the upper
patio kitchen, and then returned to textured concrete
with skins for the walkway from the driveway to the
backyard. These outdoor kitchens might make cooking
at home appealing even for the busiest households.
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