Sunday, September 21, 2014

Home Improvement

Sorry I have been slacking off here lately.  Been working on my kitchen.
I don't know why, but I keep ending up with pink houses.   The last one had 1600 sq ft of pink carpet and a pink fireplace- this one has pink countertops.

I don't feel like ripping out this kitchen right now though.   Been there, done that.
After much research into tiling over the counter, I decided I don't like these cabinets enough to put that much time and money into the counter either.
So I did a bunch more research into coating it.  There are some products for that, but I don't like the look they produce.
But I did find this related product for wall tile that I did like...
So I decided to color outside the lines a bit and experimented with that in my coffee zone.

It was pretty simple, didn't make a huge mess, but did take a few days to wait for all the coats to dry and me to obsess on every speck.  But it turned out so great I can hardly stand it.   It's pretty and seems durable.  It makes me so happy to think there's an easy and affordable solution to my pink dilemma.  
I'm posting the pictures immediately without even finishing the rest... (gotta paint those sad cabinets!)
I love a product that does exactly what it says it will.

update:

The Spreadstone product is kind of expensive considering how little you get.  I think that if you're crafty, the same thing can be done on your own for half the price.   After many years of wearing paint on my clothes and skin- I'm pretty sure it's just acrylic paint with something white in it for texture.   It doesn't set up like concrete or plaster though.   After some research, I think it's lightweight joint compound.  It wasn't much thicker than paint though, so there wasn't very much in it.  Had I known, I could have used a bunch of my extra brown and tan paint instead...  If you're curious, do some experiments on a piece of wood or something. 

The technique was one base coat using a smooth fabric roller.
Then two highlight colors very gently applied using a sponge roller.  if you don't like it, you can sand it or sponge over with another color.   I also sponged by hand and used small art brushes to nitpick.

I still have to figure out what that first waterproof bond coat is.   It must be available.   Ooh, here.  Topcoat Sealers are available everywhere.

The key really was the prep.   Making sure everything was taped off, repaired, sanded and clean.