I suppose you could tile over it. Why not just remove it and replace with a counter material you like?

I would love to rip it out and replace it but since this is a our first home and funds are limited I am hoping for a more budget friendly option.

It is well worth looking into how they are attached to determine whether you can reasonably do anything about them. It is easy to say remove the granite countertops but generally they have been installed using so much glue that they're not going to come out cleanly in one piece ready for resale. Also you may end up having to/wanting to change the backsplash.

Would it be helpful to add undercabinet lighting? Perhaps when there is more light they don't look as poorly?

We had hideously ugly laminate countertops in the kitchen of our house. Much as we hated it, eventually we got used to it, and didn't notice any more. It took 20 years before we were able to remodel the kitchen, but the wait was worth it!

Ugly or not, I'd learn to live with it. You may find that you want to remodel the kitchen after you've lived there a while, so investing any money into it now would be a waste.

I would contact laminate companies and ask if they know about adhering laminate to granite until you can get what you really want.

You have my greatest sympathies, I loathe granite, I'd rather live with plywood on my cabinets until I could afford what I wanted than live with granite or any other kind of stone countertops.

There is no reason you couldn't adhere plastic laminate over the granite with contact cement. I'd make an excellent substrate. You'd have to figure out a sink and edge detail, but at least this is reversable in case the people who buy your house think you were crazy for doing it. It wouldn't cost all that much and could be done by a middling do-it-yourselfer.

I really wish the previous owner had left the old laminate counter tops in place instead of "upgrading" them to try and get a little more value out of the house. I'm sure the price of the counters was factored into the sale price of the house so by replacing them its like paying twice. My girlfriend doesn't like them either but I think my level of hate for these counter tops runs much deeper than her simple dislike. Unfortunately every house for sale in our price range/ area had very similar granite counter top treatments. I blame the realtors for suggesting this (but I really don't know if they are at fault)! I do like the under cabinet lighting idea, maybe if I get bright enough lights the glare will prevent you from seeing anything!

We need a photo!

Realtors order a lot of tops repaired, believe me.

People will live with a nasty contaminated crack for years but then just before they sell, they fix it for strangers. Go figure.

I'm at work but will post a photo tonight. Joseph, I'm looking into your idea of a laminate over the granite, they seem to have come a long way from what I remember as a kid. Thanks for that advice.

Here is a picture of the culprit in question, sorry for the mess.

I was expecting way worse.

You may have oversold the problem. Those are not bad and I would personally try to live with them until you have the funds to do more than stopgap.

This is the granite you're complaining about? I was imagining something really horrid. This is a level 1 granite that is quite acceptable. I'd rather have this granite than laminate.

oh my gosh I was expecting some vile green slime color with orange flecks in it or something by the description. That is a granite that is very very frequently used in many houses. I would definitely live with it rather than do a hatchet job on it with laminate. I don't really care for granite either and was set on going with one of the new FX laminates called DolceVita I think. Found out it costs as much as or more than a lot of granite and other stones. So am rethinking my options. Have fallen in love with quartzite Sea Pearl but can not find pricing around here in Houston.

Really just wait a while if you just moved in they say to live with it for a year then if you still hate it make a change. Also try different light it makes a huge difference some are more gold some more blue which will make the counters look very different.

I honestly don't find those that bad. DON'T cover those with formica; that would be silly and a waste of money. New "old" houses can be notorious money pits; you may need that money for other things! I despised the brown emperador marble countertops the prior owner installed in our bathrooms and have actually come to not exactly love but not loath them. And they do "match" the rest of the bathrooms so replacing them would have started a chain reaction. Now post a picture of your whole kitchen. People here will have tons of suggestions on how to make your despised countertops more livable for you.

raven -- I just messaged you with a couple of stone yards to get you going.

Geez that looks like the granite that I have and I like mine.

Thanks javiwa!

I say leave the granite alone. It is a very basic, plain granite. I see you don't have a backsplash beyond the 4" granite one. I'd jazz things up with a nice backsplash and paint the kitchen too as it looks like it's builder's white. If you post a larger picture of the whole kitchen with the color of the cabinets, I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions here to style it. Then the granite you hate so much will blend into the background.

Wow, I actually really like that granite. It reads as a neutral to me. Send it to my house ;)

That granite is just fine. It would be a mistake to cover it.

Since you guys just moved in, I recommend holding off on any cosmetic changes except maybe painting.

In the photo you posted, the granite seems kind of pinkish. I'm not into pink, so a pinkish counter would bug me. However, the right wall paint can help tone down the pink. That's your lowest investment work: wall paint.

Hang in there and get to know your house.

I guess everyone has their own sense of taste. I see no redeeming qualities in that granite at all. To be fair I am not a fan of granite to begin with, especially the multicolored busy stuff. However I will have to continue cooking in the dark with sunglasses on because this old house just attacked me with an AC/ plumbing combo. No ac or working kitchen drain takes priority over dog barf patterned counter tips on these hot Houston days. Thanks for all the input/opinions everyone but for now I'll just have to dream about basalt counter tops.