JOIN DIYCHATROOM TODAY!

SambucaJoe · 10-20-2009, 04:14 AM

Thanks Knucklez, I have been checking back every couple hours for your answer and you have delivered my friend. I am now confident to finally order the pro formula and all the other stuff from cheng's website and get things going. Right now I'm finishing up priming my cupboards and reinforcing them. I will hopefully spray paint them glossy white tomorrow if the weather works for me. I'll take some pics and hopefully I can help out someone as much as you have. Cheers

ps. thanks for the tip on the diamond pads..I'll buy cheap ones...200 is a little much I think.

SambucaJoe · 10-20-2009, 04:18 AM

Thanks Knucklez, I have been checking back every couple hours for your answer and you have delivered my friend. I am now confident to finally order the pro formula and all the other stuff from cheng's website and get things going. Right now I'm finishing up priming my cupboards and reinforcing them. I will hopefully spray paint them glossy white tomorrow if the weather works for me. I am testing our first dishwasher which I somehow managed to install( pluming and electrical) as I type this. I'll take some pics and hopefully I can help out someone as much as you have. Cheers

ps. thanks for the tip on the diamond pads..I'll buy cheap ones...200 is a little much I think.

user64621 · 10-20-2009, 10:13 AM

Knucklez,
the diamond disks,... wet polishing disks I've found to last longer then the dry. 50 - 400 wear the fastest but if you are just doing one set of tops you'll be more then fine. If you skip a step.... example - polish with 100 then skip 200 right to 400, the 400 pad will wear alot faster.
I but the in between priced pads, $20-24 pads + i still have my 3000 + buff pad from 2+ years ago.

richardballast · 10-20-2009, 02:09 PM

Wow, this is awesome stuff. If my wife ever finds this site, I'm screwed.

Knucklez · 10-20-2009, 11:15 PM

yes, i used only wet grinding pads with my variable speed wet grinder (have lots of info on this in previous posts). i purchased through ebay, was pretty cheap. got a set of pads 50 through 1500 grit PLUS the grinder, taxes & delivery for $250 as i recall.

sambucajoe, another thing you might want to keep in mind.. i assume you are adding decorative stone? this is highly recommended to create some interest and colour contrast to pick up the main colour them of your kitchen (ask your wife if you're not sure, infact just ask her anyway what the main colour theme is). anyway, if you do that you must spray the melemine form with spray adhesive. i bought the RONA special as it was much cheaper than 3M product. but what i found is that the decorative stones didn't stick that well so most didn't show through to the surface. i should have paid extra for the 3M brand.. i got bags and bags of decorative stones through ebay for dirt cheap.

also.. i asked my wife if she wanted an integrated cutting board. she said no, they look ugly. so what we have now instead is a cutting board that just sits on our counter ALL THE TIME because it is used ALL THE TIME. wish we had just done the integrated cutting board now...

richardballast - lol. maybe you should start a project like this out in the backyard.. for a small vanity or something. see how it goes.. if you're successful you can surprise her with something awesome... if your not .. well, you were just having some fun with a new hobby for a while. she may never know what you are actually doing until its done and looks awesome and you put it ontop of a vanity .. THEN she'll see it. until then, its just a concrete "thing" you have as a short term project .. nothing to see here.. just move along.

Knucklez

sbmfj · 10-21-2009, 02:37 PM

thanks for sharing Knucklez. your posts and photos were very helpful, as well as all the links to the other sites. did you actually order concrete mix from Fung's website? The shipping dfees must have been pretty high I imagine. all in all your counter looks great. Oh, and what does a counter look like with an integrated bread board?

MisterPG · 11-25-2009, 06:48 PM

Awesome thread, Knucklez! I'll be pouring my first concrete countertop some time this winter. Along with Cheng's website and his Youtube videos, your project here (and everyone else's comments) are a great resource. Thank you!

Knucklez · 11-26-2009, 10:00 PM

sbmfj, sorry for the late response. i am being swamped with school activities - not much fun at all.yes i actually ordered the cheng material, but i ordered it through one of their canadian resellers. i had a link for them somewhere on this thread. interstar? if you goto cheng's website you'll see examples of what the integrated cutting board looks like.

MisterPG - glad you found the thread useful, that's why it's here!

i always appreciate people's feedback, thanks for dropping a quick note.

sometime in the new year i may actually get around to finishing the kitchen reno.. got some other things on the go right now though which are taking priority. maybe february? ho humm...

happy thanks giving to my US friends,
Knucklez

Lali · 11-29-2009, 11:09 AM

Very impressive! You did a treeeemendous job on the countertop. The floor looks marvelous, too. As for the backsplash, agree that the first mosaic would be a major distraction from the countertop. The horizontal layered stones are cool, too; tho' they'd create a harsh visual perception with the floor. IMHO, go with the circles; they would add a soft contrast to the rigidity of the lines in the floor & the light would play off them to enhance the beauty of your wonderful creation.

Thanx for sharing this, I learned alot & thoroughly enjoyed your sense of humor.

Will look forward to seeing the end result!

Desertdrifter · 12-09-2009, 10:58 PM

Read this complete thread and think you are doing a bang up job while providing great information and I think "Knucklez's Odyssey" would be an great title for your experience.