This modern home incorporated deep charcoal-colored countertops in the kitchen.
The center of the countertop had a free span of 9 feet from the cabinet to the vertical leg. It was 3 feet wide and 3 inches thick.
From the center of the cabinet, concrete countertops surround the stove and join with another monolithic piece of vertical concrete at the end of the cabinet.
The island was poured on site in a precast mold.
An integrated concrete trough sink was incorporated. It was 38-inches wide by 18-inches deep.
The trough sink included a drainboard with embedded stainless steel drain rails.
The fireplace was designed as a one-piece picture frame surround of concrete.
The fireplace surround has stainless steel pieces around it, making it look like the concrete was embedded into the steel.
At a private residence in Point Loma, Calif. near San Diego, this custom kitchen features concrete countertops in modern style with a deep charcoal color. "An architect had specified concrete for the countertops and fireplace surround," says Chris Frazer with DC Custom Concrete. "We bid it and got the job." Unlike typical concrete countertops, which rest squarely on the cabinetry below, this contemporary kitchen required a 9-foot free span of concrete as part of the island.
"To build the countertop," Frazer explains, "we precast the forms for it at our shop. Then we transported the forms to the job site." The island was poured on site in the precast mold. "We precast it upside down, then we rolled in into place using the beams above to hoist it up," he says. "This helped minimize the lifting and transporting of the piece because it weighed about 2,000 lbs."
The center of the countertop had a free span of 9 feet from the cabinet to the vertical leg. It was 3 feet wide and 3 inches thick. "It was heavily reinforced with 5/8-inch rebar," says Frazer, and was made from DC's custom mix and specific additives.
From the center of the cabinet, concrete countertops surround the stove and join with another monolithic piece of vertical concrete at the end of the cabinet. "We also precast the mold over the cabinet," explains Frazer, "so nothing was trowelled."
Another concrete countertop for the sink was also created. "The clients wanted a big, farm style sink," says Frazer, "so we built an integrated trough sink. They had also seen drainboards at our showroom, and they wanted one of those integrated as well." The trough sink was 38-inches wide and 18-inches deep. The drain board was designed by DC and included stainless steel embedded drain rails.
All of the countertops were sealed with numerous coats of a penetrating sealer. "The client did not want a heavy topcoat," explains Frazer, "so we used a penetrating sealer. We usually recommend that it's resealed every 3-6 months."
In addition to the countertops, DC also fabricated a concrete fireplace surround. "You can see in the images the fireplace at the end of the island. We did a fireplace surround on the opposite side of that wall. We created a one-piece picture frame surround out of concrete in the same charcoal color." The surround has stainless steel pieces surrounding it. "It makes it look like the concrete is embedded into the steel," says Frazer.
DC Custom Concrete
San Diego, CA
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