DIY Faux Granite Countertops {Giani Granite Paint}

Back in January I was contacted by Giani asking if I’d like to try out their granite countertop paint. They sell kits that allow you to paint formica countertops to look like granite. Awesome right? There was only one problem. We replaced our kitchen counter with solid surfacing just a couple of years ago. So I was going to decline. But then I remembered I still have a formica counter in my laundry room. I was really interested (and a little skeptical) to see how the paint kit would work, so I accepted the offer.

Here is my laundry counter before I started. I’m not gonna lie–it hasn’t been this clean in months!

I decided to go with the Bombay Black Countertop Paint granite kit. When I opened the kit, I was immediately impressed. Giani included almost everything I needed. Even a large piece of black cardstock to practice the technique on. I thought that was awesome! They include well detailed instructions, but even better. . . they include a DVD that shows you what to do. I am a visual learner, so that was way helpful for me.

Since the kit comes with instructions, I won’t repeat everything here. Just let me say that the whole process was actually much easier than I thought it would be. The only trouble I had was with the first step. To prep your counter, you have to remove ALL of the silicone caulk around the edges, then replace it with paintable caulk. I spend a couple of hours with a razor blade and a paint scraper and some rubbing alcohol. As far as I could tell, I had removed every particle of silicone.

I was wrong. After I painted on the black primer, there were spots in the corner where the primer didn’t stick because of silicone residue. I inadvertently deleted the photo, but I re-created it so you can get a general idea. My counter looked very much like this:
And I have learned from sad experience that no amount of paint will adhere to silicone caulk. So I had to scrape off those areas and re-do them. Sad face. So learn from my mistake. Make double triple sure that you remove every single trace of silicone!!

If you do it right, when you are done with the primer, your counter will look like this:
Yay!

After the primer dried, I used the sponge and the three colors of mineral paint to granite-ize my countertop. The only tricky part is getting in those little corners. But it all worked out. When that dried I used the roller to apply two topcoats.

Here is my countertop now:
I of course am my own worst critic, so I wasn’t sure if my paint job was good enough. But as soon as my hubbie saw it, he said, and I quote, “Wow, that looks awesome!” Then my 13 year old, who had no idea what I was trying to accomplish in the first place, said, “Cool. This looks like black granite.”

So apparently I did even better than I thought! 🙂

Here is a close-up:
Those shadows in the corners are from the cabinets above.

Here is another shot of the countertop before and after.

I love how it stands out now. And the finish is so shiny and pretty. Love it!

If your kitchen needs a makeover and you can’t afford to replace your countertops, I recommend trying out Giani Granite Paint. They have several colors to choose from, and the kits are so customizable! With the three accent colors they include, you can have any look you like. I think it is a great way to spruce up a kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room. I really do love how my counter looks now!!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Giani sent me a free granite paint kit in the mail, but I was not compensated for this post. The results and opinions are all mine!