Thrifty & Easy Faux Granite Countertops

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I'm sure some of you have been wondering where I have been? Well.... Life has been a bit busy, super busy. Have you ever felt like you are going in a 100 different directions and they all need your attention? That's kinda how the last couple of months have been. I do this every now and then... overcommit myself or start too many projects, then I impose these unrealistic deadlines and drive myself nuts. Yep, that's pretty much how it goes.... Oh well.

I'm at the end of all that and I am determined to finish a few projects BEFORE I start any new ones! :) So, here's one I did over a month ago, that I'm just getting around to sharing. It's super cool! Thrifty & Easy Faux Granite Countertops!
This is one of the projects for our Ladies Bathroom at our church. Here is the before picture.

This counter is original to the building of the church. It was still in pretty good shape, but instead of spending over $250 dollars on faux granite laminate for a little 6 foot counter, I thought we should at least try a technique I saw. So, I tested it out on a scrap piece of laminate that I had around.  I needed to have something to show the committee. They know I try some crazy things, but if I could show them how it might look, I might get their approval. (And I did! They loved it and couldn't believe it was just paint!) Besides, if we hated it, then we could rip it out anyway and put in a new counter. Basically, we had nothing to lose.

First, I had to tape off the edges and the sinks and prime the counter.  I used Zinnsser Oil Primer Sealer Cover Stain. I love that stuff!

After 2 coats we were good to go!

Here are the supplies that I used. Simple acrylic paints, some sea sponges, and top coat it with Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finishes. There's the sample I showed the committee.

A friend of mine, Penny, was free one afternoon to work on the counter.We just went for it. Of course, I forgot to take pictures throughout the process.  And.... I can say we made mistakes, but if we were heavy with one color we went over it with another. The more layers the better.  It gives depth to the "granite".

Basically, we put some paint on a foam plate and used a sea sponge and dipped and dabbed in an up and down motion on the counter. You can't mess this up. We completed it in about an hour. The lighting in there was awful!

Here's a close up.

And even closer....

Turns out everyone on the committee loved it and we saved ourselves quite a bit of $$! I got the sponges 40% off at Hobby Lobby and picked up the paints for a couple of dollars. The big ticket item was the can of Polycrylic for $17! Whoa! Break the bank! ;) For about $25 we had a new counter!

I've only put on about 2 coats of Polycrylic so far, I plan on putting more.  It is holding up beautifully!!

Doesn't it look nice? Just got to get rid of that PINK!!!

So, now that we just had my daughter's graduation party this last weekend, my focus will be on getting this Ladies Bathroom Remodel complete!  Penny and I have painted the stall doors, although, they need a couple more coats of white.  I have worked on the cabinet doors and will share those later. Next up is framing out the mirror, touching up the walls, and finding some flooring that looks good.  I'm so excited with each step we've made!

Blessings,