When it comes to kitchen countertops, are you a laminate girl in a granite world? Well, join the rest of us who, at one point or another, have had to choose between having the hottest new kitchen on HGTV or living in the real world where the baby needs new shoes and the mortgage needs to be paid off.

I came up with a workable solution a few years ago when we wanted to update our kitchen countertop, but we were a little cash strapped with a new baby in the house and really didn’t want to tear out the countertop and sink. outside. I figured if we were eventually going to change the countertop anyway, I had nothing to lose if my experiment did NOT work…but to my delight it worked beautifully and so well that I ended up not changing the countertop but changing the color a few years later when I changed the color of my kitchen again when I got ready to sell the house.

I started with the old Formica countertop, you know, the white one with gold threads that you used to sit on and eat countless fudgesicles as a kid. I bought enough textured spray paint to cover the surface I needed to cover; This is called fleckstone, granite, and other such names and is also approved for outdoor use. Then I bought the cheapest spray paint I could find in a matching color (I paid $1 a can). After cleaning and drying the countertop, I applied the cheap spray paint as a primer. It would probably be a good idea to lightly sand first. I didn’t, but I probably should have. You can decide whether to skip this step or not. Also, be sure to cover your cabinets, floors, sinks, and appliances with plastic to protect them from overspray. Make sure the room is well ventilated and turn off all pilot lights and open flames and follow the manufacturer’s instructions on painting.

After the primer coat dried, I applied the textured paint. Be sure to shake well and shake frequently while applying. You can’t mess this up. If you miss a point, check it again! You can give it an additional layer or layers as needed.

Once the textured paint has dried well, finish with 2-3 coats of clear spray polyurethane. This will protect the surface from normal wear and tear and water. Polyurethane will take a little longer to dry between coats than paint. You still have to be a little careful scratching things along the surface than with laminate or granite countertops, but I’ve had pretty good luck overall with countertops. And you can always easily touch them up!

The first time I used a gray and black fleck with white cabinets with red doors over a black and white checkered tile floor for a 1950s diner style kitchen. Then I repainted the countertops a sand color, repainted the cabinets off-white and repainted the floors with a rich walnut laminate. Impressive results both times.

Note: All advice should be weighed against your own abilities and circumstances and applied accordingly. It is up to the reader to determine if the advice is safe and appropriate for their own situation. The advice is based solely on the author’s experience and the author does not assume any responsibility for people who imitate the actions described by the author.