I think I was flying over New Mexico when I had this idea. (That's not relevant to the idea. It was just where it happened.) My counters were part of a kitchen that was added in the 60's. I'm cool with the 60's, but not as much in a house that's 104. So, I decided to decoupage my countertops. I happened to have an extra vintage cookbook, so I was halfway done before I started, in my head. Here's a before pic from before I bought the house this summer:
Sorry I don't have a closer shot of the golden marbleized Formica. Maybe if you squint hard, you can picture it in your mind's eye.
Here's one section done:
I added in scrapbook paper too and primed the cabinets and counter edges. Thing that took the longest was deciding which recipes to keep on top. Otherwise, things moved along pretty quickly. I don't have a lot of patience, so most of my projects provide "instant" gratification.
Here's the final product!
I painted two coats of water-based Polyurethane over it too.
Now that I've been using the counters for a few months, I would recommend a couple more coats of Polyurethane. Somehow, sitting water still tends to seep under all the layers of Mod Podge and sealant. It dries pretty quickly, so I never have water stains, but it's obviously not sealed completely. I love how it looks, though, so I don't mind. Form goes way before function in my book. Ha!
