Here is my first attempt at the counters. I found a tutorial where a lady had used scrunched up paper towels for her counter tops and they really turned out beautiful for her…just not for me. I didn’t like the blotchiness that mine had when I used the paper towels. Back to the drawing board it was and I started all over.
- Rust-Oleum 263206 Countertop Coating Premix, 32-Ounce Kit, Cobblestone
- Primer
- Acrylic paints in the colors of your choice (mine were medium grey, antique white, country twill and licorice)
- Sea sponge
- Polycrylic sealant in gloss finish (I used this instead of Polyurethane because this one dries clear)
- Foam brush to apply the Polycrylic
- Sanding block
- Paint roller for smooth finishes
- Granite samples
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To prep the counters I cleaned them really well with soap and water. Then I let them fully dry and sanded them down. Wipe down the counter again with a wet rag to get all the dust off.
Once it is dry prime the counters with two coats of primer. I used Rust-oleum’s countertop paint as a base color and it says no primer is needed on the can but I had already primed my counters from the first time I painted them.
After the primer is dry you will do two coats of the countertop paint letting it dry a few hours in between each coat. Let me tell you this stuff STINKS! I opened all my windows, had two fans going and got the kids and Lily out of the house for a couple hours! Here is a look at what they looked like with the base paint color.
Once you do this it takes two days to fully dry (although it dries to the touch in minutes).
I waited one day and then used my sea sponge to start adding my other colors. I squirted a little bit of each color out onto a piece of cardboard and used that as my “artists pallet”. I wet my sea sponge with water and then started dabbing on the paint using straight up and down motions.
A look at the counter before the clear coat.
Here’s a close-up of the edge of the counter. Since true granite goes through and through you want to use your sponge on the corners of the counter to make it look like it was cut straight through.
I waited another day to let the paint fully dry and then, using a foam brush, I added the clear coats. After the first coat was dry I sanded it down lightly and wiped it down. After that I applied several other coats of the poly every one-two hours. I probably did around 8 or 9 coats total. I left it alone to dry for about 3 days before lightly using and waited about a week to put back on my heavy kitchen aid and canisters.
So shiny!!
I use soap and water for every day cleaning and vinegar to disinfect.
I only did one side of my counters at a time so that I wouldn’t be totally without during this project. I’m working on the other side right now and once that is finished I’ll add the beadboard backsplash and some open shelving.
To do for the rest of the kitchen:
- Attach/caulk/paint molding
- Get Matt to agree on a paint color for the walls
- Paint
- New drawer pulls for the drawers (like the ones I mentioned in this post)
- Towel bar in front of sink
- New sink (maybe craigslist or thrifting)
- Pantry redo
- Light fixtures
- Floors
Whew, what a chore! But it will be worth it! Not all of the things on my list will be finished anytime soon but I just knock em out one at a time as I can. I’ve already fooled a couple people with my faux granite counters. They think they’re real granite so let’s just keep it a secret between you and me… K?! =)
*Update: The countertop in these pictures have been finished for several weeks now and they are holding up perfectly. I had originally mentioned in this post that I didn’t prime them before I painted on the Rustoleum countertop paint but I did however prime the counters in the very beginning from the first time I started this project. Remember my “epic failure”. I had done them once and didn’t like how they looked so I started all over. All that to say I did originally prime my countertops and am changing this post to reflect that.
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