Concrete Countertops, Trim and More – ORC Week 5 and 6

Last week was crazy.

With everything going on in the world, my anxiety ran a little rampant. So while I diligently worked on my ORC project, I didn’t give in an update. Sorry.

Fortunately, this week I’ve got plenty to update you on!

Concrete Countertops – How’d They Turn Out?

During week four of the One Room Challenge, I finished my concrete countertops. It was an interesting project and one that I would do COMPLETELY differently if I did it again.

As a reminder, here’s what my countertops looked like before:

Sorry for the cluttered picture. Apparently, I failed to take any good before pictures where the counters were cleared.

The counter and sink were both from the 1970s: a yellowy white counter and a lovely, beautiful brown sink.

I used Ardex Feather Finish concrete to apply concrete to both the counter and the sink. It was such a cheap way to update that I figured even if it didn’t turn out good, I wasn’t out much money.

I started by applying a thin layer of concrete with a trowel. I mixed the concrete with water at a 2:1 ratio. I gave each coat a day to dry before adding the second coat. In total, I did three coats.

I then sanded the countertops. (A lot!) Afterward, I sealed with Tuff Duck sealer.

Here’s what they look like now?

Are they better than what they are? Absolutely. Are they perfect? Oh my gosh, NO. Would I try this again? Probably not.

Here’s a close-up look at some of the imperfections:

In all honesty, they didn’t turn out near as good as I would’ve hoped. I’ll live with them for a little while, but in the long run, I’ll probably replace this counter and sink.

Other Progress Made

While week four was spent solely working on the counters, I tackled several smaller projects on week five and six. Here’s what I did.

• Cut, painted, and installed the quarter round trim.
• Painted the ceiling.
• Touched up the paint on the wall.
• Installed the shower curtain rod and hung up the shower curtain.

What’s Still Left to Do?

There are still a few things left to do.

For week six, I’ll be focused on finishing touches. This includes hanging up the towel rack, installing a toilet paper holder, decorating, and finding a suitable transition strip.

For week seven, I will work on closet organization, and week eight will be the final reveal.

You can check out the rest of the ORC guest participants here.