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Regarding home renovations, aesthetics play a critical role in your house’s final cost and resale value. Luckily, faux DIY marble countertops are affordable DIY countertop ideas that are easy on the eyes.
You can give an ordinary kitchen an upscale look without breaking the bank with just a few materials and steps. We love this faux marble project because it’s affordable, easy to do, and requires minimal prep time.
In order to have a good understanding, you can take a look at the video below by Rachel Ray Show on How To DIY Faux Marble Countertops For Under $100, According To a Pro Designer.
If you’re ready to start your faux marble DIY project, read on for all the details.
Table of Contents
- What You’ll Need for DIY Marble Countertops
- Step 1: Prepare the Countertops
- Step 2: Choose Your Paint Colors
- Step 3: Mix the Faux Marble Paste
- Step 4: Apply the Faux Marble Paint
- Step 5: Final Touch-ups
What You’ll Need for DIY Marble Countertops
To create faux marble countertops, you’ll need a few basic supplies. Here’s faux marble DIY kit:
Countertops: You can use any countertops you have in your house. If you’re redoing your kitchen, you can use any countertop material, like granite, concrete, or wood.
If you’re redoing the bathroom or another room, like an entryway or living room, you may need to use a faux marble material.
Paint: You’ll need to find the right and fancy paint colors to create the faux marble look, such as gray paint, white paint, craft paint, etc. We recommend using acrylic paints because they’re easy to apply, clean up, and find at any local hardware store.
Brushes: Any wide and flat paintbrush will do the trick.
Gloves: You’ll want to keep the paints from getting on your hands.
Drop cloth or plastic sheeting: In case of paint getting on your floor, you’ll want to protect it.
Step 1: Prepare the DIY Marble Countertops
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Before you can begin painting the countertops, you’ll need to prep the surface of your current countertops. To accomplish this, make sure the countertops are as smooth as possible.
It will allow the paint to glide and create a smooth surface. The best way to accomplish this is to lightly sand the countertops.
You can also use a paint sander to get the countertops more smoothly than sandpaper alone.
Another important prep step is cleaning the countertops to remove all dust and debris. To remove dirt or grime, use mild soap and water. You can also wipe down the countertops with rubbing alcohol to sterilize the surface.
Step 2: Choose Your Paint Colors
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You may think the paint color is the least important part of a faux marble project. But choosing the right paint colors can make or break your faux marble project.
If you choose the wrong paint colors, your countertops will look like a crayon box exploded.
To create faux marble countertops, you need to use two acrylic paints; a dark color like black or blue and a lighter color like white or grey. The dark color is the base, while the more golden color is the pattern.
Dark Base Color: The base color creates the faux marble pattern. It must be a deeper shade of blue or black. It will give the design a darker, antique look.
Light Pattern Color: The more golden color creates the marble pattern. It must be light grey, white, or robin’s egg blue color.
Step 3: Mix the Faux Marble Paste for Your DIY Marble Countertops
Now that you’ve chosen your paint colors, it’s time to make the faux marble paste. You can purchase faux marble paste from a hardware store, but you’ll probably need to order it a few days in advance.
To save yourself time, you can make your faux marble paste. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 parts paint color: You need a 2:1 ratio of paint color to water. For instance, you’ll need about 2 cups of dry ingredients and 1 cup of water to make black paint.
- Paintbrushes: You’ll need to use the paintbrushes you used to paint the countertops.
- Bowl: You can use a plastic bowl or bucket. Mix the paint color with the water in your bowl to make your faux marble paste.
Start slowly and mix until you get a paste-like consistency. The paste shouldn’t be very thick but wide enough to spread with a paintbrush.
If your paste is too thick, add more water until you get the right consistency.
Step 4: Apply the Faux Marble Paint
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Now that you’ve created the faux marble paste and prepared your countertops for painting, it’s time to get the faux marble project underway.
Before you begin painting your countertops, you’ll want to lay out a drop cloth or plastic sheeting to catch any paint that may drip.
Start by using a wide paintbrush to paint a base layer of the dark paint color on the entire surface of the countertops. Make sure to cover every crevice to protect the most amount of surface.
Next, you’ll want to mix your lighter paint color with water in a separate bowl. Next, dip a smaller paintbrush into this paint mixture. You’d want to use a paintbrush that’s a third the size of your base paintbrush so you can paint smaller details.
Now, you can use the smaller paintbrush to paint the marble pattern.
Step 5: Final Touch-Ups of Your DIY Marble Countertops
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Once you’ve finished painting the countertops, it needs at least 24 hours to dry.
While waiting, why not consider updating your Laminate Floor, too?
Your faux marble countertops can be sealed once dried to provide stain and spill resistance. The best sealant to use is polyurethane.
Once the sealant has dried, you can proudly show off your faux marble finish! These countertops have an expensive look without the high price tag.
If you need to renovate a home, faux marble is one of the easiest and most budget-friendly DIY projects.
These beautiful marble countertops are great for kitchen redos, bathroom redos, and even entryway redos!
If you want to increase the value of your property without purchasing pricey marble, this project is ideal for you.
Learn More:
- 10 Quick and Easy Tips to Survive Your Next Home Renovation
- 10 Miniature DIY Projects You Can Finish in an Hour (or Less)
