Concrete countertops aren't your average kitchen surface. In fact, they're totally unique, custom fit to your kitchen and specially designed to bring out your personality.

Concrete countertops offer a treasure trove to designers, who find the only limits in color, finish and enhancements are the limits of their creativity. And while to date the counters have predominantly graced the kitchens of high-end homes, they're becoming increasingly affordable for other homeowners.

"People are getting bored with the same old, same old, with granite and synthetic materials," said Jared Tompilio, a designer for Cheng Design and account representative for Cheng's proprietary countertop product, Geocrete. "Concrete is gaining in popularity - it's exciting what you can do with it."

In Jackson, where many home trends are certain to appear early, Clint Isaacson, co-owner of Advanced Concrete Solutions, said concrete counters are definitely popular.

"People with concrete counters have parties, and they are the topic of conversation," he said. "You get a totally custom look with concrete countertops. You can achieve whatever comes to your mind, and really, there's not a lot of holding people back when it comes to imagination."

Artistic options

Crafters can add pigment, inset special objects, and build-in kitchen features to make life easier and kitchens more attractive. The overall effect is natural and warm, blending beautifully with other popular natural building materials such as brick, stone and wood.

"Concrete is organic, and you can sculpt it, even mold concrete," Tompilio said. "It's not any drab rectangular stone slab. You can mold the shape to your aesthetic, to fit your design."

Concrete counters can be poured on or off-site. Most frequently, contractors pour off-site, in part due to the potential for mess and in part for greater creative flexibility.

Casper contractor Robert Bushnell recently added concrete counters to his repertoire.

"It's starting to take off," he said, adding that concrete is an extension from the trend in natural building materials such as hard woods, granite and marble. "Concrete is another way of achieving that look, and it's kind of a new medium to work with," he said.

Bushnell and his clients spend time discussing design specifications and what the homeowner wants from counters. Taking measurements back to his workshop, he builds molds to fit the client's space and needs - for example, a kitchen island, or a whole set of kitchen tops.

Once the mold is complete he pours in the "product," a proprietary secret concrete formula that most contractors are unwilling to divulge. The concrete must cure up to several weeks before Bushnell breaks loose the mold and delivers the finished counters to a client's home for installation.

Finally, the installed counters are protectively sealed and polished, raising yet another creative option. Polishes can be a high, shiny gloss, or a more subtle matte finish.

Robert McStay, of Buffalo, has been crafting concrete kitchen and bathroom counters for 10 years. He likes the massive look of the two-inch-thick slabs, and uses a heavy aggregate to assure quality and steel rods for structure. One technique he's found promising is incorporating stone inlays in vulnerable areas, such as the front edges and around sinks.

"Concrete is not as hard as granite," McStay explained. "Your vulnerable areas are any of the corners. And if the top is abused, it will crack - but you can fix it. You want to use a harder surface in those areas, and concrete with stone gives a beautiful look."

The options are as open as the crafter's imagination. Because the counters are cast in molds specifically designed for one house, a capable contractor can integrate hot plates, drain boards, knife blocks or even sinks formed from concrete. Thickness can vary, and even the shape can go through subtle changes. Isaacson has even set wine racks lined with felt into the counters.

The counters can be made in any number of colors with a little added pigment, although most are crafted in earth tones, greens, grays and black.

Along with pigment, concrete welcomes objects as artful inlays that really make these one-of-a-kind. Tompilio has inset sea shells, special stones, fossils, bits of glass, ammonites, even children's toys, like Gumby. One of the most special orders involved inlaying crystals that a father and son took with them on their world travels.

Inlays can be set as distinct pieces or, in the case of glass chips, worked into the counter for a mottled look. The concrete can be troweled, like plastered walls, for textured designs.

Overall the concrete offers a subtle look, and becomes weathered in time with hairline cracks and a gentle patina.

"Concrete is concrete, so there's always the possibility it can crack," Tompilio said. "That has to be thought of part of the beauty and character of the concrete."

And, concrete counters will achieve an aged patina over time, much like butcher block or stainless steel. Most clients are looking forward to that, Tompilio added.

Bushnell finds the same reaction among his clients. The hairline cracks only "add to the look," appearing almost like color veins within fine granite, he said.

Concrete offers a craftsman the artistic ability to make new things look old, something McStay, of Buffalo, finds his clients want. He's used concrete on bathroom vanities and kitchens for nearly 10 years, and is finding more and more calling for his talents.

"They are an up and coming thing in Wyoming," he said. "You can see it start to take hold."

Getting the bill

Concrete counters can be expensive depending on the design and labor costs. But, "the design can be as simple or complex as you want it to be," Tompilio offered, and simpler designs certainly bring costs down.

McStay compares the cost to that of low-end granite, ranging approximately $55 to $85 per square foot. An average kitchen's counters would range from 60 to 100 square feet, he estimated, for a total cost of $3,500 to $6,000.

For people who do have the money to add unique features to their homes, concrete counters are one way to go.

"Basically, they are one-of-a-kind," Bushnell said. "Not every house in the subdivision is going to have one. Concrete offers something you can't get from any other countertop. There's only so many colors of granite."

And, as an added bonus, they're nearly maintenance-free. "You do have to polish them once in awhile," Bushnell said, suggesting they be resealed after several years.

Are you up to it?

Are concrete counters a do-it-yourself option? You bet. Tompilio suggested lots of practice - it is only concrete, after all - and opening the mind to all the possibilities.

"Have a design sensibility about it, and use it for all it's worth," he urged. "The material has the ability to be sculpted, so really let your inhibitions go."

Do-it-yourselfers may want to check the Internet for information on workshops and shop around for a prepackaged mixture to combine with cement for their very own product. Two resources to try are Cheng Design's www.concreteexchange.com, which sells Geocrete and offers workshops, and www.buddyrhodes.com, which sells its own proprietary formula and also offers training opportunities.

As with any home project, Tompilio advised homeowners to look at prospective contractors' work and be sure to get references.