A Kitchen Transformation YOU Can Do

Victoria Larsen Stencils
by Victoria Larsen Stencils
I'm not yet ready to put in real granite, hard wood floors or even change the appliances out. But I couldn't stand this kitchen one more minute! As a stencil designer by trade, I need pattern! I need elegance! I need visual impact.
Light counter tops and fading varnish on the cabinets, along with a white linoleum floor made this kitchen a place that just wasn't pleasant to be in.
I LOVE the look of dark cabinets to I stained them with a Minwax product that combines stain with polyurethane (which eliminates the step of having to varnish your cabinets).
After cleaning, sanding and priming the counter tops, black and brown acrylic paint spots were were added. Blending just a few creates the back drop for the look of real granite.
Lightly blended veins were added here and there for more realism.
Larger black spots are heavily blended (which is something you find in real granite). Then 4 coats of polycrylic to protect the paint surface and add that wonderful shine of polished granite.
To change the look of that awful, white linoleum floor, I taped off a large rectangle in the middle of the floor, painted it cream color and then sponged medium brown paint over the lighter color. The border was using the same colors but reversing the order.
I created a stencil design specifically for my kitchen and used it to border the floor.....
I then used the same stencil with joint compound to create a raised design on the back splash panel above the counter tops.
The difference in the kitchen is just amazing! You can see what you can do with just paint, plaster (joint compound), stain and stencils. So if you can no longer stand your kitchen, give a new look!
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  • Judy Elshire Judy Elshire on Jun 03, 2018

    Beautiful. I have a vinyl kitchen flooring that just looks 'dirty' all the time. And I have the white 'blah' countertops. Thanks for the ideas.

  • Fcb33833964 Fcb33833964 on Jul 21, 2018

    You did an outstanding job! You have given me hope and some great ideas to improve my kitchen. I especially am excited about changing the counter top. My counter top and island are covered with vinyl or linoleum.

    Thanks for sharing.

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