I like them! The darker counters look wonderful against the white cabinets. A big improvement. :)

I like the darker color. Is that new, or did you paint the existing laminate?

Nice! You'll get used to them in no time.

Love the update! Congratulations on your new look!

Completely jazzes up your kitchen!
Went from rather bland to definition. Very nice.

Why is your name killin snakes?

I love it, that was an excellent decision!

Confession Time! The countertops are painted with chalkboard paint! I've been trying for over a year to decide on color, so I decided to just paint them and see if I really want to go dark. I sanded the tops, painted, then mixed white in the paint and swirled away. After that I put 3 coats of paste wax on. Arms are tired. If they don't last long, it's just $10 in paint and a little time with a visual! Force me to do something instead of just thinking about it!

My name killinsnakes came from my husband. He always says that when I get busy in the kitchen that it looks and sounds like I'm killin snakes!

This post was edited by killinsnakes on Fri, Mar 14, 14 at 21:13

I love the darker countertops, nice job!

LOL, I was trying to figure out what kind of stone it was. I like the dark in your kitchen.

Impressive! Especially now that you've confessed. Your new countertops look great.

Really like the darker countertops. Especially like that you DIY'd it so nicely. Great job!

They look great!

You're my new fave moniker!

On a practical note, what a clever idea. So many threads have been posted here about what *might* look good or what *may* match in an existing space. Your trial here is the perfect stage to determine what you like visually, before you invest in the actual material. Good for you!

I think Cluelessincolorado did something similar in another thread with black painted MDF temporary countertops.

I hope these last a while for you. And when it's time for them to go, you'll know what "look" you like to replace them.

Love it! Looks great. I am also a fan of the way you did your glass uppers and the sink. Nice kitchen.

Very impressive! Can you update us now and then on how they're holding up? I guess because of the wax you can't write with chalk on them, or can you?

LOL on your name - glad you aren't killinsnakes!
Great job on a budget - I might have to try that in my one bath with pink countertops!
Can you give more details on how you did this?
Thanks
A2gemini

How I did the countertops: I taped off everything carefully, then I sanded all of the surface and wiped down. Used a small foam roller twice. The first coat looked awful, the second coat totally matte black, then lightly sanded. I then took a sink scrubby with a sponge inside and cut out the sponge! Tore the edges and dabbed grey paint twisting my wrist and kind of smearing at the same time. Then I sanded and wiped again. Sanded until the sponge look didn't look spongy. After that I mixed a very light grey and added a little water, used another sponge and kind of white washed it. Sanded again. After that I did 3 coats of caranuba car paste wax, my brother gave me. He uses it on his woodwork and is a super home builder so figured he knew what was best. All of the blogs I read recommended paste wax, but the brands they spoke of were $20-30. Use the wax sparingly! It is hard and time consuming to polish! Let it cure for a couple of days and put everything back with little rubber sticky bumpers on the bottoms. Before the wax, I noticed it would scratch off the paint very easily. Wax has helped a lot. I don't know how it will hold up. It's been a week and seems to be ok, but I know I'm being more careful.

Also I don't think it is very write able for chalk with the paste wax. I have no chalk to test it! Not sure about how it would do on a vanity, but if you are going to replace them, why not try? I have $10 and time in it!

This past winter, I also got rid of (as my best? friend said) my "Laura Ashley puked on your bedroom walls". Is she really my friend???

And my little rescue girls were happy when I was done!

That's exactly what I was thinking you had done. I bought a house once where all of the laminate had been painted ;)

I think it looks great! And for 10 bucks? Man, you can't get anything for 10 bucks anymore, so good job woman!

Since i would not trust myself with the gray paint and wrist-twisting technique, how good/bad did it look after just the chalkboard paint?

"Since i would not trust myself with the gray paint and wrist-twisting technique, how good/bad did it look after just the chalkboard paint?"

Not bad, just very black. The paste wax is the key for holding up. After a couple of weeks I am surprised at how well it has held up. No scratch marks and I am far from careful!

Funny, now that I've looked at the dark countertops, I'm not sure I want to go dark. This has been a good test for me. I went and looked at corian witch hazel and got a price. Yikes$$$$

Small white kitchen with a small living area with a white brick fireplace and light color love seat. The dark makes it feel smaller....
So, what to do?

You can get laminate really cheaply these days, even though modern laminates are better lokoing than ever. I have no idea what it looks like IRL, but I considered laminate from IKEA. It is only 59 dollars for a eight-foot sheet, and if you are handy you cold cut them to fit and glue on the edges yourself.

For slightly more money you could do their gorgeous butcher block counters. I have a friend who has the numerar wood counters and they are gorgeous even after ten years of neglect.

Here is a link that might be useful: IKEA countertops

Very clever.

Let us know how it holds up!