A Quick and Inexpensive Way to Update Your Tired Countertops

About three years ago, I bought a 40-year-old house. The interior of the house looked like nothing had been updated in all of its 40 years. The kitchen countertops were truly in need of updating.

Because there were some things that I had to replace/repair --such as the storm doors, leaking roof, and a couple of broken windows, money for new countertops just wasn't in my budget. I had a dilemma. I really hated looking at the old countertops with the white surface with gold flecks. But, I also hated the idea of borrowing money to replace them.

Then I had an idea. I had used faux painting techniques to cover several walls that had been stripped of layers of wallpaper and were rough and in need of sanding. My thought was that if the faux painting improved the looks of my walls, why I couldn't use the same technique to make my countertops look better.

I researched the idea online and came up with very little information on painting countertops. The only thing that I kept reading over and over was that once painted, if you don't like the results, you are stuck with them. I decided that my countertops were so unsightly, that nothing could really make them any worse than they already were.

With my little bit of research in had, I decided to give the painting a try. I chose a mustard yellow as my top coat and a pale lemon yellow as a base coat. The first step was to clean the countertops thoroughly and then use painters tape to edge everything that I didn't want painted -like the stove and sink! Then I primed the countertops with a very good primer. Once that dried, I used two coats of the lemon yellow paint as my base. Once the base coat was dry, I mixed one part of the mustard yellow paint with four parts of glaze. This made a good consistency for the faux technique of rubbing the paint on the countertops in a circular motion. I completed the faux painting coat and let it dry completely. Then, I topped the project off with several layers of polyurethane. The polyurethane step was very important so that the countertops would be sealed and would not absorb anything.

Looking back, I am glad that I painted my countertops. Doing this extended the life of the countertops for about three years. It is time to do something else to them now. I am not sure if I will replace them or repaint them. I know that when I first researched painting countertops, all of the articles I found said that once painted, the countertops couldn't have anything else done to them. I really think they could be painted again. I am seriously considering getting a can of primer and some blue painter's tape and starting over! This time, I think I will work with a blue color theme.