Concrete Counter fit for an Egg

Really nice table top, tremendous DIY effort here. I like the look of it and the design is great, especially the base which has the air vents and the hole to dump ash.

My only concern would be durability. I have seen a lot of outdoor concrete products: tables, chairs, railings, garden stones, markers, signs, you name it. No matter how well they are made and how often they are cleaned and sealed they always seem to develop cracks eventually, sometimes in just a few years. I would expect the table top to crack even sooner due to all the heating and cooling cycles it will go through. Any moisture in the concrete will cause it to expand or crack when heated so make sure to seal it well and keep it as dry as possible especially when cooking at high temps or long times.

A secondary concern would be weight. That is one heavy table which would be hard to move and thus damage is more likely during a move.

I had contemplated a concrete table top, then wood, stainless steel, marble, granite, etc. but in the end I went with a thick plywood base followed by cement backer board, tile cement, and then large ceramic tile sealed with acrylic latex grout. This resulted in a pretty thick, strong, and durable table with a stone finish but less worry of cracking and virtually no maintenance. Not as heavy to move and still virtually waterproof. Been using it over a year now and it is great. I have set a super hot platesetter on it, hot grills, dishes, food, water, etc. and it hasn't cracked or even scuffed. Quick and easy to wipe down with a sponge and if a tile ever does crack then it should be fairly easy to replace (I have a few extras just in case). The project wasn't cheap but then I had to build the entire table from scratch and I installed a lot of extras: enclosed shelves with vinyl siding exterior, stainless sliding door tracks, battery powered LED lights and BBQ Guru with solar charger, stainless grab handles and accessory hooks, etc.





Any table that you spend a lot of time on is bound to be a good table and this concrete one is no exception. Make sure to send a photo to TNW so he can post it in his table gallery.