Snowcrete and aggregate counter top

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Hi there,

I'm trying to make a snowcrete and silver aggregate countertop.

Do I need to use sand if I am using aggregate? And if so, what type of sand is the best to keep the snowcrete white?

Is there any particular order in which i set the mould? Or will grinding down the surface once it's set be enough to bring up the aggregate?

Cheers,

Winnie
 
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Heya,

Yes, you do need sand.
Sharp sand is best because it's less likely to crack than plain ole builders sand. The colour of the sand will of course affect the colour.

If you can't find sharp white/light sand them you'll have use whatever white sand you can get. You can use white plastic fibres to add into the mixture to prevent cracking.

There are a few good books on concrete counter tops made by a guy called Fu-Tung Cheng. Well worth a read if you're going to do this properly otherwise you could end up with a huge heavy eye sore that's tricky to dispose of!

I've not made countertops myself but I intend to one day though I have read the books.
I do make other stuff from concrete like bricks and windows sills and they've come out great but I've never made anything white.

By the way, what do mean about setting order of the mould?

Do you intend to make the countertop in situ or do you intend to make it away from the kitchen and bring it in? The advantage of doing it not in situ is that you can flip it upside down take advantage of the smooth side of the mould bottom.
 
Heya,

Thanks for getting back to me!

I'm not doing it in situ, in doing it in a mould. I was wondering if I needs to mix the aggregate in with the sand cement mixture or if I should put the aggregate in first and the. Pour it over the top?

Cheers

Winnie
 
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Mix all the sand, aggregate and cement together just as you would normal concrete and then pour it in to your mould.

The difference from regular concrete is you want more of a cookie dough texture rather than cow pat consistency. (As my dad describes it) So basically, don't add too much water. Keep it as dry as possible. You can use a plasticiser to keep the water content down. (The more water the, the weaker the concrete and the more shrinkage you'll get.) And then, don't let it dry to quickly. Leave it covered up for at least 2 days, ideally more.

As you are making it in the mould, you can take advantage of the flat surface of the mould bottom to get a very flat finish.

Also, have you thought about how you're going to vibrate the concrete to get the air bubbles out?
 
Fantastic.

Even though you'll have very flat surface from the mould I suspect you'll still need to do some polishing.

Please post some images up, I'd love to see the end result.
 

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