Cheng Concrete uses the material to create artisanal countertops. Along with wood and recycled glass, concrete is growing in popularity as an alternative to traditional countertop materials.The concrete countertops in Eleanor Zuckerman’s San Francisco kitchen are hand-crafted works of art.
Custom-designed by Fu-Tun Cheng of the Berkeley, California-based Cheng Concrete, they feature colors like brick, flowing lines and pictures of nautilus shells.
“With concrete there is a lot of room for creativity, to say nothing of color,” says Zuckerman, a retired psychologist. “It gives you flexibility.”
Homeowners looking to spice up their kitchens can install a variety of countertops that go beyond the traditional laminate and tile. Today’s options include concrete and butcher-block-style wood, and a range of custom-designed colors and shapes. IceStone countertops use recycled glass from broken bottles.
“So many different materials are used in countertops these days,” says Tony Izzo, Curtis Lumber’s corporate kitchen and bath manager in Albany, New York. Until about 25 years ago, he says, roughly 90 percent of countertops in U.S. homes were laminate, and the rest tile.