Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Countertops on the Cheap

I love a lot of things about my house but one of the things I love the most is my pantry. It's like a walk in closet for the kitchen. It has lots of storage and I wanted a place where I could plug things in and leave them plugged in like the food processor. It's so much more convenient when you need to use it. Our kitchen countertop is Corian. I love it but it was a little pricey so the mister came up with something, well, cheaper. First he cut a sheet of melamine that he found in the cull wood at Home Depot to fit the top of the cabinets. Then he took a dollar store vinyl tablecloth, wrapped it around the melamine, and stapled it.
I used this for the past two years. It cleaned up well, it was bright and cheery. We got a lot of compliments on that countertop. It was a dollar store tablecloth and it started to get a little ratty looking so I found something a little higher end... some oil cloth.

We wrapped and stapled and voila!

A new countertop. It looks a lot better with our new floor too.

I think the whole project probably cost us $35.00. The most expensive part was the oil cloth. I like it so much I think I'll be doing something similar in our laundry room.



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32 comments:

  1. AngieApril 13, 2010 at 8:52 AM

    Sooooo cute! I am jealous of that great walk in pantry and adorable checked floor!

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  2. GRAMSApril 13, 2010 at 9:03 AM

    Very cute. I wish I had a walk in closet in my kitchen or my bedroom for that matter.

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  3. Nanette MerrillApril 13, 2010 at 9:09 AM

    It really is so cute. I do this with our big 12 foot kitchen table. Except I can't use oil cloth because it isn't wide enough. I have to use thick vinyl/faux leather. It works out so well though. We use those upholstery round decorative nail things and my table is oval so it really is fairly easy to do. I get a new one every year or so. I have a red one on my table now. It is perfect.

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  4. Lewaina@cliffsideranchApril 13, 2010 at 9:35 AM

    I LOVE IT! WHAT A GREAT IDEA! ....maybe if my wheat grinder was out and plugged in I would use it more.....but then again, I don't use my Bosh nearly enough and it's always out and plugged in! LOL
    What a cheerful place Mimi's cottage must be!
    Enjoy your day.
    Mercy

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  5. Julie HarwardApril 13, 2010 at 9:36 AM

    You guys are awesome...to dare to do that and I love it!!! what a great idea for this kind of place..it looks so good and it would be fun to change every now and then! Come say hi :D

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  6. Penny from Enjoying The Simple ThingsApril 13, 2010 at 10:34 AM

    That turned out great! I love the way it looks with your flooring.
    Penny

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  7. LisaApril 13, 2010 at 12:32 PM

    Mimi~you're a brilliant woman. Red polka dots is one of my favorites. I love how you surround yourself with happy things. A woman after my own heart.

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  8. BrendaApril 13, 2010 at 12:48 PM

    I LOVE it--so charming and fun! I'm a fan of red and white polka dots! What a great idea!

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  9. NolaApril 13, 2010 at 2:29 PM

    That is PERFECT! It just screams cottage; not only is it beautiful, it's thrifty, too. Pat hubby on the back, he did a good job.

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  10. GayleApril 13, 2010 at 2:57 PM

    Did you get your oilcloth at Wimpole Street? They always have such cute ones to choose from and the price is right! Looks adorable!

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  11. Kathleen GraceApril 13, 2010 at 3:26 PM

    Oh my goodness I LOVE IT! The pantry and the oilcloth countertop. I need to look around and see where I can use this idea!

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  12. SusanApril 13, 2010 at 3:51 PM

    I love the oil cloth counter top......who woulda thunk?

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  13. ★Carol★April 13, 2010 at 4:23 PM

    I love your pantry, and what a great idea for the countertop! I wish I had a pantry, but we live in a very old house with no closets, and no pantry!

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  14. Just a bed of rosesApril 13, 2010 at 5:12 PM

    Leave it up to you!

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  15. KeleeApril 13, 2010 at 5:15 PM

    Great idea Mimi Sue! Why the heck not????????

    Excellent thinking outside of the box...and give Mister a kiss for me! He did well!

    love, kelee katillac

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  16. cherryApril 13, 2010 at 7:09 PM

    I love it...it is bright cheerful and oh so cottage! Cherry

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  17. Robin JohnsonApril 13, 2010 at 7:40 PM

    What a fantastic idea. Love it. It looks great in your room and of course I love the colors (my favorite combo: red and white)

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  18. Simple HomeApril 13, 2010 at 11:13 PM

    What a great idea, and it looks so nice. I'd love to have a walk-in pantry. Thanks so much for the kind comment you left on my anniversary post. I'm so glad to hear of the miracles in your life too!
    Blessings,
    Marcia

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  19. Anne FannieApril 14, 2010 at 12:02 AM

    I love it! So bright and cheery!

    Ann

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  20. DonnaApril 14, 2010 at 5:29 PM

    I love it, Mimi! It looks great, and a great idea too.

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  21. Diane's PhotographyApril 14, 2010 at 9:51 PM

    I love this look, I would have never thought of that myself. It's great, cheery and fun! I love friends that are more creative than me so I can copy their creativity haahaa...love it Sue!

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  22. The Cottage LookApril 15, 2010 at 3:15 AM

    WOW! What a great idea. It will work perfectly in any room in the house. A great idea for a changing table in the nursery or how about a gardening spot?

    You can use this idea in any room where clean-up needs to be fast and furious.

    Thanks for the inovative idea, I can't wait for more.

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  23. UnknownApril 15, 2010 at 8:38 AM

    Hi Mimi Sue - Red counter top and floor - EAK what a treasure! I wanted to let you know that I have posted information about our summer tag swap and have added your name as mentioned by Joyce. If you are still interested, please let me know. We are so happy to have you join us! Have a lovely weekend ahead. Elizabeth

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  24. GingerApril 15, 2010 at 9:11 AM

    I love your walk in pantry. That is great that you can leave things out and plugged in. So much more convenient. What a great idea for a countertop!!! The pattern looks perfect with your floor.
    You asked if you could see my house from the freeway. No you can't. I can see the freeway from my back pasture though. I guess because of the cars moving. We are about a mile and a half from the #62 exit.

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  25. Manuela@A Cultivated NestApril 15, 2010 at 12:45 PM

    That's so funny, as I was reading I was thinking oilcloth would be good and there you go! SO CUTE!

    Love it with the cute floor!

    Manuela

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  26. cindy-stitches-n-stuff.blogspot.comApril 15, 2010 at 12:45 PM

    You are so dang clever Mimi. Love your counter top. I love every thing you do. How is you Family Room working out?

    come visit
    cindy@stitches

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  27. Christie BryantApril 17, 2010 at 9:31 AM

    This is amazing! I love your floors too! So, so envious!

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  28. CareyApril 17, 2010 at 5:48 PM

    I love this idea and my favorite color. I may have use this idea.
    Hugs,
    Carey

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  29. The Gathering PlaceApril 17, 2010 at 9:56 PM

    How fun to have a walk in pantry! I love the idea of using the oil cloth, too. Thanks for sharing!
    JoAnn

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  30. Maryjane-The Beehive CottageApril 18, 2010 at 11:19 PM

    LOVE what you are doing! I must get some oil cloth to! Great idea!

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  31. LalleeMay 1, 2010 at 10:04 AM

    The mister's idea will now be copied from coast to coast. I love it!

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  32. ElyseJanuary 28, 2015 at 11:52 AM

    hi mimi,

    first-time visit. the oil cloth looks great!

    xo
    elyse

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Mimi loves to hear from you!