Home Makeover Diva

Home Design Makeover Ideas

Zodiaq Countertops

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Nothing is more daunting than a kitchen makeover.  There are so many things to choose from and so many decisions to make.  That’s why when my husband and I made over our kitchen two years ago we chose the first countertop we both agreed on.

Often when you are redoing a room in your home progress doesn’t start happening until you make the first decision, whether that be paint color, flooring, cabinet color or countertops.  You need something to help pull the rest of the room together.  Our something for our makeover was a Zodiaq countertop.

We were looking at all types of countertops: Vetrazzo, laminate, granite, Silestone, tile, and concrete.  And in every single category we both liked different colors.  I felt like we were never going to make a decision.  Then we walked into a Zodiaq countertop dealer and we both were drawn to the same color!

We choose Coriander from the Terra Collection.  The great thing about the Terra Collection is it is made from 25% post consumer recycled glass content.

This number is not as high as the Vetrazzo countertops, but considering we couldn’t agree on a color in Vetrazzo and the nearest dealer was over 200 miles away. Zodiaq countertops ended up being less expensive and better for our marriage!

After 2 years with Zodiaq countertops they still look brand new. It has endured well.   Basically a quartz countertop it is hard enough to withstand everything we dish out. Our Zodiaq countertop still has no scratches and looks great.  And I love that I don’t have to reseal it, like you do with some granite or marbles!

Zodiaq has been a great countertop and I love that it is low upkeep. It was a great find and really helped us bring the rest of our kitchen makeover together!

Giani Countertop Paint

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With the state of our national economy, more companies these days are coming up with new concepts for your home that don’t require spending a lot of money.  This is especially true for kitchen countertops. This means that there’s a renewed push to reuse what we already have, even if it means forgoing more attractive surfaces that come from countertop options such as granite. And despite the obvious downside to facing what would seem like a limited number of options, the fact is there are home improvement ideas that will allow you to have the kitchen of your dreams.

One new countertop paint that can make your tired-looking laminate or older solid countertop surfaces look like polished granite and it is called Giani Countertop Paint.

It’s fairly easy to use, simply follow along with the following steps:

Clean your old countertop. I don’t mean use a sponge and wipe down the counter quickly, I’m talking about really making sure the countertop is adequately clean enough to be considered a fully prepped surface.

Tape off anything you don’t want paint on. This includes the walls, sinks, cabinets etc. Not taping things off the right way, will indeed create massive headaches in the long term.

Roll on primer, working in three-foot sections. By following this three foot rule when apply the Giani Countertop Paint, you’re ensuring that the countertop paint is being applied evenly across the surface.

Sponge on all minerals, working in two foot sections. With the roller technique above, sponging on the minerals will allow the Giani Countertop Paint minerals to be distributed evenly throughout the countertop surface.

Apply topcoat. This is the big step, then after this topcoat has been applied, you’re all set.

Giani Countertop Paint

Because you have to wait in between steps this project is best spread out over two days or a weekend. Here is a link to Giani’s instructions on how to install.  This site provides very thorough instructions and should give you a very good idea of all of the processes and what you are getting yourself into.

Another great thing about Giani Countertop Paint is the price, it is more affordable than Modern Masters Countertop Transformations at only $49.95 for a kit that covers 35 square feet or up to 16 lineal feet of countertop.  Both companies use a different process so check out samples, installation instructions and colors before you decide on either of these eco-options for improving existing countertops!