How to give your kitchen a high end look with DIY Faux Marble Countertops.
Would you even believe me if I told you that I covered my countertops a giant faux marble sticker?! Well… it’s true! Recently I came across this product on Amazon **contains affiliate link**. I have HATED my maroon countertops since the day we moved in, but haven’t been able to afford to replace them. This got my wheels turning and when I realized that I could be DONE with the maroon for about $120 I was ALL over it.
The product came in a big roll. When I announced to Matt that our “new countertops” had arrived via FedEx he had NO idea what I meant! The product is actually really thick and was even repositionable as I was laying it. I learned that this is the same product used for making removable decals that go on vehicles for advertising. This just goes to show that it is meant to withstand many different elements.
I started out by cleaning my countertops really well, and then got our the necessary tools for a contact paper countertop install:
-A Tape Measure
-A Pen
-Scissors
-A Sharp Blade
I started in the least visible corner for practice, and just worked my way around the kitchen. I would measure each piece first, leaving about two inches extra. Then after laying the piece I would cut of the excess. 
Thankfully the roll is 36″ wide, which meant I had plenty to overhang both sides of our peninsula.
Because our countertops do not have a straight side profile this made the job a lot more complicated. I feel like the 45 degree corners are the only place that it is noticeable that these are not real marble countertops. If you had straight edges and corners, I think that this product would work the best.
Here you can see how I struggled a bit to get the 45 degree corner wrapping right.
Although the faux marble isn’t perfect, it is SUCH an improvement over the maroon and wood countertops.
To get the material to sick to the contoured edges we heated it slightly with the blow dryer while pressing down against the edges.
It was hard to capture a good picture that shows how real looking the marble pattern on the material is. I love the grey veining throughout it though.
Seriously.. I am in awe of how real these look!
Now when I walk into my kitchen I love how much lighter and brighter everything is!
I feel like our kitchen finally is starting to match the feel of the rest of our house. 
Eventually I would LOVE to replace the countertops with quartz counters, but that is a much more expensive project that is still a ways down the road. For now this affordable fix has made me SO much happier with my kitchen!
If you’ve ever hated your countertops but haven’t been able to afford to replace them, I HIGHLY recommend trying this product for a quick and easy fix!
WOW! what a genius idea!
A thank you so much! Hopefully it will still be genius in the next few months after we see how it holds up!
How are your countetops holding up?
I’m actually going to write a post about it soon! After eight months they’re good, but not great. Amazing until you get within about 3 ft. then you see the imperfections. One time my crockpot made some bubble spots. Another time a knife left a mark. There’s also some scratches. But they’re FAR better than the red counters were. I’d do it all over again, but it’s not a perfect of long term fix. Hopefully that helps? I’ll share pictures in my update post soon!
Surely you sealed these with the high gloss topping? Might would prevent the heat or knife from damaging them.
Thanks for commenting! That is a great idea but I didn’t seal them with anything. They looked good for about a year.
Love it! I’ve looked at this product before, but was dubious about it looking real. I’m a convert!
It looks so real. I would totally use it again if I had the opportunity. I’m a convert too.
I love your pioneering attitude, AND your counters. Can you send me a link to where you purchased your materials?
dliford@yahoo.com
Amazing! Your kitchen looks spectacular. We are redoing an older home, and I have been on the lookout for a way to do a super nice budget counter top for a small bathroom—but I am picky. I want it to look real. I am so glad to know about this! Thank You!
Mary Beth Elderton
Thank you so much. This definitely looks real, especially if you’ve got counters with a straight edge. I would highly recommend it!
The thing is that the bathroom will be almost a complete gut and redo—it’s that bad. But the advantage is that we will be cutting a counter top from scratch. I would love stone, maybe marble, but…*sigh*…the budget. But this material! I think it is the solution I have been looking for!
This looks awesome!. Do you think this would be a good solution for rental spaces? And also, how did you work around the sink?
It would be AWESOME for rental spaces. It’s completely removable and leaves no residue. I just cut around the sink using a sharp blade. The sink was actually pretty simple. I’d definitely recommend trying it!
I’m so excited about your kitchen transformation! I’ve already shared it with two friends and am contemplating it for my own kitchen. I can’t wait to see how yours hold up! Love this post! I also liked the option to get to this link directly from Instagram. I’m going to have to research this more! ?
Thank you SO much for sharing it. I’ll definitely share an update post after we’ve lived with them for bit. Yeah the app is called easy2b.uy and it’s free! I’m not sure how readers will like it, but I think it’s genius.
oh em gee. i love this! i moved into a house with crazy {ugly} green counter tops and i just can’t take them. buttttt new counter tops are just not in the budget as of right now so THIS product appears to be LIFE SAVING. i really want to give it a try. it looks so real from your photos. have you had any issues with anything peeling up?
Hi Jess! This looks like a great option. How did you get the air bubbles out?
It is such a great option. I just laid it slowly while smoothing it with my arm. It wasn’t as hard as I expected actually!
Wow this looks really cool. We just moved in January and my kitchen counters are so dark. The cabinets are dark too so it makes the entire kitchen look small and frumpy. Eventually we want to redo the entir kitchen, but where we live is super hot, so we are saving to get a pool. This looks like a simple solution to hold me over for a while. Thanks for the post!
Definitely! Thats exactly how I felt about our maroon counters. Oh a pool will be so nice.
Wow, this turned out soooo good! Love it… I think I need to try this stuff out!
Thank you so much! I can’t wait for the glow in the dark paint to arrive!
Geee I mist the contest. Read the post on October 5, 2016. Happy I saw it before i. Invested large sum of moneies. I was wondering which color would look best. This is affordable enough so as to try both colors. Than you sooooo much.
Bummer on missing the contest, both colors look awesome, it really depends on what look you’re going for! I think the dark could be a dramatic contrast to most cabinets, but the white keeps everything light and bright. Glad you found my blog!
I love it! A brand new place! We live in a rental, that came with a small kitchen with ugly countertops. I am thinking of using contact paper. I just hesitate because i do not know how easy it would be to remove it and how the countertops will look when we move at some point.
Thank you so much. I think this would be rental friendly, and they say that it does not damage counters. I can’t guarantee that though. It’s the same product used for stickers on cars though, and it definitely doesn’t damage the car when removed. Either way thanks so much for stopping by!
How is it holding up? Still like them?
Yes! It’s been about two months and they still look great! It’s SUCH a good short term fix and I’m still so happy we did it!
Hi! Counters look great! As far as durability are you having any issues? Does it show if you drop a can, or cut something without using a cutting board? Also, how’s it holding up around sink is water causing it to peel up at all? Sorry for all the questions but, I’m very interested in trying this product & curious. Thank you
Don’t apologize, I’m happy to answer them. They look great but they’re definitely not as durable as typical counters. I wouldn’t consider cutting on them without a cutting board. Cans and pens haven’t left any marks, but I also try to always write with something underneath. Around the sink I try to wipe up water quickly. Thankfully there hasn’t been any peeling or bubbling. I feel like you have to take a bit of extra caution, but they are working great for us.
Just wondering how they are doing now???
Pretty good. They still look really great, but there are a few nicks and scratches. You definitely can’t ever use a knife on them. I made scones and when I thought I gently was scoring the scones I actually made tiny imprints in the top. I feel like it’s a good quick fix, and a short term cover, but unless you really baby your countertops it won’t be lasting. We’re thinking they’ll last us another 3-4 months and then we’ll need a more long-term fix… or we could re-do them with the contact paper!
Hi jess! I think this is definitely an idea worth trying! Did you find it difficult to get the vinyl around your sink?
Yes it was somewhat difficult around the sink. I made a rough cut, laid it on the counters, and then used a sharp blade to cut the exact cutout around the sink. It looks great though!
We have a u-shaped kitchen similar to yours. How did you match up seams? Can you tell by a line or is it fairly seamless looking?
No you can see the seams when you look close. They don’t look bad but they are visible and you can feel them when you run your hand over them. I didn’t match seams I just laid one edge on top of the other. Hopefully that helps!
I love this!
Awesome! Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment!
I would love to know where you got the light fixture above your table. We have been searching everywhere. Please email me and let me know
Thanks! It’s the mobile chandelier from West Elm. Here is the link to it: https://rstyle.me/n/cryrdscb4ex
How is it holding up? Would you still use this product?