How to upgrade your kitchen counter top on a budget.

Updating your kitchen counter can be a stressful task. Not only do you have to think about the design of the countertop. You have to think about the cost. When you start researching how much it will cost. You think twice about it and believe it’s better to keep your plain ugly counter. These days a granite counter is a desirable look for a kitchen. Below I will break down the cost of replacing a kitchen laminate counter with a granite counter top.

The cost for the material and installation is $100 to $250 per sqft. Even for a small counter, this is expensive. The average kitchen counter is 30sqft. If the cost is $100 per sqft, you’re looking at spending about $3,000 for a new granite counter top. If this is in your budget then, by all means, it's an option.

There is also laminate granite, and that is $30 to $50 per square foot. It’s less than solid granite, but you will have to pay for installation unless you know how to do it by yourself. The installation will cost between $25 to $50 per square foot.

Using the 30sqft example and using the $30 dollars p. To buy the laminate for 30 per sqft, it would be 1,500 dollars and another 750 dollars for installation. That is a total of 2,250 dollars for buying and installation. If it’s part of your budget, this can be an option.

I will give you a third option. It cost $79.95. It is the Giani countertop painting kit. You can do it by yourself, and there are only three steps. It will take just a weekend to have your countertop transformed.

Before you use the Giani painting kit. Prep your kitchen counter.

Remove your sink and clean your countertop.

(We were going to buy a new sink so we removed ours)

Materials:

Scorching pad/ Sander

Sponge

Soap

Water

Dry cloth

Painter’s tape/ trash bags

Scrub the kitchen counter with a scorching pad or sander to loosen up any debris and grease from the countertop.

Take your sponge, soap, and water and wash the countertop.

Repeat this step at least twice.

When the countertop is cleaned wipe the countertop dry with a clean, dry cloth.

After your countertop is clean tape the areas you don’t want any paint to get on. Tape your sink if you’re not removing your sink. Use a trash bag to cover the cupboards, dishwasher, and oven.

After the preparation take the Giani countertop painting kit.

The box contains:

A base primer; the iron core primer

The sponge on minerals; Pearl Mirca, Bronze, and Black Onyx

One 2in foam brush

One 6in Giani roller arm

Two roller pads

Textured Giani sponge applicator

Step 1: is to roll on the primer.

Take the base primer. The iron core primer and shake it well.

Use the Giani roller to apply a coat of primer. Work your way from the backsplash working your way to the surface of the counter.

Use the foam brush to get into tough to reach spaces and apply the primer to those areas.

After you applied your first coat of the primer wait 24 hours and apply a second coat. Let it dry completely before going on to step 2.

Step 2: Sponge on Minerals

In the black Bombay kit, there are three colors for the granite effect.

Pearl Mirca 2A

Black Onyx 2B

Bronze 2C

Pour each can in separate paper plates.

Take the sponge texturized applicator and cut into four parts with scissors.

Start off with the Pearl Mirca 2A use the textured side of the sponge and it inside the paint. Wipe off any excess paint on the paper plate. Tap lightly on the counter creating a nice imprint of the sponge. Work in two by two sections. Make sure each imprint is close and overlapping each other but have some of the black show.

While the pearl mirca paint is wet take the paper plate with the black onyx paint 2B and use the sponge accompanied with it. Tap lightly on the counter creating a nice imprint of the sponge. Work in two by two sections. Make sure each imprint is close and overlapping each other.

While the black onyx is wet take the paper plate with the bronze paint 2C and use the sponge accompanied with the paint. Tap lightly on the counter creating a nice imprint of the sponge. Work in two by two sections. With this color, we decided to use sparingly. We wanted to make the black onyx and pearl mirca colors dominant.

With the sponge method, you can repeat the steps until you get your desired look. Let it dry for 24 hours before applying the top coat.

Step 3: Apply the top coat.

After the sponge on minerals has dried on the countertop. It is time to apply the top coat.

Use the 6 in Giani roller and use the second roller pad.

Apply a thin coat of the top coat paint. When the top coat goes on the counter, it will appear bluish, but this fades away when it dries.

Make sure you cover the whole countertop with the top coat.

Apply two to three coats of the top coat and allow to dry. Wait 24 hours.

After the final coat, wait one hour and slowly pull the tape off and remove trash bags.

When can you use your counter?

Full cure time is 14 days after applying top coat. It’s recommended not to place heavy items on the counter until cure time. It’s recommended that after three days you can put light items on the countertop, but the closer to the cure time the better. Use your discretion.

I hope this was helpful in finding a budget-friendly way to upgrade your countertop.