I had a lot of people ask about the process I used and one of my best friends has been trying to convince me to share some of my DIY's so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to start. I read numerous Pinterest posts and nothing really spoke to me about HOW to go about painting this. Everything was just "no rhyme or reason, no patterns, use a sea sponge, TA DAH! mine came out perfect!" Anyone that knows me knows, nothing I do goes like I plan...theres always a glitch. This project was no exception.
I started off with laminate counter tops that had been painted a flat brown by the previous owner. (So shout out to Shelby in making my project that much easier). I started off by taking off EVERYTHING on the counter tops obviously. Once everything was accumulated to the kitchen table I cleaned and prepped my counter tops with a little LA's Totally Awesome Cleaning Spray (found at the Dollar Tree)- If you haven't tried this stuff, its pretty great; and extremely inexpensive, but I'll have to share about that next time. I just sprayed and wiped. Make sure you get the crevices, and sides really good. Next I took Frog Tape from Lowe's and taped off the walls, the sink, etc. * Tape two layers stacked on top of each other for the walls if you're messy like me. Once everything was taped off and cleaned, I prepared my paints. (If your laminate isn't color that you feel will blend with your desired look, I suggest painting the entire counter top with a single color before beginning.
I started out with 4 different colors. Anita's All Purpose Metallic Craft Paint in Black, and Espresso Bean, Folk Art Metallic Acrylic Paint in Pure Gold, and Americana Acrylic Paint in Bleached Sand. (All found at Hobby Lobby) I had a pretty solid idea in my head of what I wanted it to look like, and I picked colors based on what I had envisioned. The black, was not at all metallic, which was perfect for what I wanted but it was something I had on hand from another project so I knew what it was going to look like. The gold, was in fact VERY gold, I wanted something that had some shine and sparkle to accent all the flat colors, something to give it that "real" contrast. Just go with whatever look you want. I really wanted to add some turquoise to match my dining room but I decided I better just stick with my natural earth tones. I used a foil roasting pan (from HEB) and put some paint in each corner, all bets were off.
I also purchased a Sea Sponge (also from Hobby Lobby) because I had read that was the best way to apply the paint. When I started with the Sea Sponge, it was a terrible look. Everything was too uniform, there was no blending, it was a mess. So I cut my sponge into several different sizes, and then proceeded to find a plastic bag, and an old small paint brush to help with my project. I knew I wanted darker counter tops so i started with my lighter accent colors (Bleached Sand and Pure Gold). I used different sizes of sponges for the Sand and the Gold. Some areas were very heavy in gold, and some were more heavy with the Sand. I then took the black, and another couple of sizes of sponge and layered it on top of the lighter colors. The first layers I did, I used a sponge for the Espresso- which was my key color. It didn't turn out to well.
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| Clearly, you can see that it needed some MAJOR blending. This looks awful to me, someone even referred to it as looking like a calico cat. But it got better. |
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| The finished product! I couldn't be happier about the outcome! I hope a buyer loves it as much as I do! |
My major tips for this part would have to be 1) use different application processes- I don't care if you do some crazy splatters, or use a loofa, whatever makes you happy, don't be afraid to try it. 2) tape tape tape- I'm extremely messy when I paint. I had paint all over the place. I was then left scrubbing paint off my walls where I had only used one row of tape. 3) If you feel like it doesn't look natural enough, it doesn't. Once I finally got the look I wanted, it was like it just "clicked". I went from hating this project to feeling like a pro within a matter of minutes. 4) you CAN work with paint still being wet on the countertops. I never left my project for a few hours to let it dry. once you start working, the paint dries quickly anyways but bleeding paint colors is necessary so don't be worried if it mixes. 5) If you're short like me, work from the back of the counter to the front- I had paint all over the place because I kept having to lean against the counter to reach the back. 6) The crevices of where you're counters go up the wal, and the sides that turn to the floor are the hardest to cover. Go heavy on the paint. 7) don't over analyze the project. Even if you mess it up, keep working, you'll find a way to get the look you want- just don't be afraid to explore!.
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| Here were the players in todays project. Not pictured, the foil roasting pan, frog tape, and the paint brush. |
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| In this picture, you can see where I taped off the Sink. This was my after. The Countertops were originally the same color as the cabinets. Ignore my Dirty Dishes... I started this project in the middle of the day and couldn't risk splashing my counter tops after lunch.
Total Cost- I'm going to estimate $30 or less. I bought my paint on sale at Hobby Lobby. The small bottles were between $.54- $1.37 each and I bought 3 of the small espresso bean, one of each of the bleached sand (wished I had grabbed a second) and one of the gold. I had a large black bottle of paint on hand from another project, but you could buy 2 or three bottles of black and do a small kitchen. I only showed half of my kitchen in my photos. theres still a large bar, and the other half of the sink that were done also. The sea sponge was $3.99- without a coupon. Mod Podge Spray was $8.99 without a coupon- but I suggest purchasing polycrylic instead. It's just easier to work with
Total Time- 4-5 hours- I have to work around two small children, that need to be fed, cared for, picked up from MDO, etc. It kind of adds to how long it takes
Skill level- Absolute beginner! You just have to be brave enough to try it!
-Until Next Time
Peace, Love and Sea Sponge-
Kayla
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