DIY Concrete Desktop

 Hi friends!  If you follow me on instagram then you know I have been a LITTLE busy working on our kitchen.  I have been covered in dust, paint, and dirt for the past four days.  Painting our kitchen cabinets is definitely the biggest {& most exhausting} project I have ever done.  Now we are just waiting for everything to cure before we put all the cabinets and drawers back... tick tock tick tock... 

Last summer, {yes, last summer},  I decided I wanted to make an outdoor table with a concrete tabletop.  Here was my inspiration from {Pottery Barn}:

 There was NO way I was going to spend $2000 on an outdoor table.  I ended up making the concrete tabletop while we had a covered patio in our rental, and then two weeks later our 11th house offer was accepted. I love our house but we do not have a covered patio, and that is is why we now have a concrete top desk.  I am always an over-sharer.  I used tutorials from {Little Green Notebook} and {Kara Paslay} as my guides during this projects.

DIY Concrete Tabletop

Supplies:

Hollow Door

1 Bag {Ardex Feather Finish}*

Putty Knife

Concrete Trowel {like this, I tried a drywall knife but I didn't like it}

Buckets

Big Sponge

Sandpaper {60, 120, 220}

Concrete Sealer & Brush

*You will need to find a local distributor. 

First, rough up your door with the 60 grit sandpaper.  Now mix up the concrete according to the package.  I added a little bit of extra water to help with the consistency. 

Next I added the concrete to the door with the drywall knife. I was a little bit nervous using concrete, but it was very easy to work with!  On the third round I discovered using a concrete trowel was MUCH EASIER.  Goodbye, drywall knife... 

After your concrete dries you want to sand the table until it is smooth using the 120 grit sandpaper.  Now add your second coat of concrete and this time cover the edges. Make sure you use a putty knife on the bottom of the table to get a somewhat clean edge. :)  ***I was still using the drywall knife but I should of been using a trowel and sponge. 

Use your 120 sandpaper again until the concrete smooths out again.  On the third round of concrete Tall Tan Man's cousin taught me a MUCH better way to spread concrete.  First off, don't be afraid to add more water directly onto the table.  Second, use a sponge!  Holy cow, this project just got a million times more AWESOME!

Now you can leave the texture from the sponge or you can go over the table with 220 grit sandpaper.  Lastly, seal your table with concrete sealer twice. 

This might be one of my favorite projects, ever!  If there is ever a next time I would definitely use the sponge on all three applications of concrete.  I would also not be as afraid of pouring water on the table except during the first application.   

One last thing I want to mention is that the concrete has character.  Originally I wanted an even gray finish, but that is just not how this concrete works. I ended up loving how the table looked!

I hope you are having a great week!  I am headed up to the mountains to see some of my favorite people!  Wooo hooo

{LJ}

Linking Up to:
Artsy Fartsy Mama 
Shabby Art Boutique
Miss Mustard Seed 
Pieced Pastimes
Gingerly Made 
I heart nap time  
DIY Showoff 
It's Overflowing 
Monday Funday 
Crafty Blog Stalker
The Blissful Bee
Whipper Berry