Renovating your kitchen countertop provides you with two options: pre-cast and cast-in-place. Here are some advantages and disadvantages to both options.
Precast kitchen countertops are a convenient choice with many advantages while renovating. The other alternative is cast-in-place, which entails pouring the concrete in place. This method is time consuming and vulnerable to damages.
Depending on the scope of the project and how involved you want to be determines which is more suited for you. If you are a more hands-on individual who doesn’t mind getting his or her hands dirty, you might opt for cast-in-place because it requires the concrete to be poured on site and settle into its shape. These are more suited for larger kitchens when the job requires a really large kitchen countertop.
With pre-cast, which is better suited to smaller countertops, the concrete is poured in a garage or shop and transported to the job site. Again, this is ideal for smaller kitchen tops because transporting larger counters puts it at risk of damages, which means companies will charge you a lot more.
Pre-cast
Advantages
- It allows for a higher quality countertop with no accidents. Forming, pouring, curing and finishing is a strenuous task considering it has to be done with other trades people on the site. Precast is made away from the site, within a more controlled environment.
- There is less of a chance of damaging surrounding cabinetry or flooring by concrete spilling.
- There is more leeway in performing custom shapes.
Disadvantages
- You need a shop or garage to make the kitchen countertops.
- Large countertop pieces are heavy to lift, transport and install.
- Odd angles and curves in kitchen walls are harder to template because you are building away from the site.
Cast-in-Place
Advantages
- It allows for better on-the-fly adjustments because you’re pouring the concrete on site and seeing how it works with the space.
- Allows for more creative input because you are seeing the process as it happens.
- For larger countertops you can save costs on transporting.
Disadvantages
- Working on site is messy, there is concrete spillage and tools strewn everywhere. The likelihood of your countertop and surrounding space getting damaged is higher.
- Concrete takes time to settle and in an uncontrolled environment, there is a higher possibility that the process can get disrupted.
- Temperatures, humidity and air dust are harder to control, which can disrupt the creating process.
Now that you have a better idea of the differences between pre-cast and cast-in-place, it should give you a better picture of which process you would prefer when renovating your kitchen counter top.
