Sunday, November 27, 2011

Painted Kitchen Counter Tops, 1 YEAR LATER....


Okay, so I suppose it's more like one and a half years later by now!  Been meaning to write this post for some time, haha!  So it's been over a year since I took the plunge and painted my ugly kitchen counters.  And all in all, they have held up great.  Except for one spot in particular where my silverware drawer is.  And it's this spot in particular because some certain particular boys are in charge or the particular chore of putting the silverware away.  These boys think it's necessary to dump the silverware out of the dishwasher basket about fifteen inches over the counter, resulting in a few knicks:  

You can see how small the knicks are by comparing them to my paint brush.  Yes, it's my kid's brush from out of some watercolor coloring book paint tray. :)  I didn't need anything fancy.  I dipped the brush into my dark gray countertop paint (I had a few inches left from the original project) and filled in the knicks.
It was weird. After a while, it seemed like the paint pulled away in a few of the cracks along the wall.  I repainted that...
THEN!  The important part!  Put a clear coat on the top.  I used polyacrylic because it's what I had and it's water based.  Not only does this seal  it in and make it hold up much better, but it gives it a much more professional and sophisticated look!  I didn't do this the first time, and I'm so glad I did this time around.  My mom painted her counter tops in the browns and put a few clear coats of polyurathane on the top and they are just gorgeous.  

Another close up.  Click HERE to see my 25 cent back splash if you're at all interested!
And in case you wanted to see the beautiful counter tops before I painted them, there you have it.  Before painting the cupboards too, for that matter!
To read the original "how to" post, click HERE.  There.  Now that's done.  I been promising that post for quite a while now, and procrastinator moi is feeling good now.  Be brave!  Paint those ugly counter tops you've been loathing!!!

15 comments:

  1. They look great! We painted ours this past Spring and they are holding up fabulouly as well. Best $22 I ever spent! Visiting you from Craft-O-Maniac.

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  2. I've always wondered how benchtops survive the paint treatment - first time I've seen a 'year after' post. this is brilliant!
    c x.

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  3. Thanks so much for this post. The hubs and I have often seen things like this on those design makeover shows on TV and the one thing we always say is, "it looks good now, but what will it look like in 6 months?" I never would have thought this would hold up. This will definitely be something to consider when we start working on our kitchen improvements. Thanks again!

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  4. Wow, they still look great! I'm one of those doubting Thomas's and never would have thought they'd hold up that well.

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  5. Kammy - our countertops are just about a year old and they have held up well. Behind the sink we also experienced a bit a cracking, or pulling away in the seam. We figured it was because this area is often wet, so now we are trying to keep it dry (not putting cutting boards back there to dry). I would use the countertop paint again in a heartbeat! The kit we used (Giani Granite) had one or two clear coats at the end. Danette

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  6. Thanks for the update, I've always wondered how well painted counters held up.

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  7. Thanks so much for posting this! We a l m o s t did this a while ago. The only thing stopping us was the "what will it look like in a few months" question. You just took care of that one! So glad you shared!!

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  8. Sometimes all ya need is a little paint! They look wonderful :)
    -Jill

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  9. What a great idea! They turned out so nice, I love your kitchen re-do. So pretty! I had no idea you could paint counter tops and wind up with such a great result! You should be proud!

    Visting you via link party. :o)

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  10. I had to laugh at your face on the picture where you added the paint. It looks awesome. It looks like concrete counter tops. I would love if you linked to my linky party at: http://eyehearttoday.blogspot.com/2011/11/anything-goes-at-eye-heart-3.html

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  11. YAY!!! We just moved into our new house in July....and I've been wanting to paint our counter tops...I'm gonna show my hubby this post and hopefully he'll jump on board! :) Thank you!

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  12. lol! Love that last photo of you! You look like me when I painted the exterior of my clawfoot bathtub! But your counters are fantastic! :)

    xoxo laurie

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  13. Offer useful information not only about the right product for your kitchen countertops but also about installing it in the correct manner. The staff in these stores is very friendly which makes it a pleasure for you to approach them for help.

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  14. Wow, they still look great a year later. I was planning on getting new granite countertops, but we had our roof looked at this week and it looks like we'll be spending my dream kitchen money on shingles. Darn it! But, now I have a great option-- paint. Thanks for being so honest and sharing the after, and double thanks for linking up to Refresh Your Nest Friday!

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  15. Hi Kammy,
    How are you I just read your post on counter-tops I need your opinion please, which is holding up better polycrylic or polyurethane, I just painted mine and I used the wipe on poly. Your counters look GREAT!! Still holding up?

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