How can I update the countertop in the kitchen with my own hands?

Every housewife dreams that the kitchen always has an attractive look. However, over time, furniture pieces wear out, especially the table and countertop are exposed to this process, since they are used most often. In addition, the table top is also subject to mechanical influences in the form of a hammer for chops or a knife blade for vegetables and fish. If the headset still looks great, then the question is how to update the countertop in the kitchen with your own hands, as it can not be actual. If you approach the matter with imagination and do everything neatly, the new decor of the cutting surface will give the kitchen interior an original, unique and respectable look, and as a bonus - saving money for buying a new table top.

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How to update the tabletop yourself: the most creative ideas of

Those who are not ready to update the kitchen interior in a radical way, we suggest to transform one of the furniture elements in the following ways.

Paint and glass

Colored worktop with glass always looks very rich and respectable. And this is one of the most popular ideas how to update the countertop in the kitchen with your own hands.

Important! From the thickness of the glass will directly depend on the three-dimensional effect - the more it is bigger, the table top will look deeper.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Remove the worn-out cutting surface from peeling fragments, chips. Use for this purpose a belt sanding machine or sandpaper.
2. Dust and degrease the treated surface.
3. Cover with paint. You can go to work with imagination and draw a drawing. To paint a surface it is possible on stencils or to make drawing most.
4. Allow the top to dry.
5. Attach a tempered glass sheet to the surface. Advantages of the glass countertop:
   • Does not absorb the smells of food.
   • Not afraid of high temperatures.
   • Not afraid of moisture.
   • Wide color palette.
   • Exquisite and respectable look.
   • Strength.
   • Not afraid of accidental strikes.

   Disadvantages:

   • Requires special care.
   • The work top should not be in the immediate vicinity of the hob.

   Decorating with tiles

   You can also update the cutting surface with conventional ceramic tiles. Anyone can do this decor.

   For facing:

   • Ceramic tiles.
   • Composite tiles.
   • Mosaic.
   • A set of mosaic tiles, which is distinguished by a variety of colors.

   Important! To simplify the process and achieve a better aesthetic effect, follow these recommendations:

   • Use the same tile to decorate the surface from which the apron is made above the working area. It will look very original.
   • The surface pattern will be very beautiful if you combine a tile in size and shade.
   • If you use a mosaic, then get it in the form of a large tile. This will greatly accelerate and facilitate the process of decoration.
   • It looks nice combination of tiles and mosaics.

   For work you will need:

   • Tile.
   • Adhesive for tiles.
   • Plastic crosses for leveling joints.
   • Grout for joints.

   Finishing instructions:

   1. Rinse the worktop and dry.
   2. Use a grater to apply glue to the surface.
   3. Distribute the glue evenly and form grooves for more effective tiling.
   4. Place the selected tile on the adhesive layer.
   5. Press it and carefully align it on the plane.
   6. Align all the seams between the tiles laid in a width using plastic crosses.
   7. Wait until the adhesive has completely dried and wipe the seams.
   8. At the ends of the tabletop, install the profile and fix it with a tile adhesive.

   Important! To secure the profile securely, use clamps when fixing. Advantages of decorating with tiles:

   • Tiles easily transfer intensive operation.
   • Waterproof.
   • Not afraid of using chemicals.
   • Ease of execution.
   • The subsequent surface repair consists in replacing the damaged tile with a new one.

   Decoupage

   An old piece of furniture can be changed beyond recognition if you approach creativity creatively. A huge plus of decoupage is that it does not limit fantasy, and besides, the decoration of the surface does not require special skills and abilities. With such a finish can handle any with a minimum of tools.

   Important! The decoupage technique is suitable for dining tables and silltops. The surface of the working surface is often subjected to intensive exploitation, so the technique of decoupage for it will not work.

   Tools and materials

   To update the countertop in the kitchen with your own hands in decoupage technique, you will need:

   • Sandpaper of different degree of granularity. Brushes artificial or artistic flat.
   • Scissors.
   • Matt or semi-matt lacquer for wood.
   • Napkins for decoupage or ready-made pictures.
   • PVA glue or special adhesive for decoupage.

   Important! To decorate the table, get ready pictures for decoupage. They are sold in any store for creativity. If you do not want to buy pictures, then any motifs cut from paper napkins will do. You can also use pictures from magazines or books.

   Stages of work:

   1. Grind off the old table top.
   2. Thoroughly wash, dry and degrease the surface.
   3. Dilute the adhesive in a 1: 1 ratio.
   4. Perform markup on the table, gently marking with pencil, the arrangement of pictures.
   5. In the container with water put the carved image, the picture is down.
   6. After half a minute, add a soaked image to a plastic file, with a picture down. All excess paper layers will roll.
   7. Apply glue to the picture.
   8. Glue the selected motif to the table top. Do not remove the file. Through the file, smooth out the image.
   9. Allow the countertop to dry completely.
   10. Dry the surface with a varnish.
   11. After drying the first coat of varnish, apply a second coat.

   Important! To ensure that you can update the countertop in the kitchen with your own hands and preserve the effect for a long time, consider these recommendations:

   • To keep the new decoration clean when wet cleaning, varnish the surface 3-4 times. For convenience, buy the lacquer in an aerosol container.
   • The surface around the pictures, for greater originality and uniqueness, can be decorated with bright colors.
   • At the final stage - cover the surface with acrylic lacquer.

   Screen printing

   The technique of the stencil painting is as follows:

   1. Find the suitable motif of the painting on the Internet.
   2. Print out the picture.
   3. Cut out a stencil made of cardboard.
   4. Clean the worktop thoroughly and degrease.
   5. Paint the surface in the main tone.
   6. Attach the stencil.
   7. Apply the paint with a sponge, gently blotting the stencil.

   For work you will need a minimum of materials:

   • Brush.
   • Acrylic paint.
   • Foam Sponge.

   Important! That the received effect did not disappoint you, take yourself into the arsenal of several secrets of doing this work:

   • Apply to the sponge the paint is not thick, otherwise it will fade under the stencil.
   • An interesting way of decorating - painting through tulle by the principle of stencil. Spread the beautiful lace tulle instead of the stencil and sponge the surface through the fabric.

   Surface worktop with different filler

   If you decide to more thoroughly approach the solution of the problem, how to update the countertop in the kitchen with your own hands, make it very original and you have some experience of repair work, this method you will definitely like.

   Materials

   To update the interior you will need:

   • Wooden slats.
   • Glass.
   • Fillers: dry spices, acorns, shells, pumpkin seeds, etc. At your choice and taste.

   technology. Do this as follows:

   1. Divide the countertop into sectors using a slat.
   2. On the top of the countertop, glue the slats to the rib so that they are square boxes. It is better to use the finished processed rail or lining.
   3. In the resulting cells, spread the filler.
   4. Top the glass. Fasten the glass or glue.
   5. The original table is ready.

   Important! This decor will suit both the dining area and the coffee table.

   In the article we did not describe the fast and budgetary ways: painting, pasting self-adhesive film, updating the wooden surface with burning. All these methods have the right to existence and application. If you want, use them.

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   How to change the countertop in the kitchen with your own hands?

   A radical way to upgrade - replacing the countertop with a new one. It is not difficult to make a reliable, beautiful cutting surface on your own. First of all, you need to select the material.

   What should be the result?

   The basic requirements that are imposed on the work surface:

   1. Strength. The panel should have high resistance to impact and mechanical damage, to abrasion.
   2. Heat resistance. This is a very important indicator, since any hot dishes should not melt the surface and change its texture and texture.
   3. Water resistance. The kitchen is always water, so the surface should have high resistance to any liquid.
   4. Hygiene. The working surface should be easy to clean, do not absorb odors and do not affect the products. The allocation of harmful substances is simply unacceptable during cooking.
   5. Decorability. The appearance of the working surface plays a significant role in the interior design. Choose a shade of finishing the countertop, so that it harmonizes with the overall style of the kitchen or vice versa - creating a vivid contrast.
      

   To properly select the material for the work surface, familiarize yourself with their advantages and disadvantages.

   Materials - possible variants

   Made a new worktop can be from:

   • chipboard.
   • Fibreboard.
   • MDF,
   • Composite material. Solid wood
   • .

   As a coating material, you can use:

   • Tile.
   • Coating for granite or marble.
   • Self-adhesive paper.

   We hope that you have easily decided on the material and are ready to begin to completely replace the countertops in the kitchen with your own hands. Self-replacement of the working surface is carried out without much difficulty.

   Important! At once we will notice, that for cutting out apertures under a bowl, amalgamators or a hob on such materials, as a stone, a file of a tree or glass, the expert is necessary. Similar services are provided by furniture manufacturers.

   To make it easier for you to work on replacing the countertop, we broke the whole process into stages.

   Preparatory stage for countertop replacement:

   1. Disconnect and remove all instruments located on the work surface.
   2. Disconnect all communications and remove the sink.
   3. Prepare all the necessary tools:
      • Drill and drills suitable for the selected material.
      • Electric jigsaw and saws.
      • Fine-grained emery. Pencil, marker.
      • Corner, roulette, pattern.
      • Spatula.
      • Sanitary sealant.

   Removing the old structure:

   1. Unscrew all fastening screws and carefully remove the old worktop.
   2. Fold neatly all the fixing elements: corners, screws, etc., as in the future work they can come in handy.
   3. Remove all boxes and carefully inspect the mounting of thumbs.
   4. Tighten all bolts and nuts as necessary.

   We measure

   To determine the parameters of the new countertop:

   1. Alternately lay a two-meter level on the front and rear edge of a row of nightstands( there should be no clearance).
   2. For optimum results, twist the adjustable feet and secure the pedestals in this position with each other using screws or clamps.
   3. Remove the measurements. To do this, measure the distance from one edge of the headset to the other. On the side ledges leave 30-50 mm.

   Manufacture of a new worktop

   The lid can be manufactured by hand or consulted by a specialized company. If you decide to cut everything yourself, then use a circular or circular saw for this, since working with a hacksaw and a jig saw will take much longer.

   Proceed as follows:

   1. Apply, on the prepared material, with a pencil mark on the length and width. If the marks made in pencil or marker, barely noticeable, then use for this purpose a paint tape.
   2. Carry out the markings for the sink, mixer, hob, etc. Before marking, read the instructions that these items were supplied with. The instructions usually indicate the size of the installation of a household appliance.
   3. Carefully double-check the layout of all future openings and openings. There will be no return.
   4. Drill small holes in the corners of the opening. Make sure that the drill does not go beyond the rectangle( square).
   5. On the perimeter glue a paint tape that will protect the surface from the sole of the jigsaw.
   6. Cut the line along the way to fix the tape, so as not to drop a single piece of material.
      

   Mounting:

   1. Set the workpiece in place. If the table top consists of several elements, for example, for a corner headset, then seal the side edges with sealant and tightly connect( for stone products use a sealer).After solidification, the joint grind and polish.
   2. Secure the plate with the bolts removed. If you want, use new locks. The stone product can not be attached to anything, because thanks to its own weight, it will always lie on the pedestals.
   3. Part of the sheet adjacent to the wall, treat with sealant.
   4. Apply a waterproof sealant to the side edges and 10 to 20 mm around the perimeter of the equipment hole.
   5. In the openings, insert household appliances. For washing, use the rubber cord that comes with some models.
   6. Use an iron to glue the edge bands on the side of the countertop.
   7. If one edge of the section is adjacent to the plate, protect the edge with a metal strip so that the strip does not deform from high temperatures.
   8. Connect all communications and check that they work correctly.
   9. Thoroughly clean the surface of the new countertop and get started.

   As you can see, the process of replacing the countertop in the kitchen with your own hands does not take much time. But a lot of it goes to the preparation of holes, drilling and processing the edges. Therefore, if you do not have free time to make calculations and there are no necessary tools, then when purchasing a finished countertop, specify the dimensions of the openings for household appliances - specialists will cut them using special high-precision equipment. You will only have to install a new interior and connect the communications. In any case, the kitchen thanks to the new table top will acquire a note of originality and exclusivity and you will be satisfied with the result.