These faux marble countertops are a great and affordable alternative to stone. This summer, I volunteered at a Habitat for Humanity build, where laminate is the typical material used for kitchen countertops. In this case, the kitchen layout allowed for an island whereby laminate material was not deep enough to cover the island.
Several of my fellow DIYers on Instagram applied a resin over a painted faux marble surface and created a beautiful countertop. I couldn’t wait to do a project with this technique.
I purchased Crystal Montenegro’s ebook detailing the process and the countertops turned out beautifully!
Base Countertop
The Habitat volunteers built the countertops from MDF and the surface was primed.
Faux Marble
I used Sherwin Williams Alabaster (my go-to white paint) for the base paint layer. The marble veining was mostly created with a sponge and paint. Small amounts of paint are needed for the veining, so take a look at what you have on hand. In this case, I used a light gray, medium gray and a taupe in small cups and applied the paint in a dabbing motion, layering the paint. A watered down version of the base color (SW Alabaster) was rolled over the veining. This worked to make the veins look embedded in the material. And, this softened the look as well.
Epoxy
The paint was allowed to dry a day before applying the epoxy. Stonecoat Countertop Resin was applied over the countertops. The cabinets and nearby flooring was taped and tarped to protect the cabinets from dripping resin. The resin was poured over the top and a trowel and/or small brush was used to move the resin for best coverage. A heat gun was used to blow out air bubbles.
As the resin settles, there is dripping over the edge. After about 4 hours of settling, a small brush was used underneath the edge of the countertop to brush away the drips. If the drips harden, they are more difficult to remove (like with a sander.)
There are directions offered with the Stonecoat Countertop product with regard to drying time.
