Chapter 1– Tools and Materials / Building Your Work Table
*Building materials, where to get them, and how much they cost.
*Building your table, tools you will need (and likely already have).
Chapter 2–Building your forms, Templating and Sink Templating
*What materials to use, screw size, techniques and time savers.
*Templating and Sink Templating
Chapter 3– Concrete
*Where and how to buy white or gray concrete made especially for countertops
*Reinforcement options and pricing.
*Dyes. How to use them and how to repeat results if you are doing several pours.
*A word about mixing your own.
Chapter 4– Casting or Pouring.
*Procedures and techniques. Right side up, upside down. Pressed finish, Smooth finish, and Troweled Finish. Which techniques have what advantages?
Chapter 5– Curing, Removing The Piece, and Slurry
*Curing times and pulling the piece out.
*Turning down corners/edges, what I use and how.
*Slurries: Critical to the process. Materials to use and getting voids filled. More importantly, getting pinholes filled.
Chapter 6– Making it look pretty.
*Polishing: Wet Polisher, wet and dry sanding. Advantages and disadvantages.
*Sealers: What’s out there, and what they’re good for. The two most popular types, why I use them, where to get them, and the techniques used to apply them.
*A word about Stains
Chapter 7– Installation
*Frame building, getting help, transport, and fixing chips. They can happen although not very often, and they are much easier to fix than you think.