How to Make a Concrete Bar
- 1). Choose a flat, level outdoor surface on which to work, since this will be a messy process. Flatten out a heavy tarp to cover your work area. Protect any other items in the area from splashing concrete with additional tarps.
- 2). Be sure you have selected cabinets or another base for your concrete bar and have installed it properly. Measure the length and width of the top surface of your bar base. Do not construct a bar that is more than five feet wider or longer than your selected base.
- 3). Assemble a form into which you will pour the concrete and in which it will cure (dry). Attach pieces of melamine-coated 2-by-4 lumber with drywall screws to make a square, rectangle, or other geometric shape. Cover one open side of the form with lumber secured with drywall screws, as well, so that it is tightly enclosed.
- 4). Apply fiber-free concrete to the bottom and sides of the form using a straight metal trowel. Make this layer of concrete about 1 inch all around. Check that the concrete is smooth and level and then allow it to sit undisturbed for half an hour.
- 5). Fill three-quarters of the rest of the form with reinforced concrete. This concrete gives the bar inner strength, while the fiber-free provides a nice appearance for the outside. Wait five minutes.
- 6). Level the concrete by dragging a rubber float across the surface in straight lines. Fill the remainder of the form with the fiber-free concrete. Float the new surface of the concrete in the same way.
- 7). Drag a screed over the top of the concrete evenly in all available directions. Let the concrete rest two to three hours so that some moisture can evaporate from the top. Work a metal finishing trowel over the concrete in arching motions to release any additional trapped water that may otherwise weaken the bar.
- 8). Allow the concrete to dry in the form three to four days until it has completely hardened. Remove the form from around the bar; unscrew the drywall screws and disassemble the form, if necessary. Place the concrete bar flat onto the tarp that was beneath the form.
- 9). Put on safety glasses and a respirator. Sand the entire bar using a random orbital sander fitted with a 100-grit disc. Rinse the bar well with a garden hose or buckets of water and let it dry for a full day.
- 10
Cover your body well with clothing and heavy gloves; put the safety glasses and respirator on again. Mix one part of muriatic acid and four parts of water in an uncolored plastic bucket with a plastic stirrer. Apply this solution all over the concrete bar surface with a paint roller. - 11
Allow the acid to sit for ten minutes; rinse the concrete as you did after sanding it. Try to keep all of the water run-off on the tarp below. Let the concrete dry fully over two to three days. - 12
Thinly cover all of the bar surfaces with concrete filler using the rubber float. Do not skip any areas, and remove any excess filler with the edge of the float. Wait an hour or two for the filler to set and then sand the bar again with the orbital sander and a 100-grit disc. - 13
Clean both the bar and the edges of the base using clean, soft cloths so that no debris remains. Squeeze silicone construction adhesive around the edges of the bar base; lift the concrete bar and lay it in place on top of the adhesive. Measure each overhanging edge to ensure that the bar is centered and let the adhesive dry 24 hours before using your concrete bar.
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