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Decoupage Your Kitchen Counter Top - It Won't Increase Your Home's Value, but...

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Homes and Estates, Lipman Group #311723

It sure was a lot of fun! 

Over the Holidays, I decided that I wanted a change from my boring kitchen counter top.  When I moved into my house a little over a year ago, I knew I had a project ahead of me (I bought it at under market value) and over time I have been improving it. 

Pics of the kitchen when I moved in:

 

Can you even fathom the pastel vinyl?  I have at least had some nice tile put in.  And there were big garage-type fluorescent lights.  I had them taken out as well and had my cute chandeliers put in and a nice fixture over the sink put in.  Oh, and I have changed out all of the handles and the sink faucet.  But the pink laminate countertop was really wearing me down. 

 

(Really what the kitchen needs is a complete overhaul.  But I am not quite ready to take on that project so I thought I would try something cheap in the meantime.)

Okay, so I thought hmmmm.... what would be a cheap solution to this pink countertop?  The rest of the house hasa distinctively art deco flair to it, so I thought - well, I will buy a book on art deco style and cut out the pics that I like and decoupage them onto the counter. 

Keep in mind that I have never decoupaged in my life. 

I got on Amazon and ordered a gorgeous used book on Art Deco for $35.  It arrived and I commenced cutting out the pics that I really liked.  Then I began to arrange them on the countertop. 

Because Paris and New York are two of my favorite cities, I selected pictures that had to do with them.  To the left of the sink I put all of the Paris pictures and to the right of the sink I put all of the New York pictures - so take a look at how it came out! 

 

View of the New Countertop

 

 

Featuring Art Deco in Paris!

Art Deco in New York!

Had to put King Kong in there!

More Fun Stuff!

 

All told I guess the project cost me about $75?  Not bad for a lot of fun and now extremely personalized countertop, which will keep me entertained until I do a remodel on the kitchen!

Ruthmarie Hicks
Keller Williams NY Realty - 120 Bloomingdale Road #101, White Plains NY 10605 - White Plains, NY
Great project...and it looks as though it adds a punch of color to a rather mundane kitchen..
Feb 10, 2008 06:53 PM
Todd Clark - Retired
eXp Realty LLC - Tigard, OR
Principle Broker Oregon

Looks like the walls of my old place. For 12 years you couldn't see that walls of the property. I have a very large record collection (12,000) and I put a lot of my best or autographed ones on the wall and made it very personal like your kitchen. We are in an investment property now, fixing it up, but when we get back to a home we know we will do it again!

Feb 16, 2008 04:19 PM
Anonymous
Amanda Conley www.amandaconley.blogspot.com
Love it! What a great project!
Feb 19, 2008 11:53 PM
#3
Amanda Evans
DFW Living - Fort Worth, TX
Real Estate Broker - Fort Worth Texas
I love this project!  I still have bathroom vanity countertops to replace and could have tons of fun with this in the meantime!  Thanks!
Mar 08, 2008 04:45 AM
Anonymous
Jamie

How exactly did you do this? I really want to do this to my countertops as well, but I'm not sure what to use on it. Did you tape the pics down first? Was it poly-urethane that you used? How many coats? How has it held up so far? Any info would be immensely helpful! Thank you, and I LOVE your kitchen!!!

Jamie

Jun 29, 2008 06:16 AM
#5
Emily Lowe
RE/MAX Homes and Estates, Lipman Group - Nashville, TN
Nashville TN Realtor

Hi Jamie,  I could not find your account, but I pasted the pics down first with a glue paste (mix glue with water) and then you wait for that to dry after you place the pictures on the countertop in the pattern that you want.  After the glue has set, then you have to put ten coats of a polyurethane varnish on top of it.  (it stinks - keep the windows open for ventilation).

Hope that helps!

 

 

Jul 07, 2008 05:45 AM
Inna Ivchenko
Barcode Properties - Encino, CA
Realtor® • GRI • HAFA • PSC Calabasas CA

No pictures anymore....

Tastes change, so it is hard to say what is the better choice. 

The most important when you are preparing house for sale: keep your counter-tops and the whole kitchen clean and uncluttered. 

Oct 06, 2017 02:09 PM