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Many of us, especially those of us who do not have a separate dining room, spend an incredible amount of time in our kitchens. Are you unhappy with your present kitchen? Is it beginning to look a little old fashioned or is it looking in need of repair?
by ArthurSneddon
Many of us, especially those of us who do not have a separate dining room, spend an incredible amount of time in our kitchens. Are you unhappy with your present kitchen? Is it beginning to look a little old fashioned or is it looking in need of repair?
Unless we have a brand new kitchen, most of us would agree that we would love to indulge in a kitchen specially designed to meet our needs. Maybe a breakfast bar, or a large countertop to prepare food. With the amount of kitchen accessories and gadgets available it is possible to create a fully coordinated design with everything matching. Maybe we would like to have real marble floors or granite countertops. Most of us have a few ideas on how we could improve our kitchen.
Many people choose to have granite countertops in their dream kitchen because it looks great, every stone is unique, and the material is highly suitable for use in the kitchen. Granite is extremely difficult to damage or scratch and proves extremely durable. The countertops also remain cool which means the surfaces are perfect for the preparation of various types of food.
Like most things in the world of kitchen design the better they look the more expensive they prove to be. Of course the most fantastic looking designs often utilize the most expensive materials which obviously has a profound effect upon the total cost. Such design also tend to use the very top of the range electrical goods to further enhance the beauty and, before you know it the price goes through the roof.
If you discover that you are unable to afford a new, specially designed, kitchen you can, relatively easily, create a new look and feel to your existing kitchen by simply replacing the doors, facings, fittings and countertops. The great thing about renovating a kitchen in this way is that you can replace different items at different times so that you can spread the cost.
For those of us with hardly any budget at all for such luxuries as a new kitchen our plight can sometimes appear hopeless but despair not. With only a small amount of cash, a little study and some determined effort, it is possible to create a whole new look by painting the existing kitchen units and countertops. You can use special paints to paint them all one color or special paints to create alternative finishes such as wood grained doors and faux granite countertops.
Creating a faux granite effect is great fun but it is important that you understand the basic stages and how natural granite looks. The first thing you need to do is clean the surface and apply an oil based primer. After allowing it to dry you then create the base color/coat with a water based paint. After this is thoroughly dry you can then start to create your faux granite using different colored water based paint and various materials to create the veins and other patterns. When the whole surface is bone dry you can protect it with about 3 coast of a water based Polyurethane gloss varnish which will also help create the effect of polished granite.
Of course by making your own faux granite countertops you can pick and choose the exact patterns and colors you wish to use. If you want a natural look to your countertop stick with only natural tones. Use a gray, dark green to black background color for the base and natural browns, paler greens and blacks for veins and other secondary features. If you want something a little more exciting you can be more imaginative with your choice of color.
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