Faux Granite Style Countertops
July 17, 2008
Many of us, especially those of us who do not have a separate dining room, spend an incredible amount of time in our kitchens. Are you unhappy with your present kitchen? Is it beginning to look a little old fashioned or is it looking in need of repair?
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 we can not afford a new, purpose built, kitchen it is possible to renovate the existing kitchen at a very reasonable cost. Redesigning your kitchen by renovating it means that the cost can be spread over a period of time, as and when you can afford it. The carcasses of your old kitchen units may be in perfect condition or need only minor repairs. Simply by changing the facings and the countertops you can create the illusion of a brand new kitchen. Change your flooring and redecorate the walls and you can quickly create a whole new look.
Faced with only a very small budget it is still possible to create a new look for your kitchen. One of the best ways to save cash in kitchen renovation is by repainting all the surfaces. Cupboard doors can be painted in plain colors or in fancy patterns or effects such a wood grain. Work surfaces can be vastly improved by creating faux granite countertops.
Creating a faux granite effect is great fun but it is important that you understand the basic stages and how natural granite looks. The first thing you need to do is clean the surface and apply an oil based primer. After allowing it to dry you then create the base color/coat with a water based paint. After this is thoroughly dry you can then start to create your faux granite using different colored water based paint and various materials to create the veins and other patterns. When the whole surface is bone dry you can protect it with about 3 coast of a water based Polyurethane gloss varnish which will also help create the effect of polished granite.
The really great thing about creating your own faux granite countertops is that you can choose your perfect design. You have no reliance on mother nature. You can choose to go with natural granite colors such as dark olive or gray background colors with secondary colors of light olive green and black or various shades of brown. If you fancy something a little more radical you can use any color combination you like even bright colors, whatever takes your fancy.
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