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Faux Granite Countertops

by: ArthurSneddon
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Is your kitchen looking a little tired and old fashioned? Is it looking worn and a little worse for wear? When you think about it you will be surprised how much time we actually spend in our kitchens. Of course if you are cooking for a large family that will come as little surprise but even in small families most members will find they spend some time each day in the kitchen. This is especially true if, like many of us, you do not have the luxury of a separate dining room and your family eats in the kitchen.

Unless we have a brand new kitchen, most of us would agree that we would love to indulge in a kitchen specially designed to meet our needs. Maybe a breakfast bar, or a large countertop to prepare food. With the amount of kitchen accessories and gadgets available it is possible to create a fully coordinated design with everything matching. Maybe we would like to have real marble floors or granite countertops. Most of us have a few ideas on how we could improve our kitchen.

Granite countertops are amongst the most popular because of their extreme good looks and the suitability of the material for use in the kitchen. There are a great many benefits to using granite with one of the most important being that each piece of stone in genuinely unique. Granite is also very easy to keep clean, hard to scratch and extremely durable. Cooks and bakers appreciate the fact that granite always remain cool and placing hot items, such as hot pans and griddles, will not burn the surface.

Unfortunately, as you are most probably already aware, the best kitchen designs are often the most expensive. Often the best looking materials are the most expensive but there are other reasons why such kitchen designs prove so costly. Often the best looking designs have been fitted with top of the range electrical goods and intricate kitchen units, all of which can increase the cost considerably.

If you discover that you are unable to afford a new, specially designed, kitchen you can, relatively easily, create a new look and feel to your existing kitchen by simply replacing the doors, facings, fittings and countertops. The great thing about renovating a kitchen in this way is that you can replace different items at different times so that you can spread the cost.

If you have a really small budget it is amazing how far you can make the smallest amounts of cash stretch with just a little thought. If your cupboards look fine then maybe only your countertops need replacing. If you can't afford new ones you can refinish both facings of doors and cupboards and also countertops. Using various techniques and different types of paints you can create the most beautiful patterns such as wood grain. One of the best ways in which to improve a kitchen for a minimal cost is to create faux granite countertops.

The faux granite effect is really easy to create but you do need to look at plenty of natural granite so that you understand the pattern you will be creating. First clean the surface and paint with an oil based primer. When it is completely dry paint a base color with a water based paint and when dry start adding your pattern. When completely dry you can create the look of polished granite (and increase protection) by giving it at least 3 coats of a water based Polyurethane gloss varnish.

The really great thing about creating your own faux granite countertops is that you can choose your perfect design. You have no reliance on mother nature. You can choose to go with natural granite colors such as dark olive or gray background colors with secondary colors of light olive green and black or various shades of brown. If you fancy something a little more radical you can use any color combination you like even bright colors, whatever takes your fancy.

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If you are looking to find out more information about counter tops you might like to read about our faux granite counter tops

Faux Granite Countertops

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