Our kitchen counter top of 15 odd years had started showing signs of grime which helped kick-start the research to find a solution. The obvious solution was to replace the current laminate one with a marble. Didn’t want to go through the elaborate process (read as hassle) of searching for the correct marble counter-top, contractor, high costs etc, wanted to give it a quick makeover.
Google search revealed a few vendors who sell paint to spruce up counter-tops exactly like the situation that we were in. Decided to go in for the Giani White Diamond kit. Its sold by Lowes (only on their online site, not in any store) or directly by Giani. We bought it directly from Giani’s website.
There are a bunch of videos on Giani’s site and also on youtube.
The basic process is
- Clear/clean up the existing surface, remove any caulking
- Apply the black primer
- Using a sponge sequentially dab 3 shades of color, in our case Pearl Mica, Inca Gold Mineral and White Limestone
- Seal it with Acrylic Topcoat and then reapply caulking
Moved the stove and the fridge, applied masking tape above the back splash, removed old caulking from the joints and lightly sanded down the top.
Applied the one coat of primer and let it dry overnight.
Then poured a little bit of Pearl Mica in a paper plate. Cut the sponge that came in the kit into 4 pieces and started dabbing the color.
As soon as that was done, poured a little bit of Inca Gold Mineral color and started dabbing that on. Followed that up by White Limestone.
Tried some innovative ways to create the vines in the marble. We got a few, but weren’t overly successfully with creating the vines.
Once done let it dry for at least four hours. I think we let it dry overnight.
Next step was to apply 2 coats of top coat with at least four hours interval between them.
Let that dry out overnight and then removed the masking tape and applied silicone caulking on the edges.
The finish is not smooth like granite but overall it looks pretty awesome for under $100. As we had completely used up the top coat decided to get another can (from amazon this time). Applied two more coats this time thicker than the previous application. Now it is pretty smooth and a glossy effect.
Overall this requires more attention and maintenance than granite. If you are going to keep a dish rack by the sink then make sure the underneath of the rack stays dry otherwise the paint will starting chipping off.
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