A friend moved into a new rented house. The house is really nice other than the 70's colored counter tops. In the kitchen they are a "lovely" shade of peach mixed with a salmon and in the bathroom a sky blue.
Being a rented house obviously they can't be replaced, but we were wondering if there is a paint that you can use to change the color with out it looking horrible and be durable enough to with stand the daily use of kitchen/ bathroom counter tops? The bathroom counters can be worked around with paint on the walls, the kitchen it will hard to find a color to help them blend into the room.
I wish I knew what they were thinking when they updated the house and left the eye sore counter tops.. Thank you in advance if you have any idea's on how to make them a little less noticeable and not stick out like a sore thumb.
*Of course the landlord would be asked before doing any improvements... we were just looking for options before taking that step. They didn't want to ask then look dumb because there was no such thing ;)
Jackie~ The house is a nice house minus the ugly/ dated counter tops.. the land lord is updating the house as they get the money. Its a work in progress. Right now the kitchen is the last to get updated. The cabinets are also really old but they are usable and dont look bad. The landlord even commented on how ugly the counter tops were and how she hated them.
The landlord told them they can paint any room they want as long as its neutral colors and nothing bold or will take more than two coats to cover, unless they cover it themselves before leaving. The only restriction was no wall paper or wood being painted. Anything they do it is out of their pocket.. can't be taken off the rent.
If it will make the house look better for the owner and the owner is not paying for it, ( and it doesn't ruin it) we don't see the owner having a problem.. but they will still ask before hand. Like I said, I just wanted to make sure there was a product out there for it... before they asked and look foolish :)
A friend of mine just put a covering over her countertops that made it look like granite countertops. I looks pretty amazing. I think it was EZ Faux Granite Contact paper.
Check a home improvement store. I can't think of the name, but there are commercials out for a product that transforms your countertops to look like granite. It looks like a paint. The first thing they should do is contact the landlord and see if it is okay. According to my lease and landlord, I can change anything I want as long as I change it back before I leave. I don't think there is a countertop paint that can be stripped.
my aunt lived in a house where the "crafty" previous owners painted the counter. needless to say she called me to come "patch" some spots that had pealed. We ended up taking it all off. I think she had me then repaint the surface with some sort of stain (s). It wont last. I think you have to coat it with some sort of shilack for it to end up staying. I would see if you could cover it with contact paper (although thats not durrable either) or see if you can find sheets of tiny tiles and cover it!
We used Gianni granite paint.....and love it! Only had it for a few months....so I don't know durability. But for $150 it transformed the kitchen from those awful white laminate countertops! Find it cheapest on amazon.
We painted our countertops (they were the 70's mustard yellow), and it worked fairly well...
However...... you MUST check with the landlord about this..... you usually can't strip off the paint without seriously harming the countertop underneath. If she paints them, and the landlord says that she shouldn't have done that, she may end up paying to REPLACE those countertops when she moves.
And.... have her get it in writing!
I agree with Victoria T. I've seen the advertisements lately for the paint that sprays on to turn countertops into a granite-like appearance. Definitely something the landlord would have to approve, though.
Be very careful.... when we bought our home, someone had put a 'wood stain' on our butcher-block pattern formica. That was over 13 years ago-- it is still slowly peeling off.
Some of the companies that do bathtub restoration/resurfacing also do countertops. Some offer low-VOC treatments. I believe that will be a longer-lasting process with a better, more permanent finish than just paint.
The coutnertop paint is Rustoleum. I've been checking it out Online, but don't know of anyone who personally has done it.
I am curious why did they rent this home if they didn’t like the decor?
They do make paints for counter tops, but they should have a professional do the job. I also doubt the landlord would want them painting anything if this home was just redone (it is a lot of work for the landlord to maintain after your friends move out).
I am a landlord and I would be very upset if my tenants changed anything. I have it in ALL my leases that the tenants will be evicted for that. Now if I have a rental that I know needs painting (like the walls) I would have it painted but I would choose the colors (neutral). I don’t like having to repaint my rentals because someone wanted the trendiest color on the walls at that time. Most renters never consider the extra cost to the landlord for some of these things.
