Easy methods to Replace Kitchen Counter tops With out Changing Them

If the kitchen is the guts of the house, the counter tops are the guts of the kitchen. That’s the place all of the meal-making magic occurs (and the place takeout containers are unpacked).

We aren’t all blessed with brand-new, just-what-we-want counter tops although—they usually aren’t low-cost to interchange. When you’re caught with outdated, drained counter tops, you’re in luck: there are inventive and cost-effective methods to revive your lackluster counter tops, whether or not you’re a DIY-er or not. 

Learn on for 5 expert-approved methods to replace your kitchen counter tops.

Paint Your Counter tops

Is your TikTok feed tempting you with DIYs for painted counter tops? Heather Goerzen, the lead inside designer at Havenly, guarantees that portray your kitchen counter tops can produce a powerful end result—when achieved correctly. (No skipping steps allowed!) 

Comply with Goerzen’s common how-to right here: 

1. Prep the floor: Clear the counter tops completely to take away any grease, grime, or residue. Sand the floor frivolously to create a tough texture that helps the paint adhere higher.
2. Prime: Apply a high-quality bonding primer designed to be used on counter tops. This can guarantee higher adhesion of the paint and enhance its sturdiness.
3. Apply paint: Select a paint particularly formulated for counter tops, reminiscent of epoxy or enamel paint. Apply the paint evenly with a curler or brush, following the producer’s directions concerning drying instances and variety of coats.
4. Seal: As soon as the paint is totally dry, seal the counter tops with a transparent, food-safe sealant to guard the paint and supply a clean end.
5. Add ornamental touches: Additional improve the looks of your painted counter tops by including prospers like stenciling, fake finishes, or ornamental tiles.

Polish Your Counter tops

Maybe your counter tops simply want a superb clear. Who is aware of what sort of grime and dirt have been build up through the years, presumably a long time?

Earlier than changing them, strive sprucing them—that is one in all inside designer Heather Fujikawa’s favourite methods to make counter tops really feel new.

You should use a industrial sprucing compound, or make your personal with baking soda and water. Rubdown your counter tops with the polish on a fabric, then wipe away the surplus with a clear fabric.

“It is wonderful what polish can do to refresh your counter tops,” Fujikawa says. “It takes off the scrapes and stains and offers your counter an entire new facelift.”

Replace the Parts Across the Counter tops

One option to replace your outdated counter tops is to, nicely, not contact them in any respect. As a substitute, make sure the design components across the counter tops complement them. 

As an example, rethink your backsplash—is there one other shade or sample that will carry out the most effective of the counter tops? Updating your cupboard {hardware} can go a great distance, and so does including some trendy countertop decor. 

“Your eye takes in the entire visible,” says Goerzen—not simply your not-so-sightly counter tops.

Add a Concrete Overlay

To offer your kitchen a extra industrial, brutalist-modern look, cowl dated counter tops with a layer of concrete.

“This look is clear, minimalist, and can final for years to return with somewhat upkeep,” Goerzen says. 

Goerzen recommends following these steps: 

1. Prep the floor: Clear the counter tops completely and restore any cracks or chips. Apply a bonding agent to the floor to make sure higher adhesion of the concrete overlay.
2. Combine and apply: Combine the concrete overlay in keeping with the producer’s directions, including pigment if desired for shade. Unfold the overlay evenly onto the counter tops utilizing a trowel, working in small sections to make sure uniform protection.
3. Texturing and End: As soon as the overlay is utilized, use instruments like trowels, stamps, or brushes to create texture and patterns on the floor if desired. Permit the overlay to dry partially, then use a moist sponge to clean out any tough areas and refine the feel.
4. Seal: After the concrete overlay has totally cured, apply a number of coats of concrete sealant to guard the floor from stains and moisture. Select a sealant particularly formulated to be used on concrete counter tops for finest outcomes.

Decorate the Counter tops

When you’re not the DIY kind, put your styling expertise to work as a substitute, including intentional equipment to your counter tops. 

Fujikawa recommends laying chopping boards alongside the backsplash or behind the vent hood, which brings your eye up (and away!) from the counter tops. She additionally loves arranging stunning cooking utensils in a kitchen crock. Not solely is having a wood spoon inside arm’s attain of your vary helpful, however it’ll assist camouflage the look of outdated counter tops. 

You might additionally layer a reasonably patterned tea towel over a chopping board, topping that with a big vase or fruit bowl.

“These are some enjoyable methods to trick the attention to maneuver the eye from the counter tops to the attractive equipment in your kitchen,” says Fujikawa, “and are a lot inexpensive than changing your counter tops!”