Help with reinforcement for concrete countertop.

[Villatrelleborg]

Hello!

I have made molds and plan to cast countertops for our kitchen.
Does anyone know if the reinforcement in the picture is sufficient?
The mesh is the kind used for floor levelling, and it's an 8mm rebar I have bent around where the stove will be.
I would really prefer it not to crack.

 

[Choom]

Hello!

I have made molds and plan to cast countertops for our kitchen.
Does anyone know if the reinforcement in the picture is sufficient?
The mesh is the kind used for floor leveling and I have bent 8mm rebar around where the stove will be.
I prefer that it doesn't crack

From what I've seen, it "usually" uses regular rebar mesh of about 5 mm. But on the other hand, the mesh you've chosen is used for leveling floors that are then walked on. The most sensitive part is probably when handling the slabs during installation.

I plan to do the same thing, but I will probably use regular 5 mm rebar mesh, and reinforcements with rebar as you've chosen.

Have you planned to hang the reinforcement in something, or place it in once half of the concrete is there?

 

[witten]

The reinforcement around the hole should go straight past and not be bent around the corner. Imagine the reinforcement as a pulled string and consider what happens with the bend.

 

[Villatrelleborg]

Thank you for the response! I cast the slabs over the weekend and modified the reinforcement roughly as witten described. Plus, I reinforced the inner corners with extra reinforcement.

 

[Villatrelleborg]

Two weeks of waiting and then out with the polishing machine

 

[anders07]

I did something similar a while ago and the front edge cracked when I removed the mold...

Too late for tips for you now, but if someone stumbles upon this in the future, add reinforcement (preferably 8 mm) at a 45-degree angle from the corners and in double "layers" in the narrow front edge.

Well, nothing came of my slab, but I had also "vibrated" far too little, so there were a lot of air bubbles on the surface, so even if it hadn't cracked, it wouldn't have worked as a kitchen countertop...

Hope yours turn out better @Villatrelleborg !

 

[Choom]

How did it go with the record, any cracks?

 

[Villatrelleborg]

Not that you can see yet anyway. I'll turn them sometime next week. They've been covered with plastic and watered for a week now. I've removed the mold around them, and it looks really good there!

 

[byggolle]

Have you cast with mastertop 135 pg light reflective?

 

[Needas]

Hello!

I've made molds and plan to cast countertops for our kitchen.
Does anyone know if the reinforcement in the picture is sufficient?
The mesh is the kind used for floor leveling, and it's an 8mm rebar that I've bent around where the hob will be.
I really don't want it to crack

Please upload lots of pictures of the result!