Away With the Old Butcherblock Countertop

Arlene Ellerbrock
by Arlene Ellerbrock
2 Materials
This is a mobile home, so we did not want to spent major amounts of money, and since nothing is 'standard' size, it is near impossible to replace the countertops without replacing the actual cabinets. I wanted a quick pick-me-up to modernize without a lot f money. (Honestly, I even rather liked the counter tops in black, and that may be my next project when I get tired of these.)
I bought the kit from the Giant A online. It arrived with almost everything needed, including a video on how to do it, and a practice black sheet to know how it comes out. Others have posted this, so I won't go over the same territory.
I also had the paint pan, and the painters tape on hand.
I don't have any pictures of the different stages as I added the three different colors in the order specified, but the heavier you put each color, the lighter the finished product will be. It was a challenge to get around the sink, and next time, I will pull out the sink so I can get under the edge.
Once the colors have been applied, and dried the appropriate time, I added the sealer (included). I did two coats.
It as exactly last year that I applied this counter top, and after heavy use, it is still nice. I had to touch up an area that had heavy sandwich-making use, but all in all, it was worth the effort and the $80 that I spent on the kit. I also did this in another house we sold, and it too looked great.
I cleaned the counter tops really well with vinegar and soap, and then sanded lightly. Taped off, an painted the black. I left this according to instructions for drying.
I didn't bother with taking out the dishwasher, or taking off doors and drawers; simply opened the doors and drawers to get to the counter edge.
More taped areas, then doing the edging first, as instructions state.
All base coat is applied.
All three colors have been dabbed on with the sponge, which I cut up into three different pieces for the 3 different colors.
And the final result.
I was quite pleased with the transformation of old out-dated 'butcher block' formica. Really did perk up an old 80s kitchen.


The cabinets, and a new sink are in the future....
Suggested materials:
  • Giani Countertop Paint Kit, Sicilian Sand   (Amazon)
  • Sanding block and sand paper   (on hand)
Frequently asked questions
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3 of 7 questions
  • Carolyn rogers Carolyn rogers on Dec 26, 2016
    I may have missed it, but what three colors did you use. so pretty!!
  • Chris Chamberlain Chris Chamberlain on Dec 27, 2016
    What is Giant A? I did a search and came up empty. Can you give me a little more info? I like how this turned out.
  • Trish Trish on Dec 29, 2016
    Can this be used on Corian countertops?
Comments
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2 of 52 comments
  • Vanessa Vanessa on Jan 26, 2017
    I love the black. It looks awesome. I think I will try that.
  • Dawn Homer Dawn Homer on Feb 23, 2017
    This turned out great and I agree, the black even looked good, bringing a nice contrast to the blue backsplash.
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