Lil'B is on the petite side and standard kitchen counter heights are uncomfortable for her to work on. We are also pressed for space in both our homes. I decided that a rolling prep table for the kitchen might help us out.
It was going to occupy the space we used for kitchen trash and recycle, so needed length to accommodate both, narrow enough not to intrude on walking path, be stable/solid, look old to match the old copper tub we use to hold recyclable drink containers, and make use of the pretty little Art Nouveau backsplash tile I had purchased second hand knowing I'd find a project for it someday.
I wanted a removable, cleanable, wood cutting board, a little slope to direct cuttings to the trash bin or compost bin, and a recess for the tile.
I had some 3/4" MDO plywood around from a previous project. Stuff is a very stable, strong composite ply with a waterproof resin/kraft paper face. Originally designed for highway signs, I believe, takes paint well, and wears like iron, used in commercial concrete forms. Fairly easy to find through industrial suppliers, it is miles ahead of that disposable 'melamine' particle board juhnk the big orange sheeite box sells. Does nto cost a lot more. Takes/holds screws, cuts cleanly with power tools, holds a bevel without splintering, takes stain somewhat, reusable.
I cut a radius ended base form from MDO, bent some 1/4" ply around it, formed the straight sides with 1/2". Built positive molds for the cutting board, the slope and the tile. Caulked the corners and waxed the insides with beeswax as a release. The only concrete counters I ever poured were mechanically vibrated and wet ground afterwards to smooth them, I had no intention of tooling up for that.
I therefore hand mixed a slightly wet, small aggregate cement with added Portland for strength and water resistance. I added dark brown brick dye to get the base color. I have a 3/16 plate steel work table to set it up on, sturdy enough to beat with a rubber mallet from underneath. I rigged up a palm sander to make a vibrating screed to level the mix. I worked it until the air bubbles slowed.
Don't listen to the terror parrots shrieking about wet cement and shrinkage. Needs to be workable to settle into the form and around the moldings easily to avoid rock pockets and will set fairly quickly. You should get a bit of water rising as you float it, when it goes away, trowel it with steel.
Once it sets fairly hard the shrinkage slows dramatically and the water goes to work building the strength matrix. All that really happens is it pops a bit loose from the forms overnight.
I carefully stripped the form after about 16?hrs. watered the concrete and covered it with plastic to hold the wet in for 24 hrs, adding water once or twice.
I lost a few edges here and there, but that would be part of the 'old' look. I also knew I was going to skim coat the surface with cement/dye slurry for color and to fill little imperfections. I aged it for a few months while in Canada to fully cure it, dressed the edges and corners with a carborundum stone, then finished the surface. Sponged it after it set to get rid of the loose powder, sundried, dusted off and then worked some tan concrete stain to get that old leather or stone thing going. I sealed it with diluted, boiled Linseed oil, sun dried thoroughly and then beeswax.
I flipped the MDO form over to make the base shelf, stained and sealed it.
I welded up the cart from some tubing and scrounged casters I had around, short as possible, but tall enough to fit a roll out waste basket. The cutting board I made from some kind of asian hardwood salvaged from some discarded patio furniture. Edged, glued up, cut to size and run through the planer. Stained, sealed with Linseed oil and wax.
The copper 'Cream City' tub came from a very old town dump in Tonopah, Nevada, dates to WWI or so.
