Wednesday, June 1, 2016

DIY Stone Countertops

 I'm in the "home stretch" of my budget kitchen makeover.  I told you earlier that it was my girls who got me moving on this long overdue project.  They did the initial paper stripping, priming and painting.  I've been so busy with projects in this space and I'll show you more of those later but right now I HAD to share my "new" countertops.  After lots of research, I decided to go with the Daich stone kit, mainly because of the fact that it's actually ground stone you are applying and not just paint.  The reviews were all super positive so I purchased a kit online for $120.00 (a mere fraction of what it would have cost to have new stone countertops installed!).  The kit truly DOES come with everything you need except the few obvious, little things like painter's tape, drop cloth, etc. You also get VERY detailed printed instructions but better than that -- you also get an instructional DVD.  In less than 48 hours the job was painlessly finished!
You begin by taping everything off -- simple.  Then you need to really rough up the surface with the sand paper included in the kit.  It's really important then to completely remove any dust particles.  I took a little extra step and used tack cloth to be sure there was nothing left behind after sanding.
The first step is applying the base coat.  It's super thick and using the brush and roller/tray provided, you apply two coats and you only have to let it dry for 30 minutes in between coats.  The color of the base will depend on the color kit you've purchased.  My kit was the "pearl" which is white with gray and black stone 'flecks' in it so the base was a medium gray.  
Once the base coat is dry, the real fun begins when you now apply the stone coat.  You really have to work at stirring this well because all of the stone is on the bottom of the can and you want it evenly distributed.  This part has to dry for 24 hours but you can sand in as little as 4 hours, which is what I did.  Using a vac is pretty important here and I also used the tack cloth to remove all of the dust.  The second day I applied the clear coat.  You apply two coats of this waiting a few hours in between and that's it!
And the difference?  Well, it's astonishing to say the least!  This product does EXACTLY what it promises . . . see for yourself!
I did use my grinder attachment on my sander to smooth down that front edge but the stone really filled it all in.
Can you believe it!?  You do have to wait 24 hours before you begin using the counters and they suggest light use for the first 7 days but after that -- maintain and use as you would any other stone countertop.  Now, on to the floors . . . 


On any given week (depending on how busy I am!) I love to participate in Linky Parties.  These gals put a lot of time and effort into hosting these parties so I always want to show my appreciation by directing my readers to these blogs. 

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9 comments:

  1. I had no idea a product like this even existed. Thanks for sharing your tutorial with Talk of the Town. What an amazing transformation!

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  2. Oh my goodness! Your countertops look AMAZING!! I might consider trying this as well. My budget will not allow for new counters and this looks like a great way to achieve that "new" look :)
    GREAT JOB!!

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  3. Wow! Your countertop turned out amazing! I've heard of that product and always wondered how well it worked. Apparently it works really well. Thanks so much for sharing at Vintage Charm.

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  4. This is amazing! Such a transformation! Thank you for sharing! You are one of the features at the Round-Up from the Before & After party at The Dedicated House. Here is the link so you can check out your feature. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2016/06/round-wednesday-19-4.html Hope you have a lovely day! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  5. I had no idea this product was available. What a great idea and what a lovely job it makes of the old counter tops! You must be very pleased and you did it yourself! Great job! Thanks for sharing.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  6. Neat project! Thank you for sharing with us on the Art of Home-Making Mondays at Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth! We hope to have you share today for the new link up this week!

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  7. Wow! We are looking for a new home and have no idea what the countertops may be like. I am pinning this just in case I have to use it!! thanks for the tip!

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