Giani Granite Review

Hi everyone!  I have a totally cool review to share with you today.  I was contacted by the wonderful folks at Giani Granite back in December to do a product review of their granite paint kits.  I was so excited for a number of reasons.  First off I had lavender laminate counter tops in my master bath that I have loathed from the moment we looked at this house.  Second because this is the first review I have been asked to do!  So many thanks to Giani Granite for trusting me with the products and my ability to pull this off!

First things first.  Since I currently rent my home I had to get approval from the homeowner.  I put a call in and gave him the scoop.  He and I both looked up blogs and other reviews on the product.  He was a bit hesitant but in the end I reminded him that he had already planned to replace those counter tops in the near future so if it turned out like crap he hadn’t lost anything.  It was a win win!  Lovely aren’t they?  You know you want some.

Next came Christmas then Costa Rica and the box sat on the count top calling to me but I’ll be honest,  I was a total coward and afraid to try this product.  Why?  Because I have never painted a counter top before!  Finally I decided to at least open the box and check out the contents.  They included a dvd showing the entire process and after watching it I felt totally capable of completing this project with great results!

Once I got my nerve up I scrubbed the counter tops and taped off around my edges and faucets etc.… I let the counter tops completely dry for an hour before proceeding to make sure the primer was going to stick.

Next was the big plunge.  Prime those counters.  I swear I didn’t breath for the first couple strokes.  But by the time I covered the whole surface I was convinced I could just leave them in the primed state and be happy.  After all this alone was a huge improvement to the purple! LOL.  You have to move fairly quickly so you don’t get roller strokes and over lap your strokes a bit so it all blends.  This was super easy and covered in one coat.  But being the type a person I am I did two just to be safe ;P  The first photo is the primer wet.  The second is mostly dry.

Better already right?!!  Next up.  OMG this scared me even more than the primer.  Let’s start adding color.  You have a very porous sponge that comes in the kit.  I cut it in half and then cut one of the halves in half again.  This way I had several different sizes for the different spaces I had to get into.  Around the lip and in the corners can be difficult.  But once I started I could see the finished product coming together and it got exciting!  Another thing about this part is that you really can’t screw it up unless you wipe the paint on instead of blotting.  And you can go over and over in the different colors again and again to add depth and more character.  It’s really fun!  Did I get pics of this process?  Nope.  Cause that’s how I roll and I wanted to surprise you with the final finished product!

Drum roll please….

Wow right?!  After you have blotted to your hearts content you can take a fine tip paint brush like I did in the different colors and play connect the blots.  This creates a veining effect and adds an even more realistic look.

Finally you add the clear top coat that protects the counters from water and stuff.  This is a two coat process in which you will take a 600 grit sandpaper to smooth out any bumps on the first coat, then wipe clean and do the second coat.  Makes it all nice and shiny!!

I would absolutely recommend this product to anyone who wants to update their laminate counter tops without spending a fortune on the real thing.  Thus far it’s been in the bathroom for two weeks and holding up great.  I only clean it with warm water and non abrasive cleansers.  I was told all natural products are safe to use but no vinegar.

If you have any other questions I will be happy to try and answer them for you or you can contact Giani Granite.  They are wonderful and very helpful!  Thanks again for letting me review your product!

 

~Sommer

 

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