The Dazzling DIY That'll Turn Your Countertops Into A Unique Home Feature
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Home décor is a double-edged sword that, if you're not careful, can rip out every ounce of individuality your home could have had. In our quest to have picture-perfect homes that look like they were lifted straight out of a magazine, we sometimes forgo incorporating our personalities into the furniture, which is what makes it feel like home. You can remedy this by adding small accents to your pieces, like countertops. Boring countertops are dreary, but designing them further can give your room the character it lacks. A unique way to do this is by forging a glittery layer that will leave your countertops dazzling. TikTok DIY home improvement creators @gothgirldreamhouse explained how they used resin to achieve a solid, sparkling coat.
A glittery countertop would make the perfect eccentric touch to a nude-toned kitchen looking for a little something to set it off. It's not just for the girly girls, either. Even a more masculine-presenting color scheme could benefit from the light bouncing off of the glittery resin surface of darker countertops. There are various types of resin, each with its own viscosity level, texture, and look. To make your DIY dazzling countertops, you will need to make sure that the resin you end up using is suitable for laying over counters, and, most importantly, food-safe. You still want to retain the countertop's functionality at the end of the day, so you do not want to expose yourself and your family to toxicity.
Use an epoxy resin with low viscosity for the best application
Epoxy resin is the best choice when you're jotting down your list of ingredients to make your DIY glittery countertop. Its nontoxic formula and low viscosity make it ideal for this project. Make sure you have the color of glitter you want, a small trowel or smoothing tool from your garage, sieve, paintbrush, and tarp.
The first thing you want to do is cover all of your appliances and furniture with the tarp to protect them from resin splashes. Resin gets very hard when dry, and until it does, it is considered toxic. In a small bucket, mix the resin with the hardener according to how much countertop you want to cover. Pour the glitter into the mixture and stir like your life depends on it to avoid glitter clumps. You can also use an electric whisk to do this. Pour out the mixture over your countertop and use the trowel to smooth it over. If you think it could use more surface glitter, sieve some over the countertop for an even application and pat it with the paintbrush to remove any bubbles.
Your shiny endeavor will take about 24 to 34 hours to cure fully and would have set you back just $60. With more area to cover, you'd need more ingredients. While the process is a fairly simple one, you should still be cautious when using resin. Make sure the windows are thrown open for proper ventilation.
Add more to the resin décor for an even more personalized touch
Because your new countertops are supposed to reflect your personality, you don't have to stop at just adding glitter to them. Use whatever items that speak to you. If you have an indoor or outdoor garden that produces the most gorgeous blooms, you could cut some of those flowers and press them inside a heavy book to flatten them, dry them, and lay them in under the resin to give your counters actual floral designs. Add some gold leaf flakes to the mix for another level of dazzle. You don't even need to restrict this to just the kitchen. If you have an art room with countertops or a wooden desk in your home office you want to zhuzh up, bring them to the resin party.
The downside to using resin on your countertops is that epoxy resin oxidizes and turns yellow over time, especially when exposed to the sun's UV rays. This is called ambering and is an inevitable process that can be slowed down by using quality epoxy resin that contains UV filters, as well as making sure you don't apply heat directly to the countertops. This means investing in hot pads to place hot food or pots on and not using resin on counters right next to large windows. Keep your resin countertops clean by using dish soap and water, and stay away from harsh cleaning substances and abrasives.