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Hi everyone- I have searched high and low online for a "fix" of some sort for our hideous, light jade green, icky looking kitchen countertops since we bought our home last September. Our home was definitely a "fixer-upper", and the kitchen, sigh...let's just say it was a nightmare of fire engine red, cocoa brown, and school bus yellow walls....no cabinet doors at all....but I digress!
I am of the DIY bent, mainly because I can't afford to go out and buy granite countertops, or even the cheap-o kind, so any improvements are going to be made by me, lol. Here is what I have come up with, after months and months of trying to figure out what to do:
1. Paint the countertops, and seal them with the same stuff they use on bar countertops (I used this on an island top, and the stuff was unbelievably messy, but amazing when done right!).
I am really leaning towards this one, but the biggest problem I am having is the fact that my countertops curve at the back, up against the wall maybe 4 inches, like a built-in backsplash. Painting would be the easy part, but the problem is the sealer afterwards- the sealer you pour on, let it almost spread by itself, and then you either blow out bubbles as they form with a straw, or use a heat gun. This appeals to me, BUT....the curved edge. When this stuff drips down, which it inevitably does, it leaves drip marks- I can't figure out how on earth I could do the back of the counters without having that happen- cost-wise, this makes the most sense- the counters are in relatively good shape, but need to have small "pock marks" filled in here and there from years of use. My thinking is to somehow cut off the back of the countertops in order to make them lie flat. That would solve the problem of how to seal the back of the stupid things. Stressy? You betcha, lol.
Anybody ever cut the back (or sides, or anything else) off of their countertops like this? I have a jigsaw, and a circular saw-the counters don't look more than an inch thick- I just don't know what else to do, I'm seriously just stressing myself out with all of the different ideas out there and it's truly driving me bananas- I need to just stick with this idea, and let the rest go (dratted internet....with its zillions of DIY ideas!).
Is it possible to paint the splash backs of the counter the same color as the wall immediately above them? It might lessen their visual impact if they seemed to blend into the wall.
These are formed laminate countertops, right? Have you considered putting in some wood countertops? IKEA sells them fairly cheap and it's a good DIY alternative. Other than that, you're going to have a difficult time cutting off that blacksplash and not having a difficult edge problem to deal with after the fact.
Silibran, I probably could- but I had planned on more than likely putting some tile there- the top of the counters where they meet the wall are in "ok" shape, but they don't lay flat against the wall- I know I could caulk them though, and I am having a bit of trouble by the sink where water splashes up (this happens when you have teens doing dishes...sometimes, lol)-- the wall itself isn't completely smooth, it reminds me a little bit of a ceiling- the people who had this house before us did a lot of DIY, and as a result, I have texture where it doesn't belong, because while texturing something else, they didn't bother to tape anything over. Where any texture at all came from on this wall, I haven't a clue...because nothing around it is textured at all!
Southbel, I have actually thought of that- and yes, they are formed laminate. I used 2x12 pine on the island I did, stained it, and then sealed it with the sealer I mentioned earlier (the name escapes me at the moment, but they use it on bar tops-supposed to be the same as 60 coats of varnish/lacquer, whatever, lol)-it really turned out great, and I actually thought of doing the same thing on the counters, using the existing countertops for a pattern.
I know, the cutting issue with the backsplash, what a pain- I realized after I posted this that I would end up having to cut quite a bit off, because the *** saw and the circular take up a good inch, inch 1/2 before the cut even starts! IKEA sounds nice, but I don't think there is an IKEA within a couple hundred miles of here (we're in the U.P., MI)---
Thanks for the input though, I really do appreciate it- It's boiling hot here today, and I needed a sounding board, because I'm feeling addled on all fronts!
Rich, I actually have been on the hunt for laminate sheets- I heard about them, and heard that Homedepot sells them, but haven't been able to find them at all!
There are a few of them around here, I will definitely have to check that out- I heard that you can buy an actual roll of the laminate, which would be nice- I'm pretty concerned about the painting, and even the wood countertops- for durability, mainly- even with the sealer on there, I know it says it's supposed to really hold up, but...I don't believe it, lol- and I use my countertops a lot-
Somewhere I have seen wood flooring used on counters. You would install it in long pieces. Obviously you would use unstained oak or some such hard wood and then use a food safe stain or oil on it. You might be able to cover the backsplash as well as the counter.
Honestly, you could just have a new counter top made with the laminate of your choice, and it probably would not break the bank.
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