ARTFULLY AVOIDING THE LANDFILL (& driving my husband crazy) ONE PIECE OF JUNK AT A TIME

3/13/11

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??


13 comments:

  1. The competition is on!! I think you both will be winners because everything will be beautiful!! I love what both of you are working on and can't wait to see the finished rooms.
    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  2. LOL! I think the kitchen and living room will be beautiful when you're done...can't wait to see :) I did a stupid thing on our dining room walls...applied some stuff that was suppose to make it look marbled....it was as thick as spackling compound and that should have been the first clue..but no, I had to finish! All said and done is had completely filled in the textured walls and made them all smooth and it looked terrible!! Hubby had to re texture the walls and then we painted.
    Gotta love the bloopers because then we really appreciate the beauty :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your kitchen and living room are gonna be beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. wow... I think it's all going to look awesome... can't wait!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. wow! ya'll are awful brave! :) I'm glad you expect to be done by august and not april! :)
    I think it's very doable, and all is going to look great!
    gail

    ReplyDelete
  6. When you say he took down all the ceiling tiles...You wouldn't happen to have a picture of those would you? Cause that would be my UNDOING Stupid!
    We have them in three rooms of our house...we installed them. Problem is we should have started out in the bedrooms and then once we decided we didn't like...we would have Maybe(?) done something different in the living room.

    We have 12" sq tiles...GLUED LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS TO THE CEILING! YEAH. we. do.
    So I was just wondering if you had a picture. Maybe of them while they are on there, or in the process of coming down(i'd consider paying to see that!)

    I can't wait to see it all finished. You're projects are gonna be fantastic.
    Oh, and I'm so glad that the washroom counter paint HELD UP and you've given an update and are confident in the product enough to use it in the kitchen.
    NOW... I'm might consider trying it. LOL!

    Sincerely, with plenty of projects of my own,
    Pat

    ReplyDelete
  7. Awesome projects, Coleen! I can't wait to see how they turn out! The laundry room countertop turned out great!

    ReplyDelete
  8. great stuff going on at your place! Lezlee

    ReplyDelete
  9. WOW, you are a brave soul. I can't wait to see the finished job it is going to look amazing. Love the beadboard ceiling. I would love to do that in my house... I have ceiling tiles two bedrooms that I absolutely dispise but I inherited mine with the house. Can you send hubby over after he is done yours...lol.

    Have a great week Coleen...

    Hugs, Deb

    ReplyDelete
  10. Holy Buckets! It must be a Barngrover thing...our house is undergoing quite the transformation too--just from the bottom up :) So is Glen sheetrocking the ceiling? I have to admit I am cringing a bit at the thought of you guys painting your crown molding! We have worked so hard to STRIP all the paint off of our woodwork it makes me want to cry a little! I bet it will look awesome when you guys are done though. I can't wait to see it this summer!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ok....duh...just re-read the post, and answered my own question about the ceiling...I must learn to read the WHOLE post before commenting! LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your house will be like new when you're done! You are so lucky your husband will take on a project like that. I had Mike do some painting on our lr ceiling after I totally incapacitated my shoulder trying to get it done, and he grumbled the whole time! You'd think he was asked to remodel the whole room! All it was was one coat of paint to finish up the job, jeesh.
    I have my own version of undoing stupid coming up. I totally feel your pain on that one. We live and learn, right?

    ReplyDelete
  13. I painted my kitchen counters about 4 years ago it has held up nicely. I used a marine grade poly and haven't had a chip yet. Good luck on all your projects. I can't wait to see how it all turns out. Love the red!

    ReplyDelete

Leave a note, I'd love to hear from you!