Faux Granite Counters ... Continued!

Following up from my previous post, I decided to follow through with my kitchen counter. I chose the gold color, since it goes best with the neutral colored cabinets and wood trim. If you did not read my previous post, you can find the product info at http://ezfauxdecor.com/. I had some good luck shopping on EBay for discounts and deals vs. buying directly from their website.

KITCHEN BEFORE:

Wish I had an up close shot (I took this when I first moved in), to show how the counters looked like
they were previously owned by Edward Scissor Hands

PROGRESS:

Don't mind the mess, but these are actually all the materials you need for application:
1) Water in a squirt bottle
2) Hair dryer (to make the film more malleable to mold around corners)
3)Squeegee and razor (included with film)
4) Scissors to trim

This took a few hours for me to install, had some boo boo moments, but the best part, is that I could peel off the film and reposition it. My counter is a weird shape, not quite an "L", I had to work with a lot of angles. So, I had to install the film in three different pieces around the sink. I cut the lines cleanly, and matched the "grain" of the granite as best I could, and you can't tell it's three separate pieces, unless you look, very, very closely.

The instructions said to remove the sink for the cleanest application and also to not worry about water getting underneath the film. I looked under the sink to observe what I would have to do to achieve this and quickly said "Eff that!"

Plus, I later found that the sink was adhered to the counter. So even if I did remove all the plumbing, garbage disposal, and water hoses, I wouldn't have been able to lift the sink out if I tried. I was glad I didn't.

The sink was the hardest part, since I had to try to precisely cut along the curved corners. But once I messed up one, I learned, and the other 3 corners were cake. I was able to "band-aid" my first mistake with a piece of extra film, you really can't tell. Then I sealed (as instructed) with some clear silicone (3$ Home Depot) to protect the film from water getting into the exposed edges.

KITCHEN AFTER:

                                                                                                                                                                    The kitchen really made a nice transformation. The counters look like the real thing don't they? It is even reflective like real granite.

Overall this cost $80 for 12ft of film. I landed a deal off EBay and got it at 20% off. Whoo hoo!  I had about 2ft of film left over - I ordered extra since, knowing me, I might make a few mistakes with trial and error. I have seen videos on you tube and such where people have spent less for smaller kitchens. Not too bad!

Best part about this is, I can peel it off when I move. Although, I don't plan on moving for a while, so this is a good, inexpensive way to "remodel" a rental.


Here it is, side by side:

Update: I moved in Feb 2015 - I was able to peel the faux granite film gently with a heat gun and then cleaned off the adhesive residue with rubbing alcohol. Overall it held up well for the two years I was there and it was easy to remove!