Posted: May 2009

At the top of the lists for many homeowners remodeling their kitchens is granite countertop. Granite is durable and its rich texture and colors bring warmth and beauty to the kitchen. However, granite comes with a high price tag at $60 to $120 a square foot.

An innovative new product is in the market that gives homeowners granite countertops for $49.  The product is manufactured by Giani Granite.  It is the world’s first countertop paint that enables homeowners to transform their Formica and laminate countertops into granite.

Specifically, it is a pre-packaged, ‘paint-by-number’ granite paint kit that can be applied to laminates, solid surfaces and ceramic tile without pretreatment.

What’s unique about this product - is that its water-based minerals inherently impart the natural flows of granite because they slightly repel each other.  So it’s easy to receive a very natural look.

The granite painting process includes three steps - roll on the included primer - sponge on their mineral paints - and then roll on their clear topcoat.  The whole process takes about a day.

To address the durability issue, the topcoat is the same type of polymer used to coat car bumpers.  And it’s also safe for cleaning with common household disinfectants.

The kits include the tools and paint needed to cover the average size kitchen.  The product currently comes in two granite colors  – ‘Sicilian Sand and “Bombay Black.

HomeSavvi learned about this new product at the May 2009 K/BIS event in Atlanta, GA. This article idea was submitted by Thomas Kitchen Art.