Kitchen Project #3: Countertops

I am all about potential and seeing past the "bad", but I could not see past these countertops. They gave off a fluorescent green vibe that I could not dig.

I read about cheap countertop ideas online and found Rustoleum countertop paint, but didn't find a color I liked. I kept looking and thinking - and then thanks to the IG explore page, I discovered one of my sorority sister's sisters. Fell in love with her instas and began following her. She is also renovating an amazing house and started a blog to share. Check her out! She's a badass at decorating and renovating. Anywhoo - she used contact paper to cover her countertops and they look fab. After seeing that and hearing about her experience, I was sold. Plus it is $5 per roll (hello budget). Now, when I say contact paper, I get some looks. It's not paper, it's thicker than that. It has an adhesive - and like the label says, you literally peel & stick. By no means will this last forever, but it is a very attractive short term (and cheap) solution.

I picked up 3 rolls from Menards - used 2 of the rolls completely, only needed some of the 3rd roll, but now we have left over if we ever need to patch anything. Step 1 - Measure. And then measure again. And maybe one more - because third times a charm, right? Maybe your house will be easier - but mine is 120 years old. Have you ever heard the saying, nothing is straight in an old house? It's true. We tried to use the backsplash as a line-up point - no, not straight. We tried to use the side of the sink as a line-up point - no, not straight. After learning the hard way a couple times, we stopped and made sure we were lined up every so often. This was definitely a 2 person job (3 if you count my awesome 13 year old sister taking actions shots). My mom held it up and peeled the backing as we went, I lined up and smoothed it out using the same smoothing tool that my new blog friend EJ suggested. It worked great. However, be careful on the edges, not to tear. This helps prevent bubbles. When we did the front part of the counter, we smoothed the top first, and then went back and did the lip over down toward the cabinets. This seemed to work best. If you tried to do the lip and the top, there were bubbles and creases. As you can see in the pictures, the contact paper is not wide enough to cover the entire countertop, so there is a seam on the back half. It is not noticeable unless you're looking for it. We cut and made pieces fit wherever we needed to. It is not perfect if you look closely, but it is oodles better than the green.  

Here are those action shots as promised:

How dreamy does it look next to the cabinets?? Heart eyes. This made a huge difference, but the nasty green was still on the backsplash - so that was up next!!