Giani Granite Countertop Paint Kit – Bombay Black
Giani Granite Countertop Paint Kit – Bombay Black
Bombay Black Kitchen
Transform Your Space with Paint!
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Giani Countertop PaintEasy & affordable DIY countertop makeover kits! Transform your existing countertops to the look of natural stone in just one weekend. A simple 3 step process, with all tools included! | Nuvo Cabinet PaintDon’t just live with your outdated kitchen cabinets, love them! Nuvo is a DIY one-weekend cabinet makeover process that does not require any cabinet removal or priming! Get professional results with just a roller & brush! | Liquid Stainless Steel Appliance PaintLiquid Stainless Steel paint kits are perfect for kitchen makeovers on a budget! No need to replace well-working appliances just for the aesthetic value of stainless. Upgrade the look of your existing appliances by literally painting on stainless steel! |
| Dimensions: | 28.5 x 10.16 x 29.2 cm; 2.36 Kilograms |
| Model: | Countertop |
| Material: | Water Based |
| Colour: | Bombay Black |
| Pack Quantity: | 5 |
| Batteries Required: | No |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Dimensions: | 28.5 x 10.16 x 29.2 cm; 2.36 Kilograms |
| Material: | Water Based |
| Quantity: | 5 |
This stuff is brilliant. I’m letting out a house for my employer and the worktops in kitchen had faded to a nasty yellow. I found this stuff and thought I’d try it out before replacing the lot. So pleased with the results. It’s given the kitchen another good couple of years hopefully!
Never had anything like done on my countertop before, but it just completely transformed my entire kitchen cointertop. With 3 easy steps to follow and the paint is very high quality amazing.
For a few years I’ve need a new work top and my husband said we couldn’t afford one. I tried this product behind his back and he was amazed with the result, it’s totally transformed our kitchen, WE LOVE IT!
Quality is fantastic and it’s saved us so much money.
It’s really easy to use, I didn’t use the white marble effect as I wanted a bronze look, any knife marks or chips I filled in with wood filler first.
Really impressed by this product. Easy to use and looks great.
Even did the kitchen table!
I was pleasantly surprised on the results, I’m not the best at DIY but the reviews seemed good & I 100% agree . Didn’t use the bronze effect and its just as nice without and a cheap alternative to expensive kitchen tops
Updated my bathroom countertop and didn’t want to spend a bunch of money replacing it until I tried this alternative first.
Instructions were easy to follow and a great weekend project (due to drying times). To make sure the marbling works out well, you need to practice, and be very patient. Otherwise it will look very DIY. Note – spongeing technique can be very messy on the hands!
Overall look is great, but already seeing minor chips. Not super durable.
A lot of pros and a few cons to this product. First of all, I will note that it offered a total upgrade to our original counters, which looked sad, basic and boring. Not to mention 20+ years old. I’m both cheap and not very talented when it comes to doing home upgrades, but this product ticked all the boxes. It’s affordable and fairly easy to do. The end result is pretty great, but there are some issues that we ran into. The first was that making the granite effect took some practice and time to master. An artist friend did one counter and it looks pretty granite- like but maybe a little “busy” for my taste. After doing one section using the sponge technique they suggest, I decided to try using a balled up plastic grocery bag and that worked great. It’s looks awesome, especially since I used the bronze more sparingly. I’d say that the best thing about the Giani kit is how beautiful you can make your counters look using their paints and a little trial and error. I don’t think they look like granite but they look great. Now for the downside- I applied 2 coats of the topcoat, waited the full 2 weeks before going back to regular use of the counters and they still got scratched up pretty quickly. Anywhere where there is regular water or high use will likely get scratches or worse. I had a silver dollar sized spot where the paint and topcoat came completely off revealing the original counter underneath. So I did some research and decided to buy (off the Giani site) an epoxy resin countertop glaze. We just got done with that yesterday and it looks amazing! It’s as glossy as actual granite and very hard and non-porous. Time will tell if it lasts but I’m hopeful after reading up on it. The bottom line is this kit is a great alternative to new counters but be prepared to take extra steps to keep it nice because it doesn’t last well as is.
Lovely product and very helpful info line should you need i
We needed to update our countertops after doing our kitchen flooring and backsplash, and through research came across this product. Read the reviews, and decided to take a chance. It was definitely quick and simple to use, but we didn’t get as perfect of a design as we would’ve like, but that’s just lack of skills – still looks great. Did our entire kitchen and had some remaining. Loving the durability, look, and feel of it. Would definitely recommend.
Love this product and the outcome!
I haven’t had any issues with maintenance after 2 months. I have plenty left to use for touch up if needed.
It’s very easy to do, and you can add more or less of each color depending on the look you want. The paint seems to have sat a long time and comes really chunky and weird so you have to stir it forever to get it to be paintable. But, it doesn’t effect the way it goes on. I had to do touch ups as the paint streaked a bit, but otherwise it was quick and easy. No odor.
We had an ugly green countertop and this was a great fix .
Great price ! Love it ! Recommend this product.
Easy to use, took two days and about 4 hours total. Didn’t turn out to bad, everyone likes it. I can see lines in the top coat but that is due to my lack of skill. I would definitely do this again though
A few steps but easy to work with. Easy to “fix” if you over or under paint before sealing. We were covering cream colored counters and just the primer alone covered it fully. Great price for something that if it didn’t work, or maybe start coming up in a few years, it wasn’t going to break the bank. But it’s very cost saving should it do last for years and we won’t need to replace the counters all together.
I have been using this for my rentals the last several years. It is a fabulous product. Easy to follow directions. The countertops look great in the kitchen and bathrooms. The bombay black gives you several color options. The odor has never bothered me but use caution. If you mess up, you can always redo and it will look good.
It was a process, but it looks great! Just hoping it doesn’t scratch or anything.
I had a very large area and had to order an extra can of “step 2” but it was less than $15.
The results are amazing and it was so easy.
I couldn’t replace my old laminate countertops so this was the only option I could afford. Total countertop cost under $100!!!
This product was great and super easy to use. Followed the instructions to a tee and was able to caulk around the edges of the counter top and wipe away excess with no issues. So far durability is great. I’m using it in two bathrooms, one full and one powder room and have plenty left over to do another full bathroom. The one thing I will mention is to make sure you don’t have big globs of seal and it goes on even or it will dry and look white. I had to sand a portion down and re do it to get rid of a big dot that didn’t dry properly. Otherwise, awesome product for the price gave both my bathrooms a huge face lift.
I was hasty about using this but it has turned out lovley so much cheaper than buying a new work top
I completely agree with a few reviewers here.
The application process is easy but time consuming. I had about 50 sq ft of counter top and used one kit. I bought two just in case but did not need the second.
The only thing I did differently was a finish with epoxy on top. This was not easy and was messy but I would do it again if I had to. It brings out the color of the pattern beautifully.
I did not use the included top coat since I did an epoxy top coat. This also allowed me to use the countertop in a matter of 3 days instead of 2 weeks.
I LOVE the colors and my counters look like real granite. I made sure to sponge the layers in small sections so the colors were wet when I sponged the next layer. This gave the stone-type look. I used all of the paint in the black base as well as the three sponge colors. I ripped the slonge a few ways to give a different pattern.
Me encant usar este producto fue fcil y divertido. Primero lije la cermica con lija 120. Despus limpi muy bien la superficie, esper a q se secara para poder poner el primer. Como mi cocina es cermica empezar a pintar las lneas con la brocha de esponja. Despus con el rodillo pint todo parejo. Espere 8 horas y volv a pintar con primer otra ves para que se cubriera todo bien. Deje secar 1 da y despus pinte con esponja la pintura blanca no necesitas ser perfecta solo hazlo sin miedo despus empezar con la pintura negra a retocar todo y se empez a ver mejor. Confieso que en el primer y en la pintura negra y blanca no me iba a alcanzar pero si cubri todo yo no us la pintura de bronce. Deje cesar un da y el clear lo puse igual q el primer primero todas las lneas y despus rodillo no se asusten el clear al ponerlo se ve azul luego se seca y queda brillante trae como un poco de brillo. Deje cesar 1 da y despus otra pasada solo con rodillo y mi cocina se ve perfecta. Recomiendo poner tape bueno al rededor para q no manchen el sink oh la pintura de las paredes. Deje secar por completo 10 das y ahorita tengo 2 meses y mi cocina se ve hermosa no se me ha despintado y se sigue viendo bien.
We didn’t like our countertops, but we weren’t sure what we wanted. As a temporary fix, we thought we’d try this product. Just the other day we had some friends over and the conversation turned to home improvements while we were standing around the kitchen. We mentioned matter-of-factly that we painted our countertops. They were shocked! So far the “temporary” fix has been going great…with one BIG exception…
A couple of years ago the topcoat started to peel. Like many others had suggested we got the epoxy and did two coats of epoxy. It truly looks amazing (considering it’s just painted and epoxy). But for those of you looking at reviews trying to determine whether or not to epoxy the top – just do it. Who knows if your temporary fix will become permanent, in which case you’ll need to epoxy the top eventually.
Very easy steps to follow. You cant go wrong. There is no mistakes with this kit. You can sponge paint over paint if you are not happy first time around. After looking for a week or 2 on DIY ideas to resurface my countertops and searching the web, i found this nifty product. Im so glad i did. Once i found it, i again spent weeks researching this product, reading reviews and watching youtive videos. So glad i did.
Prepping your area is a must! That was time consuming. Painting on the primer was so easy! I loved the way the countertop looked with just that. I let it dry from saturday morning to 9 pm. Then i started sponging on my colors. Once that was done to my satisfaction, i let it dry all night. 11 am sunday i added the glitter top coat and let it cure. It looked beautiful. Tuesday evening my husband and i poured epoxy over countertops. Let cure till sunday and was able to put back my appliances.
Friday night, cleaned, sanded, cleaned, coat one of primer.
Saturday morning, coat 2 of primer.
Saturday afternoon, sanded, cleaned, dried. Sponged. Lots of fun: go easy on the bronze, like, really easy! Make sure to get someone to look it over, is easy to go too hard on one color.
Saturday night. Sand. Clean. Dry. Topcoat.
Sunday morning, topcoat.
Sunday noon, last topcoat. Then waited two weeks before doing anything on the counter.
Thoughts: looks beautiful. The glittery topcoat makes it look almost exactly like granite to the human eye. It’s a definite update. It seems smooth. Was easy to do if you just follow the directions. When photographing it with “Google lens” it actually brings me to granite dealers in Jaipur, India. I guess I got the “Bombay Black” look down. Strangely, one of my pictures also brought me to the Wikipedia entry on raccoons… Not sure what that’s about.
Will it last? Only time will tell. I’ll update if it fails too soon.
Liked the sponge brush, wish there were disposable paint trays as well. Happy with the purchase.
I bought this kit based on the reviews to cover up some granite countertops that were the exact color of cat throw-up. Well let me tell you the black counters look fantastic and really were easy to apply. I didn’t use the bronze or the pure white mica accent paint supplied, instead, I matched the pink walls in the kitchen by adding some red acrylic paint (GOLDEN liquid paint works great for this) in VERY SMALL amounts to the white to get three shades of pink mica and added that to the black base, then added some black on top of that. What resulted (see pics) was a granite look that was totally unique, matched by kitchen perfectly, and would never be found as an option otherwise.
If you are feeling really brave, I opted to lay epoxy down on top of this (FAMOWOOD Glaze Coat, it took a one gallon kit to cover the counters) and, as others have suggested, the tops all look like glass now. They are hard as a rock and are quite durable, large appliances leave no marks. The top coat is nice too (I used that on the backsplashes) but nowhere near as shiny as the epoxy. There will always be little imperfections when you pour epoxy (air bubbles and some craters) and if you know how to fix those up, I would say go for it the shine is ridonkulous. I was in absolutely ideal conditions when I poured this, at 75 degrees and with no humidity (Los Angeles), and was exact about the measurements, so again be wary when using epoxy your results may vary.
Anyway, for the price, it really is a super fantastic look. Get creative you don’t have to mimic marble or granite on the box you could literally throw any acrylic paint over the base coat and get a counter that nobody has ever seen before. Now is your opportunity to take, from the materials of the universe, and create something that did not exist!
Excellent kit with fantastic results, very straight forward to use, highly recommend trying this instead of buying new countertops
I bought this to repair parts that had worn from a previous painting. While the effect is great the top coat is not very durable, it’s easily damaged. My top started breaking down a little after a year of applying it. I’ve patched the areas and they’ve come up good. But I’ll consider getting a resin top coat applied soon.
I didn’t use the bronze mineral at all. Simply cos it didn’t go with scheme I had mind.
My work surface looks brand new..like actual granite
We tried this as a last ditch effort to rejuvenate our old, dated, laminate countertops and I can’t believe how easy to use this was and how great the results are!!!
The prep is the most important step! I used a degreaser to get any residue off the original counter (picked up Awesome brand degreaser at Dollar Tree and it worked, well, AWESOME!!!) I also used a brillo pad with the degreaser to make sure there would be nothing left. The directions say the brillo should be enough to rough up the surface, but I also used a 600 grit sandpaper afterwards. We then went over the counters several times with damp rags to make sure everything was off and our working surface was super clean.
The actual active time painting was very minimal, it’s the drying time in between coats that takes up the entire weekend. Be prepared not to be able to use the kitchen for at least 3-4 days and not to use the countertops for the full 2 weeks curing time.
Overall, I am very happy with the results. Does it look like I have new granite countertops? No. Does it look like I have new laminate countertops? Yes. If you want super high end look, this is not the product for you… go for the real thing. If you just want to update and aren’t looking to invest $1500 in new countertops, then this IS the product for you!
Easy application and end result was better than expected. Definitely recommend this product to anyone wanting to jazz up their kitchen etc.
We bought this kit to refinish the existing laminate counter top in our home. Our expectations we felt were realistic, we don’t expect the painted counter tops to function as granite, but the look is what we were going for. This kit was the Bombay Black. We did the steps as recommended in the instructions. We let the primer set over night at least 8 hours and it took 2 hours to apply the mineral coats. I switched up the pattern recommendation that the instructions tell you so I would get the finish I wanted as far as the top color. I kept in mind that granite is not a perfect pattern so I wasn’t worried about my pattern as much as making sure I was keeping my colors consistent. I can’t comment on durability as we just finished the project a day ago, we did buy 2 kits to make sure we had plenty of paint and not to skimp. I would recommend having an extra sponge on hand. After going over the colors so many times the white and black were both dulled by the bronze. Maybe that’s why they recommend applying white, black, bronze. But again, I wanted a blacker finish so I did bronze, white, black. Anyway, it’s as easy as it looks, just be patient with it.
I am very pleased with this product. Considering the price and the drastic difference this made to our kitchen, I would (and have been) recommending to my friends/family. There are hundreds of reviews and videos online with tips and tutorials. I thoroughly researched before deciding to do this and found that the general consensus was most people were satisfied. Now if I had an extra grand laying around I may have just replaced instead of painting to avoid having to do touch ups.
PREP: Wiped down counter with a wet rag, ensuring to get anything stuck to the counter off and allowed to dry until the next day. Counter had a slightly bumpy finish so I lightly sanded and then dusted off with dry rag twice before beginning.
APPLICATION: I made sure to do was to allow each surface enough cure time, especially the primer. Primer dry time of 24 hours, paint 24 hours, and then gloss finish 72 hours before use. 2.5 Weeks before putting any heavy items back on the counter. So far I have no had any other issues with peeling like some customers have.
A word of caution, do NOT use anything except a soft wash cloth on these. I dulled the finish in one spot when trying to quickly scrub off a drop of super glue I accidentally got on the counter (which did not work) with one of those green heavy duty scour pads.
The only other issue we have had was when one of my children decided to cut a knife into the counter repeatedly in one spot when doing his chore of putting the silverware away. I plan to just add touch up’s to my annual household to do list, at least until our children are grown.
One more tip I have is to be cautious of standing water. Growing up we had a painted kitchen table and had to be cautious to not use the surface if we had recently discovered sitting water. This particular kit will turn a slight blue/gray if water has been standing on it for more than 30/45 minutes. I actually like that it does this because I am able to remember to avoid using this area of the counter until it is fully dry again. I wait 24 hours (err on the side of caution) to prevent any damage to the painted counter top. This is based solely off the history with our old kitchen table and the damage myself and my parents accidentally caused by using a painted surface too soon after wiping up standing water.
This looks so good!! I only did it yesterday so I can’t speak to durability, but I have plenty leftover for doing future repairs. I was terrified to start but anything would have been an improvement so I figured I didn’t have anything to lose. I used a plastic bag to splotch on the white color then sponged over with black and used a tiny bit of accent bronze. I think I should have used only the plastic bag and no sponge. I liked the way the bag looked better. Also I don’t think the bag gives as much texture as the sponge. It’s not a completely smooth countertop but not as bad as I expected. It took probably about 4 hours total. Just give it a go! I’m so pleased!
UPDATE: it’s been 3 months now of not so careful use and the counter looks great. Some high traffic areas may not look quite as shiny but I have plenty of sealer to do another coat. So grateful for this product!
Update again: it’s been like a year and a half and I’m just re-doing a patch by the sink that has worn down. That spot always gets wet, but otherwise the counters look great! They could probably use another clear coat but I’m still so pleased with this product. Give it a shot.
My wife and I were very nervous when purchasing this counter top paint kit because you never know if it’s going to turn out wait says it will. We weren’t sure exactly how much to get so we purchased two boxes hoping that would cover it. It turns out that we had plenty in one box. We were able to redo our entire kitchen and both our spare bathroom and master bathroom. The application was surprisingly easy, my exact thought was “I’m done already?” I was able to do both bathrooms in 14 hours (Split up) and to the kitchen in 14 more hours. We don’t like our kitchen to be taken apart like it was so getting it finished was high-priority. when it was finished, it turned out to look fantastic. I love the texture that the sponges give and the detail. I love being able to design my own style. We decided to remove all the sinks before painting, mostly because the caulking under the edges of the sinks we’re all falling out I needed to be redone anyways but this is not necessary. We do have to be careful with them because they’re not scratch proof and we have to be sure not to put anything too hot on them for fear that they will melt. But that’s a small price to pay for the beauty it’s given a kitchen. We have almost forgotten that our Countertops used to be old and ugly. I would recommend this to anybody who is on a budget but would like to have the more updated look in your home. It’s fantastic and we plan to give our extra box to my sister because we know that she will love it to.
If you decide to give it a go, some tips from my experience are:
– Follow the instructions to the letter, and watch the Giani tutorial videos on YouTube before you start. The videos give additional really useful information and application tips which aren’t on the written instructions.
– You don’t necessarily need to use Frog brand masking tape but do use a really good quality precision masking tape.
– I didn’t do any sanding between top coats because I couldn’t get any fine enough sanding paper. They say you need number 600 which is US standard. This is equivalent to about number 1000+ European standard and I couldn’t get it in our local Homebase. If you can’t get it, then I wouldn’t recommend using any standard fine sanding paper as it will take the paint off.
– The top coat is trickier to put on than the primer and coloured minerals because it is very slippery and I found that the roller sometimes slipped and dragged over the surface instead of rolling, but when it did this I just picked the roller off the surface and out it back down again until it rolled nicely. Also, don’t panic when you’re applying the top coat as it goes on with a kind of ultra violet blue tinge to it, and looks all ripply and uneven, but it kind of self-levels and dries crystal clear. I thought I’d ruined the whole thing with the top coat, but it dried beautifully. There is a separate tutorial video on YouTube on how to apply the top coat – definitely watch that one.
– There are also separate videos on how to apply the minerals for whichever colour you choose. You can get a bit creative with how you want it to look though. I didn’t use the bronze colour mineral from my kit as I didn’t think it would go with the colour scheme we are going for with the cupboards, so I just wanted the black with the silvery white flecks.
– Give yourself a whole clear weekend to do the project. It took me from midday on Saturday right up to 1.30am Monday morning, with all the correct drying times. However it did take me 6 hours to put the minerals on, as I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I probably faffed about with it longer than most people would, plus we have got a lot of work surface in our kitchen.
– Measure your work surface to see how much paint you’ll need. They do give you plenty though – I bought two kits, as we have lots of work surface, but there is still loads left over of the second kit – I only needed extra primer and top coat.
– And finally, I’ve posted some before and after pictures as I’m so proud of my efforts!
Obviously, I can’t comment on the durability of this product as I only did it a week ago, but it has dried rock hard and I am quietly optimistic that it will fare well if we treat it kindly and follow the Giani recommendations for cleaning it etc.
In summary, if you’re in two minds about whether to go for this or not, just do it – you honestly won’t be sorry.
I never considered real granite as it is too heavy to use on a boat.
My research brought me to Giani and I was instantly sold except for one problem. On a boat, in the tropics, the counter tops have to be cleaned with a soap and bleach combination. Bleach and strong cleaners will damage the Giani coating. I talked to Giani and they told me they sell a two part epoxy that rolls on but it cannot take bleach either.
Seeing on Amazon that other’s have used “pour on epoxy” I ordered two kits of Bombay Black and had them shipped to me in Panama and bought EnvioTex Lite, a pour on epoxy available locally.
All went exactly as shown in the installation videos. It was fun and easy. Since my counter tops have raised backs, sides and fiddles in the front I did not have to worry about the epoxy running over the edge which made this as easy as measuring (I used 5oz/sq ft), mixing and pouring after I leveled the boat using Jerry cans of fuel on deck. I used a heat gun to pop any bubbles that appeared.
The results are breath taking, at least to me, as there is a mirror finish and depth. The following pictures say a million words but the actual tops look even better!
BUT, other than that I can still offer up some comments on what I did and didn’t like, and offer some tips. First off, it was really fun! I’d recommend experimenting with the colors on black paper. You get a small (about 6×8) rectangle of black paper in the kit, but use something bigger. I’d suggest folding your test sample into the approximate shape of your backsplash so that you can figure out how to make the sponging look natural. The 90 degree angle can be tricky. The paint might look too gloppy or too bare as it’s challenging to get into those corners just right. I used a couple small paint brushes on the angled corners instead of the sponge that came in the kit. Take your time on these angles or else it will look like you tried to paint your counter. 🙂 I’d also buy a bunch of the small sponge brushes like the one that comes in the kit. They are cheap and disposable. But go ahead and reuse the one in the kit if you enjoy rinsing paint brushes. We also opted to remove our sink. I think this makes it look more natural than taping around the edge.
A couple things I didn’t care for: one of the colors in the kit, and the final rough finish. I bought the black kit. I did not care for the pearlescent white paint in the kit. From a distance the paint looked like metallic silver. It might have been an effect of my kitchen lighting quality or the other colors in the room, but I wasn’t thrilled with that white. Some of it would have been fine, but it looked a little unnatural. I wanted a lot of white to show through the black, but it looked more like silver than white. Next time I’d probably add some plain non-pearly white or grey so that the pearly (silvery) stuff would be less prominent. Also, I wasn’t sure what the final texture of the finish would turn out to be. I was hoping it would be super smooth, but it was rougher than I preferred. I used 3 coats of the final step to get it as smooth as possible. It dried fast enough, but lengthened curing time. Someone managed to put a nice deep scratch in it during that time because it was still soft. Give yourself a few days to let the product cure.
After doing research into different kinds I figured being slightly artistic with some sponges would be easier than the rustoleum or other kinds that you literally make a huge mess spreading chunks all over your counters and sanding. The results turned out amazing and everybody I show loves it.
After a month of regular use it still looks great and the only spot that looks a little dull is around my sink because I had to change direction with the roller so my advise would be to finish roll all in the sake direction if you have an island style counter like I do. Mind you I’m being super nitpicky of my work and nobody else noticed it till I point it out.
Also, I can’t stress enough to measure you counters. I have 33.8 sqft of counter, this kit is good for 35. They aren’t kidding! The black step 1 coat was empty after 1 coat. The color there was plenty of and probably could have done 50sqft with it, the clear top coat step 3 was just enough to do 2 coats. If you are any larger than 35sqft, buy more of step 1 and step 3
First of all, I chose the Bombay Black. This is a paint-only version of the countertop paint – there are other versions with little chips and flecks to sprinkle on it. I decided that there was too much risk of a large mess with those versions, and they seemed to have many more steps than the paint-only version.
Here’s what I did…
1. Watched the DVD three times and tried doing some practice painting on the included black paper and then my own black paper to perfect my technique. Later I wished I had done less practicing because I used up a lot of paint doing that.
2. Removed the caulk, taped off the sink, walls, and cabinets, and other general paint prep.
3. Cleaned the countertops down with soap and water and rinsed them off three times as suggested. Then I followed that with a wipedown with rubbing alcohol as recommended somewhere online – I have no idea if that helped, actually.
4. Painted the primer coat and let it dry. You will notice I did not say I sanded it first – I did not. I did not sand it after the primer coat either.
5. I started dabbing on the white pearl paint with the sponge. I thought I would get creative and also use some silver acrylic paint as a second color rather than the included bronze but to be honest the pearl and the silver spots look just alike in the end – the pearl paint is very shiny.
6. Then I dabbed on the Onyx paint. This was the hard part for me because I was trying to get roughly the same look on all the countertops in my kitchen but because some were deeper than others it was hard to reach everything equally – I found I dabbed more where it was easier to reach. All the practicing did not really pay off because in the end, reaching across three feet of countertop is very different than a 8″ sheet of paper.
7. Again being creative I blew some fine silver glitter on mine in some places while the paint was still wet. I think this turned out very nice and you can definitely see the sparkle.
8. After that was dry I put on the Polyurethane coat. I had sort of expected that most of my texture would be eliminated by the Polyurethane and I would end up with a fairly smooth finish. This was not the case. I ended up using up my whole can of Polyurethane and a second can I ordered separately AND a third, larger size can of “one coat polyurethane” I bought at the hardware store… allowing four hours minimum drying time in between coats… but I ultimately ended up with a shiny mirror finish which was the goal.
I did not sand at any time. I found the paint to be easy to apply and I did not make a mess.
I was EXTREMELY gentle on the countertop for about the first three days after the last coat of polyurethane. I did not set anything cold, hot, wet, sharp, or heavy on it during that time.
After that I was fairly gentle for another week – I did get it wet sometimes but wiped it up quickly and I was careful not to set anything sharp on it. A word of warning – when it gets wet the poly will cloud up, but that will go away once it is dry for a few minutes. This is normal while the polyurethane cures, which can take up to 30 days. Now, you don’t have to baby the countertops that whole time, just be aware that it might get cloudy when it is wet until it fully cures. I did my final coat about 36 days ago and the beginning of this week I noticed it was no longer getting cloudy if I left a wet dishrag on it.
Now of course, how it looks is important but it is not the main thing – it has to be durable. Before writing this review I scanned the countertop with a flashlight and confirmed there are no scratches – not even small ones. It seems to be holding up very well. I think I have successfully postponed buying new countertops for at least another few years.
I have had no peeling. The only damage I had had that I repaired was a guest deciding to cut something on the counter! And cut into the counter itself… So that wasn’t a repair because the job failed but because someone literally sawed on it with a knife 🙁 … but it was easy to fix.
I have to say however… the gloss after 2 years is not as shiny? There is still sheen but I think the gloss just wore down a bit so I may be revealing the counter so the counter looks new and shiny again.
Over the years I cleaned with sponges, Clorox and degreasers… However the first few months you can see what I did below. I still do not take hard scrubby pads to the counter, if so.ething is stuck on I allow it to soak a bit and just wipe off.
Update 7 months after application: counter tops look just as new as they did when they were painted etc. no chipping or peeling anywhere.
Counters are heavily used via cutting boards, pots pans sitting on them.
Cleaned with clorox wipes and water and soap etc.
the first 3 months anything wet left on counters would make it look hazy until it dried. So I did get a heated dryer twice and reheated the counter tops and it seemed to stop this from happening as I think it helped in further curing of the epoxy finish.
Update: it’s been about 2 months since application and still flawless.
Pretty good so far. I have seen some reviews where they stated the paint peeled off. From experience; although the directions say no sanding needed, if you are not going over roughed up laminate but really sleek surface it generally peels. I paint as a hobby.
I have laminate counters in the house I just moved into that I can’t replace with granite right away. But can’t stand how horrible the laminate looks.
I sanded my counter tops to make sure to remove whatever chemicals, grease and whatever else was gone with a fine grit paper.
I wash the counters really well.
I applied the iron ore primer and let it dry 20 hours.
The key is patience and not layering paint on top of already tacky paint if you want a good finish.
I them did the mineral dabbing. With every dab I rotated the sponge slightly so I didn’t repeat patterns.
I also bought mica flakes and gold leaf dust, the gold was sprinkled using a toothbrush in it and rubbing the bristles over the bronze areas. I sprinkles a few mica randomly in the white areas.
I’m waiting for second clear coat to dry and cure 7 days and will then use a wet sandpaper to smooth the surface. Then use a rustoleum heat resistant epoxy for a glossy shine.
The formica countertops in my kitchen were deteriorating. There were several highly noticeable milky white patches on the grey surface that could be dulled somewhat with mineral oil treatment, but this treatment would not last very long. I decided to try the Giani system, even though it is the middle of a very cold winter. I had to crank up the heat and ultimately ran a small electric heater in the kitchen to maintain the temperature during the two days it took to complete the job. The DVD is helpful and along with the paperwork sufficient to guide you through the process. I was nervous about the outcome when I completed adding the three mineral colors, as the finish does not show through to its final hue until the topcoat is put on. The topcoat shines and deepens the colors and it made all the difference.
I practiced with both the sponge applicator and also with a crumpled up plastic bag and chose to use the bag on the counters as I liked the effect better than with the sponge. Do take the time to carefully prepare adjacent surfaces with painter’s tape to reduce touch ups after. There is a lot of discussion in reviews about the Frog tape versus the blue painter’s tape. I used the blue with good results. I only had bleed through onto my bead board backsplash in a couple of places, which I touched up with a small artists brush. My family is happy with the results. It totally upgraded the look of the whole kitchen. I decided to rearrange things so that there is a lot less on the counters now to show them off. It has been a month since I finished the job and I have no problems to report. Time will tell about durability. I think anyone with patience can do a good job. You do not need any special skills, just an attention to details. If you are not ready to replace your counters, this is a good interim solution. I waited a full 24 hours before putting anything on the countertops. I have stainless steel appliances, and a slate floor, so I used the Bombay Black kit. I used mostly the black onyx and pearl mica paints, with the bronze used exceedingly sparingly. We have leftover from our kit and hope to use it on something else. If you follow the instructions, you should be happy with the results. I have an actual granite top on my cooking station, which is black on white whereas this came out more white on black. They look fine together in the same room. Good luck!
The instructional DVD that came with the kit didn’t work, however it was also online, so it didn’t really matter. I wish I would have purchased better tape, because there was some paint leakage (not the product’s fault), but it cleaned up easily with some goof-off. Also found it difficult to tape around my rounded kitchen sink, so there are a few little spots on the back corners where a little old laminate shows through (again, not the product’s fault).
The straight down shot of the counter shows the finished product with the sample I was trying to match it to. I think it matches pretty darn well. This is an amazing product and I would purchase again in a heartbeat! All my friends who have seen it have asked me to do their next 😉
*Update* It’s been about a two years and my counters still look great! Through heat, spills, sitting water, knives, etc, they still look as good as they did day one. And I am very hard on my counter tops. I did notice some of the paint had worn off on the bottom corner of the counter where I tend to lean when washing dishes, but just grabbed the black paint and touched it up and is as good as new.
I researched the Rustoleum product for the counter tops and I was planning on going with that until I heard that it left a horrible after smell because that’s how the product worked. Not what I was wanting with 3 kids in the house. Then I came across the Giani products and researched it online before purchasing. It seemed like a good candidate and so I purchased it.
I got this shipment pretty quickly and in great condition. I watched the dvd at least 3 times to ensure I was going to do it right. And sometimes found myself referring back to it when I got to each phase I was at.
It does only take a whole weekends worth of time (most of it for drying time) but it is well worth the effort. I painted my primer on the night before since that takes at least 4 hours to dry but I figured, I’d give it a little extra over night. It couldn’t hurt. I was going to take my entire sink out to do this but my husband, well, didn’t want to. So I worked with the sink in, no big deal. The minerals itself take 4 hours to dry, total time. You have to do each mineral separately so that they do not blend into each other. You have the option to use what mineral colors to your liking. I did choose to use the bronze but very seldom and randomly. I figured it gave it a little more depth.
If you are a perfectionist or OCD about things, then this will probably give you a hard time. Although, the minerals are suppose to be random, you feel the need that it’s just not right. That was my case. I started with the black mineral (per instructions) then the pearl and stopped there. I wanted to make sure that’s how I liked it. So I slept on it. It’s a good thing I did because I felt I over did it with the pearl so I went back over with more black. You just have to lightly and I emphasize, “lightly” sponge on the minerals. The harder you dab, the more the shape of the sponge you’ll see in your finished product. But all in all, this product has great coverage. I don’t know what real granite looks like and highly doubt it looks like my counter tops, although I had a friend said that they did. I, do however, enjoy my counter tops now than before. It’s a quick and simple project that is super affordable and a temporary fix. I have left over product to do more, if needed.
On the durability of the product – I waited at least 14 days (as recommended) to lay anything on the counter. I had a folding table to do my cooking, chopping…etc temporarily. I’ve had this product on my counter tops for about a month now and felt it was a good time to do a review on it. Sometimes, people jump the gun, you know what I mean. Whatever dishes I have left over that doesn’t fit in my dishwasher, I normally do them by hand and set them on a kitchen towel on the counter. Thinking that the counter top was at it’s total dry time, I figured it should be good to keep it on there. Well, I ended up running out somewhere and it stayed on my counter for a few hours, maybe more. I took the towel off and like a previous reviewer said, it caused a blotchy spot and little tiny bubbles. I was totally bummed and was about to scrape it up and fix it. Good thing was, it was close to bed time and well, I didn’t want to embark on that at that moment. So I slept on it. Went to check it the next morning and it was gone!! Bubbles and blotchy marks! I was so relieved since I really didn’t want to re-do it. And I have to be honest, I’m always leaving water all over the counters and don’t wipe them up right away and most of the time does it. The blotchy spots, if you can imagine when you leave a hot pot on the table and it leaves the heat spot. It’s kind of like that on these counters. But don’t touch or start to re-fix them!! They will go away in a couple hours of drying, trust me!!! It’s a weekly thing with me 🙂 I beat my counter tops up and I’ve had not one scratch on them or peeling up anywhere. I didn’t even put back the caulk around the sink like you’re suppose to after you’re done painting and nothing has lifted.
All in all, if you read the directions and follow each step as instructed, you’ll have no problem. I highly recommend this product for anyone looking for a new look. 🙂 This counter top color also looks great with grey tones (like how I did with my cabinets).