Resurfacing Countertops
 

We have some 20ish year old Formica countertops that are ugly, but are otherwise in decent shape. We're redoing a lot of other stuff in the kitchen and are planning to do something to change the color of the countertops, but are debating what will be the best in terms of balancing budget, look, and durability.

In digging around online, it seems like there are a variety of options for basically painting them (with a variety of textures and such), though durability is a concern. Re-laminating them is technically an option, but sounds like a giant pain in the ass.

Or we could just bite the bullet and replace them entirely.

Anyone done it recently and have any recommendations? Specific options we are considering:

Giani Granite Paint (DIY) - $150ish
Rustoleum Countertop Transformations (DIY) - $250ish
Miracle Method (pro) - $900ish

Bite the bullet.

I agree. You'll go and do a bunch of work and then hate it.

http://www.caesarstoneus.com/

That's for rental property.

Bite the bullet and go to Depot.

Well fine then, you guys are no fun. :)

Go with new quality laminate. Screw rocks and rock/epoxy mixes. My sister is a retired school teacher on a budget and just put in new laminate counter tops. They look awesome and have a really good warranty. They don't stain, can handle heat and are easy to clean. Not bad.

Yeah, I'm honestly not really interested in any solid surfaces. I know they're trendy and all, but it's not worth the extra cost for the way we use our kitchen.

Check out stainless steel. It's great, but might not work in every situation.

We talked about it the other day. If you want, I can go snap some pictures of what they look like now. I guess I hadn't realized it had been 3 years now.

Poured concrete.

Tear out, install quartz/Silestone.

Granite Transformations is a company that will lay cut-to-fit granite over your existing countertops. We spent about $5,000, but had a tile backsplash, new sink and hardware done as well. We were pleased with the results.

My main concern is the durability. I've seen enough pictures online at this point to be confident I would like the look, but I don't want to be tearing them out two years from now because they're peeling and chipping all over the place.

New mica tops are cheap. Bite the bullet