Concrete bench tops and decorative concrete pieces are a good idea if you like the solid look. I certainly would not recommend asking a general concreter about a concrete bench for your kitchen. Normally the bad rap that concrete bench tops get are when they are manufactured like a driveway or footpath. Kitchen bench tops require different characteristics. They should be constructed dense (to help prevent staining), flexible (to prevent cracking), lightweight (so can be manufactured off-site). With the materials that are available now, concrete can have all these characteristics. Sealing is another topic for the professionals. There are three different methods of sealing concrete. Penetrating, Topical, or Reactive. Sometimes all three are used to seal a concrete kitchen bench. This is because the way a kitchen bench is used is different to a floor. You are not only trying to prevent staining, you are trying to prevent etching that could occur with acidic foods. There are companies around that specialise in concrete bench tops for kitchens. Try them you may be surprised at the options available for "concrete" bench tops.

Thanks for your input Select Custom Joinery, you taught me a thing or two!

Concrete bench tops can be more expensive than other materials. The reason for this is that each bench top is hand crafted for each individual client, creating a unique look and feel. For people who want something truly unique, this is where concrete bench tops come into their own. Colours and shapes are individually chosen and items can even be embedded into the bench top surface. If you are after something unique, concrete bench tops provide you with that opportunity to develop a look that is truly your own.

Attached is a photo of a concrete bench top we have done where we embedded glass into the surface to match the glass we put into some doors visible in the kitchen. For other clients, we have embedded a custom made bicycle spoke as cycling is their passion. Concrete provides possibilities that other surfaces don't. Each bench top surface has its pros and cons and it is a case of finding a surface that works best for you.

We pour our concrete bench tops in our workshop. Pouring and polishing concrete is a wet and messy process. We use a technique called GFRC - Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete which allows us to pour and polish in our workshop and create a smooth, high quality finish, that is light enough to manoeuvre. "Normal"concrete techniques would create a product too heavy to move, which is why a site pour would occur - a site pour would typically create a more "rustic" result.

I will endeavour to get a photo! We did this bench top before we automatically took photos of everything. Leave it with me.