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fiberaddictThe fumes are getting to me...so I decided to go ahead and post photos! The kitchen is nowhere near done - we still have tile work and cabinets to refinish - but the counters are at the sealing stage. So....
I had this house built in 2003. I had ordered slate-gray counters....this is what I got:
Closeup:
I like green...but it wasn't what I had in mind. When I bought the paint for the kitchen, I didn't even consider the counters...so I ended up with a 70's vibe in there. Ah, well - it was OK. But the green bugged me....I finally got the push to do something about it. Paint's cheap...so, here we go:
First up, remove the laminate from the wall. We were going to tile over it, but decided it was too easy to pull off, so...we had a party.
The darker areas are where there was more glue - it was harder to remove those areas. Ah, well...you can see some of the drywall was damaged; we'll be fixing that before we start the tiling.
Before you can do any sort of painting, you need to clear and clean the counters. I used a 50/50 vinegar/water mix, and scrubbed them down really well. Then I rolled on 2 coats of Oil-based Kilz.
What a difference that made! We jokingly talked about stopping here, but...I can't stand white walls. White counters would have driven me batty!
I started with 2 base colors. You could do 1 if you wanted - I wanted a subtle depth. Both colors are close in shade, so neither one stands out. The rag is harem cloth - you can use cheesecloth, old t-shirts, or even paper towels. You can even use sponges - well, you'll see. :grin: Oh - make sure your rag/sponge is damp before you start - it'll soften the colors. (Or, you don't have to - I was going for more delicate-looking effects; you might have a different idea in mind.)
Here's how I "prepped" the paint - I used a small plastic plate as my palette.
I did the same thing (on a new plate) for each "layer" of paint. Some layers had 2 colors, some had more; I used glaze on most of the later layers (it "thins" the paint, and makes it more subtle. Sorta...float-y. I like the end result - you may not. The glaze is optional. :grin:)
I couldn't get a good shot of the first layer of paint - my camera read the yellows as white. It looked like delicate sandstone - the colors floated over the white. Rag painting makes a soft "smush" of color - and, unfortunately for my camera, the 2 colors I used were too close to the white primer. There were still blotches of white showing (which I wanted), and....well, take my word for it - it looked like sandstone. Pale sandstone.
Here's the 2nd layer prepped:
The cloudy paint is the glaze. I just squirted it on, and the sponge mixed it as I picked up more paint. Sponges make a more definite "shape" when you paint than rags do - you may like it better. I don't - but real rock isn't consistent in texture/color, and that's what I was going for.
Here's what it looked like after the 2nd round of painting:
Basically, I kept doing the same thing - I'd let the paint dry, grab a new plate, decide which colors I was going to use, and sponge or rag them on. I took photos..but really, how many photos of basically the same thing do you need? :lol:
Anyway - it took maybe 2 hours to do the whole thing. I let everything dry overnight, then this AM I started the polycrylic. THIS is what it looks like after the 2nd coat of poly:
Closeup:
We had decided up front that I wouldn't try for REAL rock; I was going for rock-ish. Just rocky enough to fool the brain into thinking "real". I think I succeeded - I am insanely happy every time I glance at the kitchen. We'll see if I stay that way; right now? This is what I wanted. :grin:
I'll post pictures after we finish the tile and the cabinets...but it'll take a bit. Tonight SG has to cut the wood for the "rock" backsplash, and I have to paint and poly-coat them. Tomorrow, he'll repair the drywall, and rip out the laminate on the other side of the kitchen (yes, I've already painted that side. The multi-tool we have cuts with minimal damage, and the wood will cover up any oops-es), and Friday - Lord willing! - he'll start cutting the first row of tile so we can start on that. I'm hoping that next week we can start on the cabinets.....
I had this house built in 2003. I had ordered slate-gray counters....this is what I got:
Closeup:
I like green...but it wasn't what I had in mind. When I bought the paint for the kitchen, I didn't even consider the counters...so I ended up with a 70's vibe in there. Ah, well - it was OK. But the green bugged me....I finally got the push to do something about it. Paint's cheap...so, here we go:
First up, remove the laminate from the wall. We were going to tile over it, but decided it was too easy to pull off, so...we had a party.
The darker areas are where there was more glue - it was harder to remove those areas. Ah, well...you can see some of the drywall was damaged; we'll be fixing that before we start the tiling.
Before you can do any sort of painting, you need to clear and clean the counters. I used a 50/50 vinegar/water mix, and scrubbed them down really well. Then I rolled on 2 coats of Oil-based Kilz.
What a difference that made! We jokingly talked about stopping here, but...I can't stand white walls. White counters would have driven me batty!
I started with 2 base colors. You could do 1 if you wanted - I wanted a subtle depth. Both colors are close in shade, so neither one stands out. The rag is harem cloth - you can use cheesecloth, old t-shirts, or even paper towels. You can even use sponges - well, you'll see. :grin: Oh - make sure your rag/sponge is damp before you start - it'll soften the colors. (Or, you don't have to - I was going for more delicate-looking effects; you might have a different idea in mind.)
Here's how I "prepped" the paint - I used a small plastic plate as my palette.
I did the same thing (on a new plate) for each "layer" of paint. Some layers had 2 colors, some had more; I used glaze on most of the later layers (it "thins" the paint, and makes it more subtle. Sorta...float-y. I like the end result - you may not. The glaze is optional. :grin:)
I couldn't get a good shot of the first layer of paint - my camera read the yellows as white. It looked like delicate sandstone - the colors floated over the white. Rag painting makes a soft "smush" of color - and, unfortunately for my camera, the 2 colors I used were too close to the white primer. There were still blotches of white showing (which I wanted), and....well, take my word for it - it looked like sandstone. Pale sandstone.
Here's the 2nd layer prepped:
The cloudy paint is the glaze. I just squirted it on, and the sponge mixed it as I picked up more paint. Sponges make a more definite "shape" when you paint than rags do - you may like it better. I don't - but real rock isn't consistent in texture/color, and that's what I was going for.
Here's what it looked like after the 2nd round of painting:
Basically, I kept doing the same thing - I'd let the paint dry, grab a new plate, decide which colors I was going to use, and sponge or rag them on. I took photos..but really, how many photos of basically the same thing do you need? :lol:
Anyway - it took maybe 2 hours to do the whole thing. I let everything dry overnight, then this AM I started the polycrylic. THIS is what it looks like after the 2nd coat of poly:
Closeup:
We had decided up front that I wouldn't try for REAL rock; I was going for rock-ish. Just rocky enough to fool the brain into thinking "real". I think I succeeded - I am insanely happy every time I glance at the kitchen. We'll see if I stay that way; right now? This is what I wanted. :grin:
I'll post pictures after we finish the tile and the cabinets...but it'll take a bit. Tonight SG has to cut the wood for the "rock" backsplash, and I have to paint and poly-coat them. Tomorrow, he'll repair the drywall, and rip out the laminate on the other side of the kitchen (yes, I've already painted that side. The multi-tool we have cuts with minimal damage, and the wood will cover up any oops-es), and Friday - Lord willing! - he'll start cutting the first row of tile so we can start on that. I'm hoping that next week we can start on the cabinets.....
