Undoing Stupid

As you have probably noticed, I have red countertops in my kitchen.

 

As you can see, the back splash is also red and is comprised of the same Formica that is on the countertops.

(One day I will put the above pictured piano stool back together for your viewing pleasure.  For now, just concentrate on the redness of my kitchen, okay?)

I can't say that I don't like the red countertops.  What I didn't like is how worn and in need of a nice finish they were. 

So, like a moron - and because I read somewhere on the net you could do it - I put a coat of 

polyurethane on two of them.  What a mistake!  As you can about imagine, it scratched and chipped and became really ugly looking in no time at all and  we've been living with the ugliness of the error of my ways for about 5 years.

In 2009 I found a new product that was designed specifically for counter tops:   Giani Countertop Paint and decided to try it out in my laundry room.

I was very pleased with the results that went from this:

 

To this:

(See full details here)

So, ever since the great success with the laundry room countertop I've been thinking about doing the same in the kitchen, but I've been apprehensive about it because I just want to keep the red.  I don't want to add the faux granite colors and I just didn't know how to go about that.  I think I've finally figured it out!

This is my "test plot" - and not a very good pictures, sorry.  It is tomato red acrylic paint sponged onto a piece of black poster board to see if I could live with what I think I'm going to do.

I think I can live with it!  (Don't worry - the actual color is not as bright as captured in the above picture!)

You can bet I have had my doubts about doing this, especially since all the experts advise against painting countertops, but, the laundry room countertop has performed beautifully - so scratches, no peeling, no problems with water.

So why now?  Right in the middle of my candle experiments and other little projects?  Why tackle the kitchen countertops?

It's all his fault:

Look what he did to my livingroom!

He took down the ceiling tiles, filled all the nail holes in the walls and started painting all the trim and crown molding!

 

AND

He's installing a beadboard ceiling - one board at a time!

I tell ya, the competition is fierce!

So, I spent my yesterday undoing stupid so I can start making the kitchen beautiful too.

Fortunately, the stuff came off relatively easy with a razor blade.

We've a lot of work ahead of us... we plan on painting all the woodwork white - including the kitchen cupboards.  Our goal is to have the livingroom and kitchen finished before Glen's family comes for their annual gathering in August.

Won't they be surprised??