Contact Paper Kitchen Counters

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.


Apply half width of Contact Paper to back of counter

Apply smaller strips of Contact Paper around sink with a bit of overhang.

Use an Xacto knife to trim the overhang around the sink.

Apply full width Contact Paper to front of counters, and smaller strips to the 'back splash', trimming excess with an Xacto knife.

Seal edges around the sink with clear silicone caulking for sinks/showers, to prevent water from getting underneath.

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The "before" before - scratched & stained green vinyl tiles on the counters when we moved in.

After I removed the green tiles, to expose yellow boomerang counter tops!

Classic yellow boomerang counter tops, close up