If money is very tight and your kitchen countertop looks absolutely horrid.. you can paint it to get you through until next year or until you win the lottery!

I personally had a wooden countertop because we were going to get it tiled and the plywood was the base. But due to an injury of the tiler, and budget restraints, this was not going to happen right away. Problem was, the town inspector said I had to have a countertop that could be wiped clean in order for us to be able to get our occupancy permit (we were building our house).

By this time it was December (cold where I am from), and out of money, so I went to the hardware store and was able to buy a dented can of high adhesion primer (the dented cans are usually on sale for a much lower price) I cleaned the plywood and painted it with the primer, and then rustled through my basement of half used cans of paint from painting the house, and came up with a color scheme of greens, and decided to try and do a faux finish on the countertop to look like marble.

I sponged all the different colors on, and the mottled effect was really nice, but the finishing touch was putting on high gloss varathane. Now the only problem with this, is you need hours between coats, so we had to camp out in the kitchen while my new coutertop cured!.. But after 4 good coats of high gloss varathane, my counter looked just like marble!

We passed the town inspection, and he was impressed!, and this finish lasted for well over a year, until it stared to go a bit around the sink, but if you keep on top of water and spills it can last quite a while. This got us through until I could afford the granite I wanted, and it was worth the wait.

You can also paint arborite countertops or laminate counters, as long as you degrease them first, and then put on 2 coats of high adhesion primer, this type of primer sticks so well it can go over glass and not pick off, then for a even tougher finish you can purchase melamine paint, that is quite often used for kitchen cupboards, and as long as you let it dry well before using your kitchen, then the cost is more labor than it is money..

There is no need to be in a dingy kitchen, while trying to save up for the one you want, just get creative with paint!.
www.my-pampered-kitchen.com