What to do with dark granite countertops?

Dark colored granite countertops were very much a “thing” twenty years ago, but what to do with them now when everything is white and bright?  This has been my dillema for quite a few years now.  I considered doing concrete countertops, like we did in our lakehouse, but at the end of the day they were just too rustic looking for my main home, which is pretty traditional.  I researched some options to paint the granite to look like marble and then coat with epoxy and I decided to go for it.  Because this was my first time trying this, I opted for the Giani Carrara White Marble Epoxy Countertop Kit from Amazon. 

Here is the before pic:

A few years back I went to a huge amount of work to refinish the cabinets, so don’t ask why I didn’t paint them white.  I will be enjoying them a light grey stain for a bit longer! 

Along with redoing the counters, we updated the backsplash to match the new counters.  The goal here was to lighten up the kitchen.  This turned into more work than we had planned because the backsplash was very hard to remove from the wall without damaging the dry wall, which in the end had to be replaced.  I’m not going too much into the tiling, because I have so many posts on tiling….

After the backsplash and wall behind it where completely removed, I started on the counters.  The first step is to clean the counters with paint thinner and then wipe them down again with a gentle cleanser.  After completely dry, start with the primer(step 1 of the kit).  It rolls on very easy and took about three to four coats.

 

 

After the base had dried completely, I was ready to create my marble veins using a tiny brush to paint the viens, a dry paint brush ( 2 or 3 inch) and a water spray bottle.  In the video below, you can see that I use a small amount of paint, blend with the dry paint brush and spray the water in areas that needed additional blending.  I wanted a simple pattern without too many veins.

After I had gotten as many veins as I wanted, it was time to epoxy.   This is a nerve racking process the first time you do it, because you really have no idea how much to pour in each area.  The kit comes with two cans of epoxy.  This was enough but if I had it to do over again, I could have used a little more.  Prior to mixing the epoxy with the activator, I prepped the counters by applying tape to the under side edges, so the tape would catch any spill over.  You must follow the directions on your kit exactly to get the epoxy ready to pour.  Once you have stirred for the listed amount of time, the epoxy is poured directly on to the counter.  Try to pour roughly the same amount in each separate counter space.   Then using a sponge brush, lightly spread the epoxy evenly over the counter and just up until the edge.  Gravity will do the rest and bring it over the side.  This would be easier to apply to a square edge versus the rounded I have.

The epoxy will be dry to the touch after 24 hours and you will need to be careful with it for the next 4 to 5 days.  After 24 hours had passed, I covered the counters with plastic and completed the backsplash and grout.  To get perfect grout lines, I like to tape each edge.  The pros can do it without but not me…. 

The final pics of my new kitchen!