Acid Stain

DIY Concrete Countertops: Ideas & Real Projects

Jan 19, 2023 Justin Richardson

A countertop is the best first concrete project there is. It is small enough to finish in a weekend, it is at eye level so the result actually gets noticed, and replacing one costs thousands. The projects below cover both routes: coloring a concrete countertop you cast yourself, and skim-coating over the laminate, Formica or tile you already have.

How to concrete countertop applying an integrally colored skim coat of Beachfront Buff concrete overlay on a plywood constructed countertop

A rustic cabin kitchen — white overlay tinted with Beachfront Buff pigment, then Cola and Malayan Buff EverStain™.

Shop Countertop Stains & Trial Kits →

Two routes: Cast a new concrete top, or skim-coat over the existing one
Color with: EverStain™ acid stain for mottled, reactive character · ColorWave® for predictable layered color · Vibrance™ Dye where the surface will not react
Seal with: A countertop needs a food-safe-rated, chemical-resistant topcoat — see each project below
Test first: Order a trial kit and stain an offcut before the real thing

Note on results: every photo here is a real Direct Colors customer project. Acid stain is reactive and every countertop mix behaves differently, so test on an offcut or a hidden section before you commit — on a surface this small and this visible, it matters more than anywhere else.

A rustic cabin kitchen

This customer moved into a small cabin, moved the kitchen to a different wall, and built the countertops from scratch — plywood base, cement backer board screwed and glued over it, then a skim coat of concrete overlay tinted with Beachfront Buff pigment. The color came from Cola and Malayan Buff EverStain™ over the top, then EasySeal™ Satin.

“I want to thank Direct Colors for the support during my project and for making it easy for a 57-year-old woman to complete it on her own.”
— DIY Customer

Smoothing out the edges of a concrete overlay covered countertop with sanding — Malayan Buff over a Beachfront Buff base.

Stunning Cola and Malayan Buff EverStain acid stained finish enhances Beachfront Buff pigmented concrete overlay kitchen countertop.

Creating a unique design on a concrete overlay countertop using Cola and Malayan Buff EverStain acid stains.

Adding an integrally colored skim coat of Beachfront Buff concrete overlay around the sink opening on a plywood constructed kitchen countertop.

Applying the first coat of sealer to an acid stained concrete overlay countertop with Cola and Malayan Buff EverStain acid stains.

Coffee Brown & Malayan Buff EverStain acid stains over concrete overlay countertop.

A Formica bathroom vanity, in a day

The fastest project in this gallery. An existing Formica vanity, scuffed and skim-coated in a gray-toned overlay, then sealed satin. The owner had painted these before and the concrete finish beat it outright.

“I'm a beginner, so I had to do small patches at a time — I mixed smaller amounts because the mix would dry out before I was able to finish my current patch.”
“I had tried painting them in the past but it never looked as great as the concrete does.”
— Allison C.

Ash colored concrete overlay applied to a Formica bathroom countertop with a trowel how to concrete countertop tip — During — overlay going over the Formica.

Formica bathroom countertop — After — a one-day vanity.

Applying a skimcoat of Ash colored concrete overlay to a Formica bathroom countertop for a modern and durable finish.

Updated bathroom countertop featuring a sleek and durable Ash Concrete Overlay applied over a Formica surface.

A white skim-coat kitchen

Liz Morrow Studios of Tacoma took a dated kitchen back to white with a skim coat over the existing counters. White is the hardest concrete color to achieve — see the white countertops guide below for why gray mix will never get you there.

A kitchen renovation featuring a pearl white concrete overlay applied to Formica countertops

Skim-coating the existing kitchen counters white.

DIYWhiteConcreteSkimcoatKitchenCountertopsRemodel

The finished white kitchen.

Tiles to titanium

Two surfaces in one project: a vertical overlay tinted with titanium pigment over the tiled backsplash, and a pearl white skim coat over the Formica counters. The lesson the owner drew was about batching — mix and weigh several dry batches at once so the color cannot drift between them.

Surfaces: Tiled backsplash (vertical) + Formica countertops
Color: Titanium pigment on the backsplash, pearl white on the counters
Finish: Satin sealer; a separate matte sealer on the island
Time: 14 days

Outdated Formica kitchen countertops and tiled backsplash — Before — dated laminate counters and a tiled backsplash.

A kitchen renovation featuring a refinished Formica countertop with a pearl white concrete overlay and a tile backsplash with a titanium concrete overlay — After — pearl white and titanium.

Kitchen countertop with a pearl white concrete overlay skimcoat applied over a Formica surface

Refinished Formica countertop with a pearl white concrete overlay and a tile backsplash with a titanium concrete overlay

Revitalized kitchen countertop and backsplash featuring pearl white concrete overlay on Formica countertop and titanium concrete overlay on tile backsplash

The skim coat going on, the titanium backsplash, and the finished kitchen.

Their tips: “Vertical surfaces first. Prep work is extremely important. Mix and measure/weigh multiple dry batches at the same time to ensure no color discrepancies.”
— DIY Customer

A poured-in-place countertop in ColorWave®

Twenty-three square feet, four days, and three ColorWave® colors — White, Steel and Iron Gray — worked in layers with water used to blend them while still open.

Cured Poured-in-Place Concrete Countertop — Before — the bare cast countertop.

Installed Concrete Countertop Stained with Iron Gray and Steel ColorWave — After — White, Steel and Iron Gray layered.

Concrete Countertop Stained with Iron Gray and Steel ColorWave — Working the color in.

colorwave iron gray steel gray white concrete countertop diy — The sealed result.

“Work in layers until you get the look you want. The product runs off easily before being sealed, so it's easily manipulated to the finish you are wanting. Also, using water to help the colors come together well results in a unique look.”
— DIY Customer

A seasonal home in three acid stains

Poured-in-place countertops for a hunting camp kitchen, colored with Coffee Brown, Desert Amber and Seagrass EverStain™. This one took real trial and error — different mixes, different color combinations — before it landed.

Formica kitchen countertops — The original Formica.

Poured in place concrete countertop — The poured-in-place concrete before staining.

Poured in place concrete countertop with a mottled finish, created using wet-on-wet technique and featuring acid stain colors of coffee brown, seagrass, and desert amber — Coffee Brown.

Acid staining poured in place concrete countertop with Coffee Brown, Seagrass, and Desert Amber colors — Desert Amber.

Rustic mottled kitchen concrete countertop acid stained with Coffee Brown, Seagrass, and Desert Amber colors — Seagrass working together across the tops.

Installed kitchen concrete countertop featuring a mottled rustic look achieved through acid staining with Coffee Brown, Seagrass, and Desert Amber colors using wet-on-wet technique

The finished kitchen.

Full method → How to Acid Stain Concrete Countertops.

Outdoor kitchens

Concrete belongs outdoors, and an outdoor countertop is more forgiving than an indoor one — no food-prep sealing requirements to design around. The first here is a mottled Azure Blue over a gray overlay on plywood, with Miracle-Gro used in places to push the blue harder. The second pairs Coffee Brown and Malayan Buff.

Concrete countertop made with a plywood based and a skimcoat of gray concrete overlay — Before — a plain outdoor counter.

Beautiful mottled Azure Blue EverStain acid stained outdoor kitchen countertop — After — mottled Azure Blue EverStain™.

everstain acid stain coffee malayan outdoor kitchen countertop — An outdoor kitchen countertop in Coffee Brown.

everstain acid stain coffee malayan outdoor kitchen countertop 2 — Malayan Buff.

everstain acid stain coffee malayan outdoor kitchen countertop 3

everstain acid stain coffee malayan outdoor kitchen countertop 4

Two more views of the same outdoor kitchen.

Azure Blue, Coffee Brown, Blackish and Cola Acid Stains on White Concrete Countertops — Marbled acid-stained kitchen counters.

Acid Stained Kitchen Countertops — An Azure Blue marbled top.

A barndominium in Coffee Brown

Kitchen, island and bathroom counters all in Coffee Brown acid stain, matching the floors. On a barndominium the continuity is the point — same color underfoot and at hand height.