DIY: Countertop makeover--Granite paint

I found a product online called Giani Granite Countertop paint. http://www.gianigranite.com/
The pass-through counter on my back patio needed a serious makeover so I read the reviews and ordered the kit on Amazon for $80.  The Rustoleum Countertop Transformation kit at Home Depot was over $250! Yikes!!
The Giani kit requires several steps...cleaning/prep, primer, 3 sponged on colors, then a shiny top coat. All steps were super simple and with a little practice I feel like I got an awesome result. The tricky part was the top coat. Hard to get it smooth with no roller marks, but hey...it's a patio shelf. I am pleased with the results and highly recommend this product. I don't know if I would want to do an entire kitchen this way, but for my small projects, it worked great.

I neglected to take a "before" pic so I dug one up from before we moved into the house.


Patio pass through "Before" May 2011

  



"After" March 2013





Pass through closeup March 2013

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Since that was so successful and I had lots of paint left (the kit will paint 35 sq ft) I found more things around the house to make-over.



Ikea desk "before"





Ikea desk "After"





Laundry room counter "Before" 



Laundry room counter "after" 
(Ikea Antonius System)


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   Here are the steps-simplified.
Since I'm impatient and it's so dry here, I didn't wait the recommened drying times.
 

Step 1: Clean with brillo pad

 





Step 2: Prime --let dry 8 hours



Step 3: Sponge color 1 (medium color)



Step 4: Sponge color 2 (lightest color)



Step 5: Sponge color 3 (darkest color)

Let this dry 4 hours.

Step 6: Roll clear top coat (trickiest part for sure) You can do up to 3 coats but I only did one. I recommend watching and paying attention to the instuctional DVD.