Ah, the kitchen area: the heart of the house, the new work hub, the magnet for all. Some even call it the most significant room of the residence. But what if it is a very little, effectively, dingy? If you “can no longer stand the outdated kitchen,” and want to renovate—as 35% of the respondents in the 2021 U.S. Houzz Kitchen area Trends Examine do—changing the countertops can be an quick enough deal with. Turns out, practically 9 in 10 owners want to update countertops, the most well-known alternative in a kitchen reno.
Still, if you are not in the current market to fall a couple of grand (even a slight kitchen area rework can value among $5,000 and $12,000, according to the identical analyze), these Do-it-yourself kitchen counter tops are practical solutions. No matter if you are into quick-peasy speak to paper makeovers or epoxy transformations, these countertop facelifts will not crack the lender a lot of are underneath $200 and can be accomplished in a working day.
Here are 5 Diy kitchen area countertops gifted by the internet—we even analyzed one particular out and appreciate the results.
Call paper for countertops
The author’s present counter tops.
Upgraded!
The quickest—and most forgiving—countertop makeover challenge is recovering the counters with get hold of paper. Compared with the patterned rolls that line drawers, go for “stone” selections that mimic the actual thing, like this Chasing Paper Terrazzo Tile, which I examined out in my kids’ rest room. Though it is shown as “flooring,” the panels are flexible enough to lower by means of with an X-acto knife. Simply because the self-adhesive strips are h2o-resistant with a laminate overlay, it can face up to sloppy messes made by my two university-aged boys, so it can definitely get the job done in a kitchen area. (Take into consideration the Carrera marble sample, if you are on the lookout for anything far more common than terrazzo.)
In development.
Just after cleaning the dull old white laminate from the 2000s, I lower the panels, so that they would meet up with at the middle of the sink—at two inches, my seam is barely seen. Then, I gradually peeled the paper away from the panel (it will help if anyone holds the extra as you implement), functioning from the middle with a smoothing resource to force out trapped air bubbles. As soon as the panel reached the edge of the sink, I slash away a semi-circle to give the panel far more versatility, then went in with an X-acto knife to trim for seamless software. Measure the backsplash dimensions and cut from the leftover “tile” into strips—I employed two 2-by-4-foot panels for this countertop. When installed, use a very clear caulk about the sink to avoid water saturation beneath. The entire process took about two hrs.
From Formica to fake copper
Rustic copper counter tops insert appeal in that country chef’s kitchen area sort of way, but if you want to skip slicing true sheets of copper, Rust-Oleum Hammered paint in Copper can do the trick. At the time you use the copper paint with a foam roller, hold out about 30 minutes to implement the second coat. For a more genuine coppery-ness, use a dry rag to rub in metallic acrylic paint like Arteza Burnt Umber. Incorporating Pearl Sea Green paint will give the countertop extra dimension and a patina look. “Keep dispersing in a circular movement and it’ll get the job done by itself out,” wrote the blogger driving F#ck it | Let’s Do it yourself. Finish off with two coats of All-natural Earth Paint Organic Varnish to seal. Be aware that, while it’s manufactured from food-grade substances, you are going to even now want to use a reducing board for any prep, staying away from direct meals contact with counters.
The essence of stone devoid of the expense
Get the essence of granite without having the value tag. The Daich SpreadStone Countertop Finishing Kit is just over $100 but will come with every thing you need to give lame laminate countertops a next daily life: a foundation coat, stone coat, and apparent coat. It arrives in 10 colours, nevertheless Natural White and Onyx Fog are very multipurpose and look fresh. Get started by caulking and smoothing out any current cracks and burns on the previous laminate, then sandpaper to smooth out and wipe absent the dust. Roll on the base coat as you would common primer, tackling the edges and other challenging-to-achieve places, like the backsplash, very first.
“This stuff appears like mayonnaise and spreads like it much too,” wrote Sarah-Jean Ballard on her site, The Trendy Housewife she did the venture a couple months in the past. “It’s thick, gloopy, and appears to be like gross, but I guarantee it is a significant ingredient.” Ballard applied her to start with coat “really slender, like I do when I use gel nail polish.” An hour later, she did yet another coat, then a further to deal with the first burgundy laminate. The stone coat appears to be like like “tartar sauce” and could be easier to apply with a brush than the roller—you just want to make guaranteed it’s as even as feasible for the reason that it has compact stone items that can be bumpy if they clump in one particular place.