When it comes to kitchen countertops are you a laminate girl in a Granite world? Well, join the rest of us who at one time or another have had to choose between having the hottest new kitchen featured on HGTV or living in the real world where the baby needs new shoes and the mortgage has to be paid.
I came up with a manageable solution a few years back when we wanted to update our kitchen countertop but were a little short on cash with a new baby in the house and we did not really want to get into drinking out the countertop and sink right Away. I figured if we were going to ever change out the countertop anyway I did not have anything to lose if my experiment DID NOT work … but to my delight it worked wonderfully and so well that I ended up not changing the countertop but Changing the color a few years later when I changed the color of my kitchen again when I got ready to sell the house.
I started out with the old Formica countertop – you know, the white with gold thread through it that you sat up on and ate countless Fudgesicles when you were a kid? I bought enough of the textured spray paint to cover the surface I needed to cover – this is called fleckstone, granite, and other names like that and is approved for outdoor use also. Then I purchased the cheapest spraypaint I could find in a coordinating color (I paid $ 1 a can). After I cleaned and washed the countertop I applied the cheap spray paint as a primer. It would probably be a good idea to sand lightly first. I did not but I probably should have. You can decide whether to skip this step or not. Also, make sure to cover your cabinets, floors, sink fixtures and appliances with plastic to protect from overspray. Make sure the room is well ventilated and turn off all pilot lights and open flames and follow manufacturers instructions on the paint.
After the primer coat drawn I applied the textured paint. Be sure to shake well and shake frequently while applying. You can not mess this up. If you miss a spot just go back over it! You can give it one coat or additional coats as needed.
Once the textured paint has dried well, finish with 2-3 coats of clear spray polyurethane. This will protect the surface from normal wear and tear and water. The polyurethane will take a little longer to dry between coats than the paint. You still have to be somewhat careful with scraping things along the surface than with laminate or granite countertops but I had pretty good luck overall with the counters. And you can always touch them up easily!
The first time I used a gray and black fleck with white cabinets with red doors on a black and white checked tile floor for a 50's diner type kitchen. Then I redid the counter tops in a sand color and painted the cabinets off-white and redid the floors in a rich walnut laminate. Awesome results both times.
Note: All advice should be weighed against your own abilities and circumstances and applied accordingly. It is up to the reader to determine if advice is safe and suitable for their own situation. Advice is based solely upon experience of the author and author assumes no responsibility or liability for persons imitating the actions outlined by the author.