Kitchen Countertops Part Two: DONE!

(If you missed the first part...the first few steps, please click here.)

While we certainly aren't close to being done with our kitchen overhaul, we are DONE with those COUNTERTOPS! If you are interested in the process and product we used on our countertops (it was DIY and VERY EASY): click here to see part one of my countertop post.

Let's see....where were we from last time? Oh yes, sanding. Until our arms about fell off. There is LOTS of sanding involved with this project.

Compare your texture...truthfully, we probably could have given it another go round. But, it's fine. We have a slight bumpiness to the finished project, but if you didn't know better, it would seem like it is supposed to be there. 

Concocting the mixture for the top coat. Is it weird that the smell didn't bother me? That I almost liked it? I'm like that with diesel, too...reminds me of flying on airplanes. A very strange "happy smell". 

We did mix for two minutes...even set the timer to make sure.

 Lay it on thick! And then go back over to make sure it's even. Again and again.

Annnnnnd done.

(Well, after scoring & removing tape, allowing it to cure for a week and finally "reloading" the kitchen, we are really done now.)

We are very happy with the way they turned out. A significant upgrade from the builder's formica that was already here. And you can't beat the $250 price tag vs. the thousands we were looking at for granite.

It cleans up like laminate, but isn't heat resistant like some of the stones are. It just requires trivets and hot pads...those sorts of helpers. It is a bit shinier than we thought it would be. One thing I think Rustoleum should consider is perhaps an option for a matte finish as well.

I love that it makes the counters appear completely seamless. You can sort of see the sheen in the above photo.

You can really see the details of the decorative chips above. I really do like them!

A few things we may have done a bit differently:
-- More sanding before the final clear coat. We have a slight bit of a bumpy surface. Not too noticeable, but it is there. There is a lot of sanding involved in this process.
-- Skip drop cloths until the top coat. You'll have decorative chips everywhere...easier to vacuum up with the shop vac than wrestle with them buried in drop cloths.
-- Moved the fridge. Yeah. We totally moved the stove, but our fridge is a bear to move and we figured there was enough of a gap between the counter and fridge to squeeze a paint brush into. There was...sort of...well, okay not really. Looks like we'll be leaving the fridge when we sell the house to cover up the neglected/botched up edge. :P

Really happy with our overall results. Would do it again in a heartbeat. For the cost, I thought the product was perfect. Our next project is our island. Although we went ahead and resurfaced the counters on the island (might as well, had enough product), we plan to remove the countertop from the island and replace it with a longer piece of butcher block from Ikea. We also plan to add legs and bead board to it. I really need a longer island. It's where I do all of my prepping, mixing and bento-fixing! I need SPACE! We are hoping to model ours after Heather's beautiful new island over At the Picket Fence.

Other items on our kitchen makeover include:
-- Painting the cabinets & adding hardware
-- Repainting the walls THIS color (swoon!)
-- Adding bulkhead & trim to cabinets over the microwave (technically, this would happen before paint)
-- Creating THESE faux roman shades.
And down the road, we'd like to purchase new appliances, but that may have to wait a bit.

Here's a helpful blog that used the same countertop product that we did:
- SAS Interiors

Thank you for stopping by!








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