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Akron Beacon Journal (OH)
March 11, 2006
Section: LIFE STYLE
Edition: 1 STAR
Page: E3
PLASTIC LAMINATE COUNTERTOPS GET FAUX TREATMENT
Mary Beth Breckenridge
Michaela Harbert may have done her job too well.
When she set up shop at the Cleveland Home and Garden Show last month, people kept walking right past the kitchen counter she had on display. Apparently, they figured it was just another granite and marble exhibit.
It wasn't. It was paint. |
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Harbert has developed a do-it-yourself faux-finishing process she calls Countertop Transfauxmations, which uses primer, paint and other common materials to refinish plastic-laminate counter tops. She's selling a how-to DVD for $19.95 at www.countertoptransfauxmations.com or 866-584-8900.
Harbert, who lives in Geauga County's Chester Township, developed her technique through trial and error. She had started a decorative painting business after studying interior design at Cuyahoga Community College, she said, and was hired by a client who wanted her worn red counters refinished. Harbert then repainted the scratched kitchen cupboards, dark counters and black, leather-look bar top in her previous house, perfecting her technique and experimenting with materials to eliminate problems such as yellowed finishes and cracked caulk.
"Word got out, and I was just swamped with work," she said.
4-Step Process
When people would remark, "That's so easy, I can do it myself," a light bulb went on. She realized her process could be marketed to do-it-yourselfers as a way to save money.
Harbert's four-step process involves applying a bonder, a base color, a faux finish and several coats of sealer. She shows viewers how to create three decorative finishes -- granite, marble and rag-rolling -- but she said people who doubt their artistic abilities can skip that step and opt for a solid color.
Materials for an average-size kitchen counter cost about $70, she said. The process involves about 10 hours' work, excluding drying time, and could be completed in a weekend.
The process is being marketed for countertops, but it can also be used on laminate and wood cupboards, she said.
Harbert insisted the result is durable and long-lasting. She said the finish won't stand up to abuse such as hot pans or cutting directly on the countertop any better than laminate would, but it will hold up to scrubbing and everyday use. Her own daughter climbs onto her counter and her kids bang their chairs into it all the time without damage, she said.
The counters in her previous home held up for six years before she sold the place, she said, and a friend's counter is still as glossy as it was when she refinished it about eight years ago.
Nevertheless, Harbert said she still occasionally encounters salespeople in paint stores who tell her laminate counters can't be repainted successfully. "I have no idea why this has been kept a secret," she said. " . . . It's a huge money saver."
Illustration:PHOTO: no credit / one photo
A kitchen counter after it has undergone a Michaela Harbert "transfauxmation."
Copyright (c) 2006 Akron Beacon Journal |
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