For anyone who knows me...once I hear a great idea, in a full 4 minutes I am convinced that I must do what was suggested. The feeling is so strong that I get overwhelmed with completing the task at hand. This is not always a great thing...sometimes it is better to take a breath and wait. Not this time.
Enter Melanie Craver. Melanie, or Mel, close running partner, parent advisor, whisper partner at church, good listener and generous friend. I could elaborate on each one of these traits and gifts mentioned above but this time I am focused on her generosity. Mel has the unique gift of being handy. As a woman. And this admire. I have none of this gifting. She recently redid her kitchen (house built in the 70's like mine) with paint and hard work. She painted her countertops to make them look like granite. They were amazing. So in typical Beth fashion I say--I want countertops like Mel. Both of our families do not have a lot of funds to spend big on kitchens so we thought we can at least do what we can. Mel quickly agreed to come over last Saturday and help us paint. Mel walks in the door and says...you know after we do the countertops you should put tin back spash up from Home Depot and you should take that curtain down at your kitchen window and cut out the trim hanging around the window. Instantly I say --Scott we are doing this and we need to have this done by next Saturday's Valentine Party at our house.
Finished project--
Here is the before picture--
Here is the after painting process-- (at this point Mel said here Beth I'll show you how--to which I respond-can you just do it please? I can't do that. And she graciously said yes.)
Here is the finished Countertop-
Here is the finished backsplash and countertops--
Mel answers questions if you get them to me. Yes we know Keri Altland, Wanda McFarlane and Missy Jeanes you are next. :)
So for around 200.00 (yes we are dipping in to tax return) we have a new kitchen that I love to just sit and look at. It almost makes me want to do the cooking..but not quite.
So anyway-back to Mel. Mel walked in and sacrificially gave of her time and energy. She does this often. She lives unselfishly and for others each day. She loves to give and give and give. I am not worthy to be the recipient. I constantly feel like I am in the debt to her. We love her and her family so much around here that my mother is considering adopting her because she is everything I am not.
All that to say--God knew what He was doing when He put us together. She shows me Christ every time I turn around. I love you Mel.
For step by step directions and a few of Mel's favorite links see here this was the email prior to our weekend adventure.....
We need the following supplies:
-black oil based paint
-gray oil based paint
-bronze oil based paint
-roller covers
-top coat
-blow torch
-tape
-Drop clothes - (cheap, plastic ones work great)
-small pan liners (3-4)
-sponges - or we could use plastic bags
-light sanding block
I'm going to outline the basic steps that we need to cover.I will also attach some links to other websites that discuss painting your countertops and the process. In case, you're scared....it made me feel a lot better to see others having success.
1. We will use your already painted layer as our "primer" layer. We should lightly sand it thought to help our next coat to adhere. Clean off and tape.
2. Paint 2 coats of black topcoat, let dry in between coats. We may be able to get away with one coat, depending on the coverage. I'm not too worried since you've already painted then. I feel good that we aren't going right over the laminate.
3. Sponging - we will then sponge the colors we are using to add variation. I used gray and bronze. This is a matter of artistic ability and taste. Don't worry - if we get too much of one color in one area, you can always add black after it dries to "take away/cover up" the color you may think there's too much of. Worst case scenario - we start over by painting the entire thing black and start sponging again.
4. We should let this set for at least 24 hours....in fact I would let it set all week and then we could do the topcoat the following weekend, but it's up to you. You will be able to use it and not have to worry too much about messing up the paint job.
5. Top Coat - this is by far the most challenging part of the project. The hard part is not using the counter for about a week. You may want to set up a "work area" table during this time. Believe me though, it's hard, especially with a family, but it's worth it. The top coat is beautiful and for the most part does a great job protecting the surface. I use mine hard and while there are some minor imperfections, overall it has worn well and I love the look. When I'm rich someday I will get granite, but for now this will work!!
6. More on the top coat - we need to mix it, and then spread it. It is messy and sticky so we need to make sure the drop clothes are in place securely to fully protect your cabinets and sink area. While it's self-leveling, we need to use the blow torch to pop the air bubbles as they rise to the surface. After this we just need to keep the area from being touched - at this point, any touch will leave fingerprints, indentations etc. Again, only you and I will probably even notice, but I'm going to try to not make the same mistake on your counters that I did on my own!
Whewww....I think that's it. Check out the links below and they will show you what I'm talking about etc.
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