DIY Kitchen Makeover - including faux granite countertops!

I think I put off upgrading my kitchen because I only had about a $300 budget.  How can you make a 35 year old kitchen look decent with that little of money?  Well I took the plunge and decided that it was going to have to work.  And....I love the way it turned out.  I still need to upgrade my faucet, which will be coming in the next couple of weeks.  

The After

The Before (I forgot to take pictures until I was taping)

A close up of the old laminate counter top.

I first started with priming my counter top.  I did this with white (picture not shown) and then waited the appropriate time for the second coat.  This time I added black to it, to make it the grey color you see above.

Then waited again, and then painted it with my black oil paint. (I will give you the name of all the paint I used below, so hold tight).

I let the black paint dry overnight and then sponged a metallic silver paint (I bought mine at the craft store, but you can buy it at any home improvement store).  At this point I was a bit nervous, and the thought ran through my mind that this will cost more because we will have to get brand new counter tops!  Don't get to worried it works out, but don't feel alarmed if you have the same thought.

After the metallic silver dried, I sponged over it with the black.  It was looking better, but still not what I wanted.  

So I had some chocolate brown paint and once the black was dry, I sponged over it with my brown.   

One more time sponging with the black paint.  

Now the varnish. I waited one day before I put the varnish on.   Oh, don't forget the sparkle.  Who said that glitter is only for kids?  I found some glitter in the paint department at Lowe's.  I sprinkled a little glitter on the dry counter top to make it look like granite, then put the varnish on.

The Products I used:

  Before I painted I cleaned everything very well.  I also bought a deglosser and used that on everything (so I wouldn't have to sand).  I bought mine at Lowe's in the paint department.

For the primer I used this, Zinsser cover stain.  This is the first time I have used this and it was wonderful.   All of this paint was oil based, so it smells.  Try to paint when you can open the windows for a couple of days during the process.  I used two coats of primer on the counter and cabinets. 

For the main color on the counter tops I used the Flat Black Rust-Oleum paint.  

For the shine on the countertops I ended up buying 3 of the 32 oz. EnvirTex Lite product.  I bought it at Hobby Lobby and used my 40% off coupon to get all three. 

 It may take a couple of trips but worth the cost. 

  Follow the directions very well.  Tape everything off and have your blow torch ready (I already had one for when I make crème brule).  I think you can buy one for around $10.   I used two boxes of EnviroTex Lite for my main counter.  I have to admit it was a bit stressful.  But make sure you have enough.  Too little and it will cause some uneven spots.   Then let it dry for the full 72 hours before you use the counters.  

Next the Cabinets!!!

My daughter is as much a craft fanatic as I am and has to help with everything.  So I let her do that wall. 

I took all the hardware and doors off (I very specifically marked them so I could put them back in the same spot) and then painted the cabinet doors in my garage (a little less smelly).

Once again I primed the cabinets with the Zinsser primer.  Let it dry and then put the second coat of primer on.  For the paint, I used Gloss White Rust-Oleum paint for the main coat on my cabinets.  They only needed one coat.  

The hardware I screwed into an old box so that I could have it up right.  I used as much of the old stuff as I could, but years back I had replaced some door knobs and not all of it.  I found some wood knobs at Home Depot for less than $1 each.  I spray painted them all. 

I used Brushed Metallic Satin Oil Rubbed Bronze.  Once again I found this at Hobby Lobby.  I had also bought a spray paint hand gun for a couple of dollars at Walmart...worth every penny!  It took a couple of days for the hardware to be done and I sprayed several coats on. 

The final coat for the hardware was Krylon Clear Satin Polyurethane.  I wanted a little extra strength so that the oil rubbed bronze wouldn't rub off.  So far so good!

And the finished kitchen!!!

The dollar wooden knobs.

The hinges that I spray painted also.

My new kitchen.  

After I was done, I told my husband I needed to paint the walls because now I don't like the color with the new cabinets and counter.   It never ends!!!

Please leave a comment if you have any questions or if I wasn't clear on any of the steps!