New options for old countertops

By Nora Firestone  |  Correspondent

Joining the Earth-friendly concepts of "re duce, reuse, recycle," "reclaim" and "re-purpose" is the economical "resurface." Apply the practice to kitchen and bath upgrades and watch the doors open to new options for old counter tops.

Kay Mount, a Chesapeake-based interior designer and furniture refinisher, considers the addition of counter top resurfacing to her business "new, fresh" and appropriate for the trend toward sustainable and renewable living.

With the development of highly durable architectural coatings that adhere to impervious substrates, homeowners needn't tear out and replace counter tops to update the look of a room, Mount said.

So why resurface, besides the environmental benefit in a throw-away society?

Mount, who uses a combination of Aurastone and other companies' products, and Maggie Bejma, a Virginia Beach mural artist and decorative painter who's used another resurfacing product, SkimStone by Rudd Co., said the cost is lower and that the design options are almost infinite.

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Design

Artis ans like Bejma and Mount, who specialize in color and technique, rely on a virtually endless array of color, texture and special effect combinations to pull surrounding design elements together into customized counter surfaces.

Stencils, embedded materials and decorative edges can be used to further personalized or enhance the end product.

"My clients kind of guide me," said Mount, president of Kay Mount Designs Inc. "They come up with these great ideas, and I execute them."

Mount learned furniture refinishing from her father, a woodworker, while growing up in High Point, N.C. She later developed a talent for painting and an awareness of environmentally friendly practices. She became an interior designer.

As she recognized unfulfilled demands and niches, Mount directed her talents to refinishing cabinets and other surfaces.

Bejma, who owns Maggie Bejma, Decorative Art, studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Academy of Art. She has used SkimStone to give laminate counter tops the look of concrete and natural stone. The hybridized Portland cement product, originally developed for use over interior and exterior concrete floors, can be tinted with any combination of different shades of 18 colors and applied with any number of various tools.

"I'm taken with the colors, textures and variations in old statues and urns," Bejma said, and with the ability to "achieve that with SkimStone (and others) and capture that old-world, well-worn, marble feeling. "It's not just a coat of paint (or material)," she added. "It's an art."

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Process and materials

Both SkimStone and Aurastone products are considered environmentally friendly, emit low to no volatile organic compounds, are lightweight and can be applied over a variety of surfaces, including laminate, tile, stone, concrete and walls.

Effects range from smooth-textured, monochromatic to the high-drama look of multiple colors and textures.

Mount and Bejma suggest allotting up to a week, depending on complexity, for the entire process, which is usually done in-home. It can get messy, so surrounding areas need to be protected. If and when sinks or backsplashes need to be removed for Aurastone application, Mount's husband, Bob Mount, assists her.

Special effects can be created with metallic paints and reactors, colored and metallic flecks and other additives. Mount often uses ground recycled items like glass, mirror and cork.

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Durability

When sealed with clear epoxy, the finishes can withstand high heat and resist stains. Scratches polish out and the imperviousness means no nooks to harbor bacteria, Mount said.

While SkimStone countertops normally get sealed with four to six layers of Rudd Co.'s protective water-based urethane, some finishers use epoxy instead, especially in commercial settings.

Both Aurastone and SkimStone can be easily repaired if necessary, and can be refinished multiple times to keep up with design and color trends over the years.

Refinishing SkimStone over its own sealant costs less than refinishing over epoxy.

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Cost/savings

According to data recently reported in Remodeling Magazine, the cost recouped of a minor to major kitchen remodel lands, on average, in about the mid-70-percent range.

Savings with the use of architectural coatings largely depend on complexity of design and process, Mount and Bejma said.

Additional colors, layers and techniques add to the time and cost involved, but still, "there's a significant savings overall," Mount said, citing a typical savings of between 20 and 40 percent when applied professionally.

Mount compared a sample of her "black granite" style work to a slab of the real thing. The pieces looked nearly identical - but Mount's translated to about a forty percent savings at $45 to $50 per square foot compared to the $83-per-square-foot price she'd been quoted for the granite, installed.

Bejma helped resurface an old laminate counter in a mid-sized Virginia Beach kitchen using a monochromatic color scheme customized to coordinate with the homeowner's taste and favorite decorative pieces. The process saved the client several hundred dollars compared to the cost of replacing the top with a low-to mid-priced laminate.

Resurfacing also requires no additional cost for sink cutout.

Of the option, folks seem to most value the artistic integrity and "bang for the buck," said Bejma, adding, "You can get an awesome finished product for a lot less money."

Nora Firestone, nfirestone@verizon.net