By Victoria Larsen

I once had a neighbor who faced brilliant orange Formica counter tops in her home. Raising little ones on a single mother’s salary didn’t allow her the budget to replace those counter tops. To her, (as it would be to me), living with those counter tops would be nearly unbearable! She tried everything she could to cover them to no avail. They were still orange, they were still an eyesore.

If you face the same sort of dilemma with Formica, or even with ceramic tile, there is a great solution and not at all difficult.

Faux finish them!

The technique is the same for both surfaces.

Read Victoria’s Technique Here –>  Faux Finish Counters

The counter tops in our Everett, Washington home were white and very poorly done. We will replace them before we sell the house in 2009 to move to our home in Idaho, but I didn’t want to do that until we were ready to put it on the market.

Could I stand the poor glue job one more day? Not a chance. So while my husband was on a business trip to Italy, I faux finished them to pale, but rich looking granite. The difference it made was incredible!

Here’s how to faux finish your formica countertops:

Step 1) Go on the Internet and find photos of granite that appeal to you and match your decor colors. Print out a sample sheet as your working example.

Step 2) Examine the photo closely. Real granite typically consists of a main, over-all color with “blotches” or dots of secondary colors. Decide what would be the base (background color) would be and the two or three secondary colors. For instance, my granite choice required a deep gold background and dark brown, white and gold as secondary colors. Ask your local paint store employee to help you with choices if need be.

Step 3) Clean the surface well then wipe with pure white vinegar to give it a bit more “tooth”. On Formica, a very light sanding helps to make your primer adhere.

Step 4) Prime the surface with oil based primer such as “BIN” or “KILZ”. Oil based primers give you the best adhesion and durability.

Step 5) Once the primer is completely dry, you can now use water based paints to do your project. Paint the base color over the entire surface and allow to dry.

Step 6) with a brush, blot on your main secondary color (the one that seems to stand out the most in your printed sample) allowing the background color to show through. You can either use an old towel, wall paint brush or flat end stencil brush with great results.

Depending on the look of your sample (a very blotchy look or smoother, softer colors) you may want to blend as you go. My sample showed smoother, more blended colors. Yours might be quite spotty with definite “dots” of color. In that case, don’t blend.

Step 7) Spatter on 2nd color either by blotting larger dots as with the first color, or by dipping a toothbrush in to the paint color then flicking the bristles with your fingers (Protect the floor and back splash or walls when performing this technique). Repeat the above processes with any further colors needed to complete the look.

Step Allow the surface to dry completely then seal with 3 coats of water based Polyurethane sealer in “gloss” finish. The gloss gives you the appearance of shiny, polished granite. DO follow manufacturer’s directions when using all products.

There are many styles of granite to choose from and with just a bit of practice on a sample board before beginning, you can achieve basically the same look with just a paint brush and these techniques.

Granite color examples:

Deep Green Granite: Background dark Olive green, light olive green and black as secondary colors.

Gray Granite: Pale Gray background color with dark gray, brown and white as secondary colors.

Light brown granite: Light brown background with secondary colors of dark brown and cream.
Now you can venture out to find just the right granite color choice for your project.

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Victoria Larsen is a professional wall stencil designer and interior specialist. Her products and ideas have been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Women’s Day, Craft Trends, Creating Keepsakes, Rubber Stampin Retailer and Memory Maker magazines and The Wall Street Journal. Visit Victoria on line at http://www.victorialarsen.com Blog: http://victorialarsen.typepad.com

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Hi-
I have a friend that had her Formica countertops faux-finished to look sort of like a taupe stone.

All I know is that after a few colors were applied, the surface was sprayed w/alcohol to “blur” the finish & create an interesting design.

A protective polyurethane-type finish was then applied over all.

It looks really cool & very professional.

Does this sound familiar? My concern is that the finish wouldn’t hold up to active cooks.

Your input/opinions are welcomed!
~pkme

Hi pkme

I have two things to say about painting Formica – laminate counters or cabinets.
1. Over 10 years ago I had my laminate counters “sprayed” with a refinishing color by a professional. He sanded and cleaned the laminate to remove and foreign particles and rough up the surface enough to bond with the paint. The bathroom counter still looks new. The kitchen counter is just now starting to show some scratches and stains… But after 10 years I can live with that. The process cost me about $150.00 back then. I think I got a good deal.

2. I have faux painted several laminate counters over the last few years. (of course, I am going to get my own counters painted… someday) and the process is easy and the results are beautiful.

The alcohol is used to create natural looking “bleeds” and blending of the colors.

When I had my counters painted it was a “temporary” fix until I could replace them. Of course… they looked so good, I still haven’t replace. But… the idea is a painted finish is a fix… not something your going to do just before you’re ready to sell your home. I just can’t imagine that anyone would think it was so cool to purchase their new home with “painted” counters. It may look great to you and I, but your real estate agent might faint trying to explain this to potential purchasers.

That all said… the last faux finish on a counter I painted was for a commercial bar. Now… they wanted guarantees that the finish would last. The surface was sanded and primed. The painted finish is several layers and the the sealer is another several layers. This finish may get wear marks but it will never scratch down to the subsurface unless some one uses a knife or they set a scalding hot pot on it.

Here is another observation:

If I had to fix a damaged counter of “real” granite, I wonder how that would be done and how much it would cost?

If I had to fix a bit of damage on a faux painted counter… I would do a bit of sanding, cleaning, painting and layer on a new coat of sealer. I am sure that this is a cheaper and quicker alternative. So an active cook might have a bit of scratching around the stove or chopping area ( use a cutting board for goodness sakes)… it’s a simple once a year process to do some small repairs if needed.

Hope this clears up some of those nagging questions about painting laminate???

I’m here for you!

debra

Victoria Larsen recently wrote about another faux granite painting on Formica counters… success story. You won’t believe how this gal changed her mauve kitchen counters into luxurious black granite counters with just Primer, Paint and Sealer!

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Hey Debra,

Tammy Benson here. I am designing a counter top finish for a client of mine. I am doing a frottage on top of a sponge finish and my plastic wrap is not leaving the deep spider veining that I am trying to achieve. I am using acrylics. How long should I let the paint stand before I apply the plastic wrap and how long should I leave the plastic wrap in tact?

I have tried several applications. I have tried using the hard end of a small veining brush to draw veins? through the wet paint, but unfortunately this will take longer than I have on an entire counter top. I have also tried plastic bags, but I need to cover a larger area with continuity.

The sample I am duplicating is rouge dragon. A beautiful granite. I have matched my colors and they look awesome. And the finish I have developed is so close. Any advice would be appreciated.

> Tammy Benson
> Finishes By Design

Hi Tammy.

Your project sounds great! Granite can be tough, but it sounds like you really have a handle on it!

If you are wanting to create veining within the finish, try waiting until after it has dried. I use both a veining brush and a feather and then use a badger hair brush to soften and blend while the paint is still wet on the vein itself. But the key for me is the blending. It really makes the finish look natural.

Let me know if that works.

Would you mind attaching a picture so we can see what this rouge dragon granite looks like?

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