Karen Gaither is re-doing her kitchen and excited about the process. Beginning with plain Formica counter tops and cabinets that she thought could use some Pizzazz, she set out on a decorating mission to make the space reflect her personality and love for quality in her decor.

We spent quite awhile on the phone discussing all she had done, all that she has yet to accomplish and she has some great ideas!

She began with her plain counter tops, turning their former white and un-interesting look to drop dead gorgeous granite in black and deep rust with our Faux Granite Effects Stencil.

Using black as her background color, she applied the stenciling with shades of rust to create a very realistic depth of color to the new surface.

She then speckled it with gold paint by flicking a toothbrush loaded with paint on to the surface.

Karen had her issues with the polyurethane sealer. And even the most seasoned pros can tell you nightmare stories about sealers (and they all have this problem).... you must sand in between coats to give you a smooth, glossy surface.

You also must not "over work" your sealer as you apply it. That means, the simpler the stroke, the better the results. Brush it on in one direction and don't brush it again. This can cause not only brush marks but bubbles to form in the finish when it is dry.

Once the surface is dry, again, use sandpaper to smooth it to a glass like appearance. I recommend those great little foam sanding discs at the hardware store and in a 300 grit (super fine).

Bringing the deep richness of the counter colors in to the cabinets, she color washed her cupboards with a red/brown glaze to give them more interest. The results are fabulous!

Karen will be back with updates so stay tuned! We are featuring her wedding where she did all of the flowers, unique hand painted carpet runner and even her tiara herself! What a creative lady!