Decorating with Faux Finishing

Plain Formica becomes fabulous granite!

Counter before

Counter after

Pre-tinted primer and applying pale yellow.

Spattering other colors with a toothbrush.

Blending large droplets

3 coats of varnish and I've got granite counters!

The kitchen counter tops in our lovely Everett, Washington home left much to be desired. Especially for a stately English Tudor with lots of character in every room.

With deep toned wood flooring and solid wood cabinets, the simple white Formica did nothing to make this kitchen a desirable place to hang out with friends and family and was a stark eyesore compared to the other beautiful elements of this lovely, large kitchen.

I'd always coveted the look of glossy granite with it's spotted texture and smooth, fine finish, so with a blank canvas in front of me, I set out to create my dream in exactly the colors I desired.

If you examine real granite, you will find it has an over-all "base" color. This could range from white and pale beiges to yellows and black with just about anything in between.

You will also find "blotches" of additional color and "spattering" (dots) of yet other colors. (See additional samples below).

When painting Formica, one absolutely MUST pre-sand to rough up the ultra smooth texture or your primer and paint won't stick. Use a 220 grit sandpaper and just rough it up lightly.

Next, apply a base coat of oil based primer. You can eliminate a step if you have the primer pre-tinted with your first color. I wanted mine a soft gold for warmth. Once the primer was dry, I could then switch to latex or acrylic paints for the rest of the color additions.

Blot on your second color with a paint brush and blend. You're not trying to cover the entire surface. You actually want to allow the base color to show through. So give it about 50% coverage, blending the two colors as you go.

Next, using a toothbrush to create a "speckled" effect, (be sure to mask all areas around your counters to prevent splatter), dip the toothbrush in to your 3rd color and flick the bristles over the surface, repeating this process until you have reached the desired coverage of "speckles".  Very large dots of color, I blended with a stencil brush or sponge. Do the same process with any further colors you wish to add.

Over the pale gold base coat, I added pale yellow as my second color, pale brown as my 3rd color and finally, flicks of deep brown and then gold.

With the first coat of varnish, I watched my colors deepen in tone and seemingly take on a "3-D" look, giving the colors separation and depth. After the 3rd coat, the counter took on the look and high gloss of REAL and very expensive "granite".

Close friend and professional Faux Finisher Deborah Cuyle's first reaction was (as her eyes just about popped right out of her head) was: "Oh my god! It looks so real! (running her fingers over the slick finish and feeling for herself. (Who could resist not to touch?).

When my husband saw it, he said "Wow! that came out really nice!". (Now THAT'S a compliment!).

Designer's tip:

ALWAYS create a "sample" board before actually doing your counter tops to make sure that you are happy with the colors and to give you a bit of practice before just jumping right in. This prevents mistakes in choices and takes the fear out of doing something you have never done before.

You can create the look of beautiful granite on anything you wish to faux finish. Search the internet for photos of granite that meet your color requirements to use as an example to work from.

Below you will find further examples of real granite and what their color combinations would be if you choose to re-create them.

Other color combination examples:

Base color: White

2nd Color: gray

3rd Color: Black

Optional 4th color: metallic silver

Base color: Deep Olive Green

2nd Color: Light Olive Green

3rd Color: Cream

Optional 4th color: Black

Base color: Pink

2nd Color: Cream

3rd Color: Brown

Base color: Paprika

2nd Color: Light brown

3rd Color: Cream

4th Color: Dark Brown

Optional 5th color: Metallic Gold

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