Everything but the.........

Before formica was discovered; prior to corian or so-called solid-surfacing, or - previous to the advent of granite, slate, or even linoleum, soapstone ruled for kitchen sinks with adjacent countertops. But that was in my grandfather's house in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in the 1960's!

Our kitchen cabinet bases (carcases) are topped with cement board, 1/2" thick and then we mixed concrete for the pour, using a brown pigmented liquid to color the batch prior to mixing, actually during the mixing stage, as it was used for the necessary water that is needed to complete the formula for concrete. Again, Portland Cement(named for the English city, not the coastal city in Maine), an aggregate, in our case sand only for a lighter mix, and, of course water. We used plenty of color additive to make the mix a color as close to Milk chocolate as possible, not to be confused with Dark chocolate, or even the Semi-Sweet variety. Actually, I'm just kidding, I was trying to match the darker brown in the cabinet wood, which is Hickory, incidentally.

Note the the under-mount sink, or the drop down front edge in front of it? Strictly Stylin', I am say - in'! Being the first concrete job I've EVER done; O.K., the second, if you count the bathroom vanity (picky - picky - picky).

The gentleman in the photo is Johnson, he is from St. Lucia, he mixed and transported the concrete from the yard to the kitchen and did some preliminary leveling, and then he left, the finish on the surface was done by yours truly!

Debbie insisted I show the BEFORE and after shots of the scene, that is before she painted the edge around the countertop, where it meets the wall, nice, huh? The next shot down is the AFTER.

At long last, the kitchen sink is in-place and Debbie finally is happy, did I say FINALLY? The counter top pour was a giant step to the completion of the house, not only for our basic cooking needs and the peace it provides us at mealtime, but for the mere saneness it affords each of us. I was petrified about the concrete work for weeks before we did it, weeks! And now 'tis done.

That red-ish looking wood in the foreground of this last photo is the last finish piece for the kitchen peninsula, I have yet to mount or finish that piece of lumber, which covers the top of the concrete block 1/2 wall that separates the kitchen from the living area. Too high for bar stools, we will just have standing room there for guests to rest and watch the cook, maybe a plant or two, who knows?