Pour a Concrete Countertop for a Garden Outdoor Bench

By Kent Gravelle

Water Cure CSA Concrete

So I pulled back the plastic and wetted the concrete for an hour while it cured.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Water curing CSA concrete when it solidifies

Remove Countertop from Form

The next day I removed the strap holding the plastic pipe in place as well as the screws from underneath.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Flip concrete form over

Marilyn came to help me flip the counter over. I removed all the screws and sides of the form and the melamine bottom of the form came free.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Remove melamine bottom from concrete form

Remove Knockouts

The plastic pipe came out fairly easily with some tapping from underneath.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Remove plastic pipe that formed the waste shoot

To remove the plywood disc I drilled a hole in it and made a cut with a jig saw. This allowed the sided to come away from the concrete so I could tap the disc free.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Remove sink hole form blank

I used a small block of concrete left over from a previous experiment to smooth the rough edges along the bottom of the countertop.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Smooth rough concrete edges

DIY Stainless Steel Sink

I cut a hole in the bottom of this stainless steel bowl to add a sink trap. A bar sink would be a good option as well for this potting bench.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Add drain to steel bowl

And really, this bench would make a good outdoor food prep station beside a barbecue.

Seal the Concrete Countertop

I’ll seal the concrete with two coats of this Aqua Mix Sealers Choice Gold product.

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Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Apply sealant to concrete countertop

When it was completely dry we carried the counter out to the bench in the garden.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Carry finished concrete counter out to garden

Then slid it up onto temporary supports.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Slide counter into place

Then pulled them to drop it into place on the rails. There were a few spots that needed thin shims.

Silicone Top to Rails

Back up on supports I laid in a bead of silicone on the rails then eased the counter into place and tapped in the shims.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Apply silicone to bench rails

Add the Sink

Next the sink will be added.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Installing the DIY stainless steel sink

I also used silicone to glue it in place plus some foam spacers to center it in the hole. I applied some weight while the silicone cured.

Plumb the Sink to the Dry Well

I’ll now connect the sink to the dry well with some ABS pipe and a trap.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Installing drain pipe from sink to dry well

I don’t think the trap is really needed but I had it and allows some flexibility when gluing the fittings together. I’m not a plumber so I’ll take all the help I can get.

Add the Upper Shelves

I’ll add the 1×6 that goes across the back.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Attaching upper shelf support

Then the shelf supports to the back legs. And finally the upper shelves.

Cast your own Concrete Countertop for a Potting Bench with a Galvanized Corrugated Metal Roof — Attaching shelf boards

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