Concrete Cat

February 16, 2010

How does concrete compare to granite? This is a question I often get so I figured it was time to address this in a full article, hopefully alleviating some confusion. The most common comparison that I get when asked about concrete is how does it compare to granite as a counter-top material.

Lets start with price. The short answer is that concrete and granite are very similar in terms of price but like everything they both have a huge ranges. I have seen granite for a low as $50/sqft and upwards of $150. Technically you could do concrete yourself as low as $25/sqft considering all your materials (not your labour) but depending on design details you could also get $150/sqft, a good average we try and stay at is $75/sqft but this can also depend on many variables.

This brings me to my next point, which are the DIY counter-top customers. (While this does not pertain to granite comparisons it needs to be said while discussing price.) For the record I do not discourage DIY. My philosophy is that anyone who would consider doing what I do as a DIY project is not going to pay me to handcraft something for them. So when I get questions regarding a DIY project I am more than happy to answer them. And I am sure with a little action on Google you can come back with any number of articles stating the ease and savings involved with making your own counters. I will say for something very basic and rough it might be easy for some, so is making rudimentary furniture or a bookshelf, or pottery, sculpting, and painting. All of these practices are “easy” to do in practice but not all people will have the same results. Concrete is the same way, I have put in many hours and much trial and error perfecting and honing my skills and it shows in the craftsmanship of my work.

Wear and tear are big concerns with concrete, and they should be. It is also a concern with granite but it gets extremely downplayed by retailers and installers. The majority of granite counters I see are very dark. I think a dark granite counter looks great but it also hides staining, and I think that is a big factor as to why you see so much dark granite. Oil is the biggest staining issue I have see with concrete, no matter how much sealing and waxing you do with a stone surface like concrete, granite or marble, oil seems to find any tiny hairline crack or pour and work it’s way in if left sitting on the surface. The good news is this stain is often quite random and dissipates over time blending with the natural patina. And as a worst case scenario if your counters ever got too stained after say 10 years of heavy use, we can refurbish them and have them looking great again in about a day. To make a long story short granite and concrete of like colours have similar stain resistance, the catch is the majority of concrete you see is light gray, and the majority of granite you see is very dark and close to black.

The biggest strength when comparing granite to concrete is that concrete has a lot of freedom. Because everything we do is unique and tailored to your own situation we can make curves and drain trays that you can never get with granite. We can also vary our grind and patterning in concrete to create a unique surface to your own kitchen. While I have seen some granite that will have natural veining and streaking running through them this is a trait found only in the higher end granites, it is extremely beautiful but it comes with a price. Concrete quite literally has infinite design potential, while this can be daunting for a client it is my job to guide you through this process and help you design something that is a perfect fit for you kitchen, bathroom or piece of furniture.

When you consider concrete as a product for your counter-top there really is no great comparison product as the craftsmanship is much different compared to the other options out there. I can’t reiterate enough that concrete is a handmade product and the charm and uniqueness of being handmade shows through in the subtle intricacies of the finishing. Concrete is not for everyone, neither is granite, marble, corian, stainless steel or any other counter-top surface. I don’t even know how to help you choose which counter-top surface is best for you. I believe you will know it when you see it. All of my customers are after something very specific and have unique designs and details that they want. Usually by the time they get to me their heart is already set on concrete because of it’s beauty and design. Sometimes I feel like I am more a facilitator in that I am not “selling” the client on concrete I am making their ideas become a reality in concrete.