Contact Paper Kitchen Counters

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Contact Paper Counters - Step 6 - Seal edges around the sink with clear silicone caulking for sinks/showers
Do the words "Contact Paper kitchen counters" sound like a bad idea to you? We may be insane, but we're not the only ones.

I went a bit batty one day and pulled the stained and peeling dark green vinyl tiles off our rental kitchen counters, only to reveal cut up & faded yellow boomerang counter tops beneath (ugh). We covered the yellow linoleum counters with gray granite Contact Paper. Just to make sure this would work, I placed two scraps of Contact Paper underneath our dish rack and in front of the espresso machine (the two dirtiest areas of the counters) for about two weeks. The scraps were still there, despite being constantly soaked and/or dirty, so it seemed worth a try. There's many other accounts of Contact Paper counters all over the Internet claiming success, and we really only need this to last for another year.

We did the back half of the counters first, then the area around the sink, then the front half, and finally the "back splash." A large amount of overlap is not a terribly big deal since the pattern helps conceal it, although if you look really close at the counters, you might be able to see the overlap. As we went, we simply used an Xacto knife to trim off any piece that hung off the edge. I also went to the added step of using some clear silicone caulking to seal the Contact Paper around the sink.

Of course, you can't put anything hot on the Contact Paper counters, nor cut directly on it but using cutting boards and pot holders really shouldn't be a new concept for anyone who's been in a kitchen before.

Contact Paper Counters - Step 1 - Apply half width to back of counter
Apply half width of Contact Paper to back of counter
Contact Paper Counters - Step 2 - Apply around sink with overhang
Apply smaller strips of Contact Paper around sink with a bit of overhang.
Contact Paper Counters - Step 3 - Use Xacto knife to trim off excess
Use an Xacto knife to trim the overhang around the sink.
Contact Paper Counters - Step 4 - Apply full width to front of counters
Apply full width Contact Paper to front of counters, and smaller strips to the 'back splash', trimming excess with an Xacto knife.
Contact Paper Counters - Step 5 - Apply to 'back splash' using Xacto knife to trim excess
Seal edges around the sink with clear silicone caulking for sinks/showers, to prevent water from getting underneath.

Kitchen
The "before" before - scratched & stained green vinyl tiles on the counters when we moved in.
Before - Yellow Boomerang Counters
After I removed the green tiles, to expose yellow boomerang counter tops!
Before - Close up of yellow boomerang counter tops
Classic yellow boomerang counter tops, close up

3 comments:

Julie [Plums for Breakfast] said...

I totally just did this to my fridge! I never thought to do countertops, but yours look really great--who ever thought that boomerang pattern was a good idea, let alone in yellow?

rooth said...

Iris, do you ever sit still? The counters look so much better and you keep reminding me of all the projects I should be doing around my parents' house

Anonymous said...

I have the same bomerang countertop. I will be tring this soon!