How to Cheat on “Marble” Countertops

{Disclaimer: I received free product from Instant Granite to prepare this post. All thoughts, opinions, etc. are my own. You can read more about my disclosure policy here.}

You know how sometimes there are things in your home that are “fine”, but if a magic “Home DIY Fairy” could come in and wave a wand, you’d take her to a specific area and say, “Shake that sucker over in THAT direction, sister!” 

For me, one of those places would be my textured, laminate countertops. Now, I should say right here and now that they are not bad. I’ve seen pictures of people moving into houses with brightly-colored kitchen counters that would definitely pose a bit of a “design conundrum”. (And maybe a headache or two if looking directly at them.) 

These were a bit warped in spots and had a few chipped areas here and there, but were completely fine. 

But being a “first world-er” here, I have bigger dreams for this space and one of those is new counters. Now, if you’ve ever seen the cost of new counters, even laminate ones, prepare yourself in advance (like, get your smelling salts ready and have somebody nearby that can catch you, my friend). Those bad boys can be Expensive (note the capital “E”). Since these counters aren’t my favs (remember, “first world” issue), I was looking for a way to share an update that I thought would interest my readers. I looked into painting them, covering them, etc. And then I saw a post on Instagram and thought it was such a neat idea! Actual vinyl that looks like granite (or in my case, marble), from a company called Instant Granite.

Neato, freato!  

Here’s a picture of what we started with (before): 

These dark counters really made the place feel a bit gloomy. And since I’m here at home 23 hours per day (on average), brightening them up would definitely make this kitchen feel more inviting (at least to me)! 

The product is a thick, durable vinyl that comes in long sheets, wide enough to span the entire depth of your counters. I loved that it is thick, but easily cuts with regular scissors. You didn’t need to use any fancy tools to apply this product!

Here’s what we used: (Not pictured is Liquid Nails & Gorilla Glue)

After giving our black, speckled counters multiple good cleanings, we were ready to start! 

We started with the island first and then worked our way around the room. We found it easiest to cut the length we needed (with some extra for wiggle room), carefully peel the paper off the sticky back, and gently smooth the sheet down (with a tool that came with the vinyl) to remove any air bubbles. We saved the corners for last. For this part, you actually can break out your hair dryer to help get the vinyl to bend and stretch to how you need it. Ours had to have two cuts around each corner (because the edges were very rounded). For the underside, the company recommends using an adhesive (like Liquid Nails) to adhere it. Another option is to cut a straight edge along the bottom of your counter, but we didn’t have as much luck with this (maybe because of the texture of our counters?). I would definitely recommend going with the adhesive. 

I love that this product was able to be put down in a weekend. Getting a whole new look for your kitchen in one weekend is pretty amazing! I also love that it confirmed that I DO in fact love the white “marble look”. Can you imagine saving and getting new counters, only to realize they didn’t look the way you thought they would? Yikes! (This also works for renters- it’s completely removable!)

This is a wonderful option if you are wanting to give your kitchen a whole new look on a budget. Instant Granite’s price was 10% of what new laminate counters would have cost us. (Umm, 90% off? Now we’re talking!) I love that this product gives me the look I really like, but without the hefty price tag. We’ve had it on our counters for 2 months and it is holding up great! It makes our kitchen look SOOO much brighter (and to me, brighter looks happier). 

Now for the FUN! Let’s see the before and after!!! (I always love this part!) 

Let’s look back at the before picture again. 

And now the after!

Crazy difference, right?  

It is so much easier to clean than my textured countertops! (It can be cleaned with most cleaners.)

I am quite pleased with the transformation!

Go take a look at Instant Granite’s site! What pattern would you chose?

This company has been wonderful to work with. They have amazing customer service, they answered all my questions, and were super prompt with their responses and with shipping!

Something to keep in mind if you want to go this route….

Because of the nature of the “marble”, you will see slight seams where you connect your pieces. There are other options available that look like granite and because of the patterns, these would probably hide seams very well. Another thing to be aware of. We have rounded corners on our island and rounded edges on our counters. This made for some tricky spots. You need to keep in mind that this is a DIY product. To obtain the real look of solid surface countertops, you would need to (ahem) purchase solid-surface countertops. Remember: Instant Granite’s price was 10% of what new laminate counters would have cost us. That’s reason enough to raise a glass and say, “Cheers!”