countertop-refinishing-tutorial

as i've mentioned before, i was horrible throughout the kitchen remodel and failed to take any during pictures. however, redoing our hideous countertops was so easy, i have no trouble walking you through a quick step-by-step process. 

first things first. here is the product we used. 

it is $20 at lowes and it comes in a variety of colors that are all pictured on the top of the box. once you decide on a color, we chose black, you take it to the normal paint counter where they will mix it up like normal paint. we purchased a foam roller because that is what the box said to use and the paint-mixing-man confirmed that it would give the best finish. 

now depending on whether or not your laminate countertops have been painted previously, our had which i realize is probably not the norm, you want to give it a good sanding. we sanded ours with a fine grit not necessarily to scrape stuff off, but instead to give it a better surface for the paint to adhere to once applying it. 

after giving them a light sand, we scrubbed them down extremely well with soap and water, waited for them to dry, and then taped off all of the areas we didn't want black paint. while you could take the sink out, we decided it would be easiest just to tape around it. we also taped around the base cabinetry. because we hadn't installed the backsplash yet, we didnt have to worry about taping it off. if you have a backsplash that is going to remain intact, i would recommend taping it off. 

after preparing the countertops for paint, we gave it a good shake and got our paint on. while i had been an active part of all the painting in the house until this point, because the countertop paint did not come in no-voc, i had to sit this one out. take this as your warning... this stuff smells horrible. and it will need multiple coats and a long time to dry. we gave it a coat right before bed, gave it another coat the next night before bed, and gave it a third coat the next night before bed. if you are at home during the day you could probably condense it into two days, and if you are doing a lighter color it may not take 3 full coats. 

once you are done painting it, all thats left to do is remove the tape. yes, it is really that simple. 

now the question is, who would i recommend this to? i recommend this product to anyone who is wanting to redo their kitchen countertops for cheap. while i would definitely prefer carerra marble or butcher block, we weren't quite ready to make the financial commitment to either yet. while we would definitely see the return on investment in our neighborhood, it might be important for you to consider the comps in your neighborhood. if the majority of the houses in your neighborhood have kitchen that have not been remodeled, you may not get all of your money back. 

while painted laminate countertops may not be part of the dream kitchen that i envision having one day, for $20, they look tons better and brought our kitchen out of the horrible state that it was in. 

so what do you guys think? have any of you tried painting your laminate countertops before? or do you have any cheap countertop tricks up your sleeves? do tell. 

love, 

maggie