Creating Concrete Tables and Benches from Butterfield Color® Products

The Butterfield Color^® Concrete Table Top and Bench Mold Systems are professional quality, highly durable casting molds that provide a system for creating repeat production of solid concrete pieces with the natural appearance of intricately detailed wood grain and/or bark.

The tops and benches can be cast using various concrete mixes, including Flat Out® Countertop Mix. Using Flat Out® Countertop Mix provides for high strength concrete (11,000 psi) with quick production, as pieces are able to be de-molded in a little as 3 hours.

Butterfield Color^® Bench Products

For creating benches, molds are available in standard bench or a bench with a backrest. A standard bench can be cast using just one of the Bench Leg Mold and one of the Wood Plank Bench Top Mold, however when production time is a priority, two of the Bench Leg Mold are recommended, so that a complete bench can be cast and stripped at the same time.

When a bench with backrest is desired, the same Wood Plank Bench Top Mold is used in conjunction with the Bench Leg with Backrest Mold Set, which contains both the left and the right leg supports. The Bench Hardware contains the necessary hardware for fastening one top to the supports and includes 4 threaded anchor inserts that are attached to the mold with the bolts inserted prior to casting.

Before stripping the support left molds, remove the bolts and use them along with the washers to attach the wood plank top to the legs. Two sets of the hardware are required for each of the Bench Leg with Backrest Molds. A release agent designed for concrete urethane molds can be used to aid in stripping the pieces, but is not required. Careful stripping is recommended, to extend the life of molds, slowly work to strip the pieces from the molds in small sections.

The bench supports and tops can be colored using integral color mixed into the concrete mix prior to pouring into the urethane mold. Uni-Mix® Color Packs are convenient pre-measured doses of all Uni-Mix® Integral colors when used with Flat Out® Countertop Mix.

The bench tops can also be colored using concrete stains, such as Sierra Stain® Reactive Acid Stain and Elements® Transparent Concrete Stain, in conjunction with integral color or bench tops that have been cast without integral color.

Using integral color along with a combination of stains allows for some beautiful, realistic looking stained wood benches, with all of the durability and strength of concrete. Keeping the concrete benches sealed with a concrete sealer from the Clear Guard® product line will enhance and extend the finished appearance.

Butterfield Color^® Log Table Products

The Log Round Table Top pieces are cast from molds that work the same way as the bench molds and are available in three different diameters, 2′ Log Round Table Top Mold , 3′ Log Round Table Top Mold , and a 4′ Log Round Table Top Mold. The table tops can be supported using custom supports, or for the 3′ and 4′ tops, precast concrete pieces with a smooth finish similar to the bench supports can be created using the Table Leg Mold.

This mold allows for the production of 28″ (approximate) support pieces that interlock and create a strong concrete base to support the table top. Two separate pieces created from the Table Leg Mold are needed, so having two molds available would be recommended when a table top and the supports are desired to be cast at the same time for reduced production time.

If support height shorter than 28″ is needed, the 6″ Table Leg Mold Block Set will reduce the height of the supports by 6″. When inserting the blocks into the mold prior to casting, it is important to place them properly to create two pieces are the correct alternating shape, allowing them to interlock and create the same height.

An alternate to the smooth cast support, a heavy bark textured concrete support can be created using 24″ Concrete Form Tube along with the Heavy Bark Log Liner. This 27″ high liner is designed at the proper length to fit inside the concrete tube and can be stacked cut to any desired height.

As with the Wood Plank Bench tops, careful stripping is recommended for the Log Round Table Tops and Heavy Bark Log Liner, slowly work to strip the pieces, especially along the outside heavy bark textured portion of the mold.

For more information on either the Butterfield Color^® bench mold or tabletop mold systems, contact us today.