Faux Granite Kitchen Countertops
July 16, 2008
Do you find that you spend enormous amounts of time in your kitchen? When we stop and think about it most of us would agree that a surprising amount of time is spent in the kitchen. Many of us can not afford a property with a separate dining room and instead we have a dining table in the kitchen. When you look around do you see an old fashioned kitchen in need of repair or replacement?
Of course many of us have a dream kitchen. With all of the amazing kitchen accessories and the multitude of gadgets available it is now possible to have a kitchen designed to meet our exact requirements. Maybe we would love to have granite countertops or maybe a large cooking range. It would seem that whatever we want we can have it.
Granite countertops are amongst the most popular because of their extreme good looks and the suitability of the material for use in the kitchen. There are a great many benefits to using granite with one of the most important being that each piece of stone in genuinely unique. Granite is also very easy to keep clean, hard to scratch and extremely durable. Cooks and bakers appreciate the fact that granite always remain cool and placing hot items, such as hot pans and griddles, will not burn the surface.
Sadly such wonderfully designed kitchens can cost an arm and a leg. Most of the better designs are often very expensive indeed and far beyond the budgets of most. Of course much of this cost is because of the high quality materials used for countertops and kitchen units. Other pricing factors include the cost of built in cookers and other electrical good. Even your choice of flooring materials can have a profound effect upon the overall cost of a new kitchen.
If you discover that you are unable to afford a new, specially designed, kitchen you can, relatively easily, create a new look and feel to your existing kitchen by simply replacing the doors, facings, fittings and countertops. The great thing about renovating a kitchen in this way is that you can replace different items at different times so that you can spread the cost.
If you have a really small budget it is amazing how far you can make the smallest amounts of cash stretch with just a little thought. If your cupboards look fine then maybe only your countertops need replacing. If you can’t afford new ones you can refinish both facings of doors and cupboards and also countertops. Using various techniques and different types of paints you can create the most beautiful patterns such as wood grain. One of the best ways in which to improve a kitchen for a minimal cost is to create faux granite countertops.
Faux granite finishes are relatively easy to create. It’s a very good idea to familiarize yourself with the look of granite which can be done by looking at plenty of pictures and visits to kitchen sale rooms. Firstly you need to ensure the surface is clean and then prime it with an oil based primer. Once dry you can then use other, water based, paints. Next you need to paint the base color and once that is dry you can add the various patterns different colors and textures. When finished all you need to do is give it at least three coats of a water based Polyurethane sealer in “gloss” finish to make it look like polished granite.
For a natural look stick to natural colors such as a base color of gray, black or dark green and veins and other secondary features in browns, blacks and lighter greens. For a more modern or dramatic look you can use any combinations of colors but remember you’ll have to live with it unless you paint over.
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