Six Tips for Getting the Look of Stone Countertops On a Budget

Home & Garden Articles

Love the look of stone countertops but worry that you can't afford them? Luckily, there are lots of alternatives. Take a look at these ideas.

1. Turn Butcherblock Countertops Into Faux Marble With Paint

If you have butcher block countertops, you can turn them into faux marble. Depending on your final goals, you can paint the marble directly or attach MDF board over the marble and paint that.

In both cases, start by putting a double coat of white paint over the countertop. Let that dry and then start to make those classic grey lines that you see in marble. Use a paintbrush for the large veins and a feather for the finer lines.

To give complete the marble countertop look, sprinkle a bit of white glitter powder over the paint. That mimics the flecks of mineral deposits in marble. Finally, add a glaze on the top.

2. Use a Granite-Look Countertop Paint Kit

Stone countertops are so popular that there are even pre-made kits that can help you copy their beauty in your kitchen. These kits are a great way to breathe new life into old laminate. Note that the laminate has to be in good condition. It shouldn't be buckling or peeling.

Start by cleaning the laminate—use steel wool to ensure you remove every bit of old residue and grease.

Most granite kits start with a base coat of deep black. Then, you grab your sponges and get into the small cans of paint. Choose paint is brown and tan, and blot and dab it on to create the look of granite.

3. Look Into a Chip Kit

There are also stone countertop kits on the market that involve chips. First, you choose the color of stone you want to copy—options include everything from ivory tones to granite tones.

Then, after cleaning and lightly sanding your existing laminate, you apply an adhesive layer to your countertops. You add the chips to that layer, and finally, you put a coating over all of it.

4. Use a Stone Finish Spray Paint

If you don't want to buy a kit, consider heading to the craft stone and finding spray paint that is designed to give objects a stone finish. Typically, this type of spray paint comes out in a mottled pattern.

Look at the colors in the stone finish paint, and choose one of those colors as your base color. Start by preparing and painting your countertops the base color. Then, apply the spray paint. Finally, add a coating—you may want to use a stone finish as that enhances the realistic look of your faux stone countertops.

5. Opt for Laminate That Looks Like Granite

Most of the above ideas require you to have solid countertops to start with. If your countertops also need replacing, you may just want to opt for laminate that looks like granite.

This is generally less expensive and lighter weight than stone. However, all of the above coatings cover the entire countertop, and that helps them in their pursuit of looking like stone. With laminate, you can see the where the laminate has been applied to the countertop along the edges. That can distract from the realistic looking stone finish that you want.

6. Look for a Deal on Natural Stone Countertops

In some cases, you may be surprised at the price of natural stone countertops. If you aren't feeling crafty and want things to look perfect, you may want to head to a showroom or a website and take a look at the offerings. To save money, focus on sales or less popular styles.

2 June 2017