The look is great, but are you prepared for the surface? It is live -- will discolor, take an irregular patina, crackle, etc. Some people love that but others hate it, which is why concrete-look quartz is so popular.

Lol... I asked for comments from people who actually have them. Do you?

I dislike the plastic look of quartz.

Fly into the Atlanta airport and have a drink at the concrete countertop bar there please. You won't even want to set your glass on it. Grrrroooossss.

Another comment from someone who does not have. I do not plan on serving 1000’s of people a day in kitchen, so not really an accurate comparison. Thank you though!

Here's a link to an older thread with lots of pros and cons from those who have concrete countertops. Only you can know whether the issues described are things that would bother you or not.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2491784/the-truth-about-concrete-countertops#n=94

We have had our concrete countertops for 8+ years with no issues. But than again as a concrete fabricator I know how to maintain them (such as re-sealing annually).

Today process and products for concrete countertop are far move advanced than even 5 years ago so if you plan to hire someone or do them yourself do research on product that are specifically designed for concrete counters.

Thanks - we would get them done professionally, and he is using a poly sealer.

"Another comment from someone who does not have."

Deborah:

Your requirement to get comments from owners only is the logical fallacy of relevance, ad hominem circumstantial. It is the logical equal to asking only smokers if smoking is bad for you.

You must address the arguments of all respondents, not their circumstances.

Hi Joe,

Thanks so much for your response, however your analogy is incorrect. My question is not the equivalent to asking only smokers if it is bad for you. It would be asking smokers their personal experience with smoking. I asked for people with concrete to tell me their experience be it good or bad.

If as you say I “must” consider all respondents, then you better tell all those market researchers that they need to stop focus groups...lol. I am asking my target group -ie people with concrete countertops, their experience. Since this does not appear to be you, perhaps there is another post that you might be able to contribute your expertise. Thanks though!!!

Thanks so much for the feedback! That is why I love them as well.

I had concrete counters in a rental. They chipped a tiny bit, pitted a tiny bit, scratched, and took on some weird stains and discolorations. I wouldn’t choose them if given the choice. I think if I wanted a look that patinas over time, I’d go with marble or soapstone. Probably soapstone.

We have a concrete-look quartz in our new home in a honed finish and while I like the look I can’t speak to the durability yet as I haven’t been able to put it through its paces. It’s also in the laundry room and not the kitchen.

Thanks for the feedback!

I have done them in several projects over the years. The concrete that looks like matte concrete fares the worst. A penetrating sealer doesn’t seam to provide as much protection as a film forming one. Stains, etches, and generally looking like a warehouse floor is what those ended up looking like. One customer loved the “patina”. It fit their funky half garage half house vibe. Another replaced it within a year. I had to pay for that. I don’t know what happened with a third “natural” counter. .

The stained and shiny sealed concrete counters, with or without grinding to exposed aggregate, remained better looking. But they look a lot more like quartz or polished Corian than a natural looking “concrete”. In one area of high use next to the range, one white concrete top fared pretty badly. It too was replaced. With white quartz. The new to them homeowners of one black concrete top did contact me about having the person who did the counters come and do a table to match. Unfortunately, he was out of business. As are 3 out of the 4 locals that I have worked with.

Based in its track record with my customers, and the fact that most were never that happy with it, and what that cost me on a few jobs, I no longer will do a project with concrete counters. If a client wants that, they have to source it and project manage it themselves.

We thought about doing concrete and found Boxwood Avenue's review of her counters very informative. She has several posts- here is one: https://boxwoodavenue.com/blog/pros-cons-white-concrete-countertops .

I have a concrete trough sink in my master- i love the look - it is porous so I wipe the sink after every use, a dot of hair color landed on the sink and I can not get it off. It was pre fabricated by native trails - i think i bought it here on the houzz site

Had them in my previous house. Would not recommend. They never felt clean or smooth enough for me. Also stained very easily and required a lot of upkeep.

I have had clients that insisted on real concrete and were never happy with the end product it stained no matter how good they sealed it and one year later we replaced it with a quartz that looks like concrete. IMO if you like the industrial style they are pretty cool but in a normal kichen I would hesitate to do it. BTW a family and guests can leave a lot of life on a counter top maybe not 1000s but stuff happens.