Skimstone Countertop Transformation: Step Three

I’m taking you along with us on our journey to transform our laminate countertops with the Skimstone concrete overlay system.  See STEP ONE HERE and STEP TWO HERE.

The final step in the Skimstone Concrete Overlay process is the liquid sealer topcoat.  Make sure your surface is completely smooth before applying the sealer by sanding with 220 grit sandpaper before hand.  I then wiped down the countertops with a dry rag and a tack cloth.

It looks a lot like skim milk!  The directions say to use a floor finishing pad, but the one we bought from Lowe’s was leaving tiny little hairs behind, so I just used some t-shirt rags.  I poured a little at a time on the countertop and smoothed it around, making sure not to leave any milky white areas that would leave build-up.

You can lightly sand in between coats, but I only sanded areas where there were imperfections (ie dust or lint). 

Each coat dried pretty quickly, and I did 5 coats.

Applying the sealer really brought out the richness and depth of the color.  The flat, dullness went away, as did the ashy grey hue that I was worried about.

It may be hard to tell in the photos, but the sealer gives the countertops a satin finish (not glossy).

The countertops look like they have a lot of texture to them, but they are completely smooth to the touch.

Overall, I am really happy with the way they turned out!  I know they will really look stunning when we get our new backsplash and sink installed and all my accessories are back on the countertops. 

I’ll try to post a few before and afters tomorrow and give my full review, hints & tips next week.

Sharing with:

 

Skimstone Countertop Transformation: Step Two

I’m taking you along with us on our journey to transform our laminate countertops with the Skimstone concrete overlay system.  See STEP ONE HERE.

We let the bonding primer dry overnight, did a final sanding and began the next step the following morning.  We mixed the Skimstone layer with our desired color according to the calculations from the website, actually increasing our square footage so we wouldn’t run out of product this time. 

We chose to do a layer of black, a layer of brown (mocha), and then a final layer of black.  The Skimstone is applied in the same manner as the bonding primer, with a trowel.

I wasn’t totally worried about getting absolute and complete coverage with the first layer because I knew there would be two more on top of it.

The first layer is thicker than the final two.  It is like the consistency of a thick milkshake.  I did the edges with a regular paint brush.  Keep in mind that if you use a paint brush on the surface the brush strokes will show up.

We sanded lightly in between each layer. Here is the second layer of brown:    

And then the final layer of black:

We wanted some of the brown to show through, and it does in some spots. All three coats were done in the same day, with a few hours of dry time in between each layer.  They went on fairly easily and smoothly.

I was a little concerned about the ashy grey hue, so stay tuned to see how the final product turned out after the sealer coats!

Skimstone Countertop Transformation: Step One

I’m taking you along with us on our journey to transform our laminate countertops with the Skimstone concrete overlay system.  After calculating the amount of product we would need on the Skimstone website, we ordered everything from DiscountPaint.net (search for Skimstone). The materials arrived just in time to get two full weekend work days in.

We prepped the area by cleaning the countertops thoroughly and covering the cabinets and floor below.  The backsplash area above the countertops wasn’t a problem since it is being replaced as well.  The first step in the application process is to apply the bonding primer.  There is no mixing of materials required in this step, you simply gently stir the product and dump a small amount on the countertop and use a trowel to smooth it on.  The bonding primer is a highly textured sandy consistency.  Here are the countertops after one coat of bonding primer:

We have rounded edges, so it was a little difficult to apply there.  The instructions recommend using a plastic bag held taught and rolled over the edges, but I ended up smoothing most of it on with foam brush. We let this coat dry for a few hours and then sanded with 220 grit sandpaper.  That was LOUD!  Then we began to apply the second coat of bonding primer.  You can also see that we floated the sheetrock with a layer of joint compound in preparation for the new tile backsplash.  I’ll add a coat of primer before installation.

At this point we were getting a little worried because we were running low on the primer…I added a little bit of water to increase the amount and was able to stretch it out enough to cover all the countertops.  

We were unsure here about the coverage, because the second coat wasn’t quite as complete as the first.  A mini-panic attack and desperate run to Lowe’s may have been involved (FYI, they do not carry a product similar to the bonding primer).

But I convinced hubby that as long as every surface had at least some bonding primer on it, we would be okay.  So we proceeded to do another sanding and used a small scraper to knock off any rough or high areas.   You want to get it as smooth and even as possible, because any uneven areas will show through when you apply the Skimstone layer.

Coming up next, the colored Skimstone layers!  Stay tuned!

Sharing with:

Demolition Has Begun!

I’m so excited, we have started the mini-kitchen makeover!  The first step was to remove the existing ceramic tile backsplash.  Hubby broke out the hammer and chisel and got it down in less than two hours! Now we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the concrete overlay materials, which should be delivered today in time to get some work done this weekend.  Here’s a few photos:

BEFORE

COUNTERTOPS CLEARED

BACKSPLASH REMOVED

I’ve shared pics of my temporary backsplash fix before, but I’ll share again for any new readers.  Here’s my secret: I covered up the decorator fruit and flower tiles with stainless steel contact paper!  No offense to anyone who has these, but they just totally weren’t my style and got covered up immediately after we moved in four years ago. 

BEFORE

You can do the same thing with all those fancy vinyl machines they have now. 

 AFTER      I peeled some of the contact paper off while we were demo-ing and it came off just fine and left no sticky residue whatsoever, so this is a great option for a temporary fix or if you are renting and can’t make permanent changes. 

Hopefully I’ll have pics of my “new” countertops next week!

I’m sharing today’s post with It's a Blog Party.