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submitted: 2008-04-10 07:44:14 | by: ArthurSneddon
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Do you find that you spend enormous amounts of time in your kitchen? When we stop and think about it most of us would agree that a surprising amount of time is spent in the kitchen. Many of us can not afford a property with a separate dining room and instead we have a dining table in the kitchen. When you look around do you see an old fashioned kitchen in need of repair or replacement?

Isn't it amazing how wonderful designer kitchens are these days? It would seem that they have a kitchen accessory or fancy gadget for virtually anything you bring to mind. Not only can you get luxury kitchens with the usual granite countertops and top class cookers and refrigerators, you can now get all kinds of colors and materials to create a truly unique kitchen design to match your personality.

Granite countertops are amongst the most popular because of their extreme good looks and the suitability of the material for use in the kitchen. There are a great many benefits to using granite with one of the most important being that each piece of stone in genuinely unique. Granite is also very easy to keep clean, hard to scratch and extremely durable. Cooks and bakers appreciate the fact that granite always remain cool and placing hot items, such as hot pans and griddles, will not burn the surface.

Unfortunately, as you are most probably already aware, the best kitchen designs are often the most expensive. Often the best looking materials are the most expensive but there are other reasons why such kitchen designs prove so costly. Often the best looking designs have been fitted with top of the range electrical goods and intricate kitchen units, all of which can increase the cost considerably.

If we can not afford a new, purpose built, kitchen it is possible to renovate the existing kitchen at a very reasonable cost. Redesigning your kitchen by renovating it means that the cost can be spread over a period of time, as and when you can afford it. The carcasses of your old kitchen units may be in perfect condition or need only minor repairs. Simply by changing the facings and the countertops you can create the illusion of a brand new kitchen. Change your flooring and redecorate the walls and you can quickly create a whole new look.

For those of us with hardly any budget at all for such luxuries as a new kitchen our plight can sometimes appear hopeless but despair not. With only a small amount of cash, a little study and some determined effort, it is possible to create a whole new look by painting the existing kitchen units and countertops. You can use special paints to paint them all one color or special paints to create alternative finishes such as wood grained doors and faux granite countertops.

Creating a faux granite effect is great fun but it is important that you understand the basic stages and how natural granite looks. The first thing you need to do is clean the surface and apply an oil based primer. After allowing it to dry you then create the base color/coat with a water based paint. After this is thoroughly dry you can then start to create your faux granite using different colored water based paint and various materials to create the veins and other patterns. When the whole surface is bone dry you can protect it with about 3 coast of a water based Polyurethane gloss varnish which will also help create the effect of polished granite.

For a natural look stick to natural colors such as a base color of gray, black or dark green and veins and other secondary features in browns, blacks and lighter greens. For a more modern or dramatic look you can use any combinations of colors but remember you'll have to live with it unless you paint over.

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If you are looking to find out more information about counter tops you might like to read about our faux granite counter tops

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