I bought this book and video combo as soon as it came out, having previously purchased his other book "Concrete Countertops: Design, Form and Finishes for the new Kitchen and Bath." I also own the DVD "Concrete Countertops DIY." I was hoping that this book would provide some more insight and more details, but instead found this to be basically a watered down version of the ones I already own.
"Concrete Countertops Made Simple" is a good introduction, but if you are really interested in building concrete countertops, and want a bit more understanding on the subject, I would highly recommend you skip this set and get his other book and video (sold seperatly) instead. It costs more, but you get more. They are excellent resources. Concrete Countertops Made Simple
The material covered is simple and well laid out. Don't expect too much and you wont be dissapointed. None of the details of fine countertops, even countertops shown in book, aren't covered. Colors are not discussed. Recipes are almost non-existant. But if you want the basics as how to make a simple countertop, then this is a good reference source.
Using this book and included video, we created a terrific concrete countertop for our child's bathroom. We customized it by scattering glass tiles and inlaying them, and then also using the same for the backsplash. We topped the whole thing with a glass vessel sink, and the bathroom looks very high end! The whole project was made possible by the book and the available colorant options from the author's website. We are thrilled!
Good book for beginners. Could use a few more examples, it seems to go over some steps very quickly, but overall a good starting point. DVD helped compliment the book, so i suggest reading and watching at least twice.
I have two of Cheng's books and they have some overlap, but also new information. This book is very good and gives a good explanation and photos to describe the steps. I think it could use a few more, but if you re-read and pay attention, it eliminates most/all the earlier confusion. He also included a very well-done DVD that shows short clips of the various steps and these also helped to visualize some of the text descriptions. The book and DVD are Taunton Press and I've always found them to be very high quality.It does show a substantial portion of his own work, which can seem a overly-commercial turn-off in some cases, but it also is instructive and gives ideas of what can be done. I've noticed that other similar genre authors do the same thing and it is good supplemental information if they don't saturate you with it. Overall I think this is a very good instuctional reference that would give me enough confidence to start on my own project.
Very good beginner book as it's a starting point of a very complex task of forming your own concrete counter. This gives you the bare bones basics of getting started. You will learn the basics from a book like this & then practice..practice...practice. I have not formed a counter as of yet because of time constraints, but will in the near future.
Excellent, I love this book, great instructional material in this book. I have already started my own vanity top for a bathroom remodel project and I am planning to build a dining room table all based on the knowledge gained from the information contained in Mr. Chengs well written and illustrated book. Highly recommended if you would like to take this up as a craft, hobby, or are thinking about remodeling and want to do some of the creative things yourself.
This book makes it easy to follow the process for making your own countertops. The dvd included is also a great resource. If you need any other information the author has a great web site too. I'm ready to take on the project.
This is a great book and DVD if you want to build a concrete counter top this is the book you should have it is straight forward and the DVD is great I like DIY projects and I will use the information in this book to build my own counter tops. - Home Design - Bathrooms - Concrete Design - Kitchens'
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