Counter education workshops

Here at Stone Soup Concrete we have been teaching our craft of concrete countertops for many years now, both in our own shop and at Yestermorrow Design Build School in Warren Vermont.

Our original reasons for teaching about concrete counters and sinks were twofold. First we wanted to ensure that if we had competition, it would be good competition.  Second, we wanted to make sure that those that otherwise could not afford concrete counters would be able to make their own.

We knew that this craft that was born on the west coast would soon sweep into New England with force. When Mike and I began making concrete counters, and other fun concrete objects, no one taught this stuff. We had many, many “learning experiences” and over time, developed our formula, our vibration technology, our exstensive library of colors, and our own ways of forming, deforming, transporting, and installing our work.

We knew that if the popularity of concrete countertops outpaced the number of people skilled enough to make them, there would be a lot of bad work out there and that could cause a major backlash for our very new industry.

Well sure enough, the popularity of concrete counters on the east coast did out pace the number of people skilled enough to make them. Not a week goes by without us getting a phone call from some poor person with a “4000# mistake in their kitchen”. Now when I answer the phone the first thing that I hear is “I hear that it cracks” or “my brother got these and they came out all wrong”.

Many contractors have heard bad things about concrete countertops because we now have too many folks around that are making them poorly.

Mike and I have decided to redouble our efforts to teach our trade with the hope that it may help a little to preserve the reputation of concrete as a countertop material. In every class we will build and pour a project for someone that may not have been able to afford it otherwise.

With this in mind we have added a fantastic new venue to our concrete countertop workshops. We will be teaching at the Heartwood School in Washington, MA.

Heartwood primarily teaches Homebuilding, Woodworking, and Timber Framing workshops. They have been around since 1978. Check out www.heartwoodschool.com

-Mike Paulsen