Giani Marble Countertop Paint Kit

Disclosure: I sought out a collaboration with Giani, Inc. after reading raving reviews about their countertop kits. They agreed to send me a free marble countertop paint kit in exchange for my honest opinion!

A few months back, I decided I was going to do a full kitchen makeover and I wanted it to be a drastic change!

The challenge wasn’t so much what to create but how I was going to do it without investing too much money.

You see, we plan to do a full kitchen renovation in a few years. We will eventually include all features needed to add value to our home: granite countertops, new cabinets, etc.

With that in mind, I went on a mission to find affordable solutions to my temporary problems.

I knew I wanted to paint the cabinets green, stencil a bold pattern on the walls, incorporate open shelving, and use a stick-on-tile but I had no clue what I was going to do with our countertops.

Honestly, they didn’t bother me too bad but I was determined to change EVERYTHING!

The Hunt for a Countertop Solution

I searched Pinterest to scope all the countertop alternatives I could find but nothing was speaking to me.

My first idea was to go with concrete countertops. However, the more I researched, the more I learned concrete countertops are a high maintenance and difficult to create.

Uninspired by Pinterest, I thought I’d simply give the countertops a fresh coat of paint and call it a day… but I wasn’t thrilled about it. I hoped for something a little more challenging and interesting.

As luck would have it, I fell upon a tutorial on Instagram by Katie Pellagrino (@peoniesonpleasant). She was demonstrating how to apply the Giani Marble Countertop Kit in her stories.

I was smitten. This is it! THIS is exactly what my countertops need!

Without hesitation, I contacted the company and asked to work with them. Thank goodness, they agreed to give me the gig!

The Giani Marble Countertop Kit arrived on my doorstep within a few days of ordering. I was blown away by the care and attention that went into the packaging!

The instructions were clear, easy to read and even included photos for visual learners like myself.

I was also impressed by the amount of tutorials they made available online. It supplied me with all the confidence I needed to embrace the challenge of using their countertop kit.

The Countertop Kit Application Process

I watched a few of Giani’s tutorials on YouTube, searched their Pinterest page, and checked out Giani’s Facebook profile to glean all the knowledge I needed for my project. I was ready!

For inspiration, they recommend you study pictures of real marble you’d like to emulate. I googled photos of marble and decided I liked this pattern the best:

The first step is to clean the countertops using a brillow pad. It’s essential to remove any residue and caulk.

Once it dried, I used frog tap to block off any areas I didn’t intend to paint. After that, I was ready to go!

The base primer was easy to apply and dried quickly. I was able to complete two coats while my toddler boys were down for a nap.

The next day I felt confident and relaxed so I knew it was a good time to tackle the veining.

Surprisingly, I found that painting the veins was actually therapeutic and enjoyable for me!

With no pressure on me to race through the process, I took my time getting the veins just how I like them.

You can relax knowing if you make a vein you don’t like, it’s effortless to wipe up and try again!

The thing about veins is they don’t have to be perfect. In fact, they appear more authentic if they’re imperfect.

For my look, I decided I was going to have my veins running down toward the right at an angle. I made sure to keep each vein from being too parallel with each other. You don’t want stripes!

A “technique” to take note of is the way I twirl the brush to create a natural edge to my veins and gives it a better flow.

Immediately after painting the vein I would spray with water and dab. The dabbing gives your veins a cloudy effect and keeps them from looking too harsh.

I spread the “cloud” out as far as I could so there wasn’t distinct definition. I didn’t want it to be obvious where I started dabbing and left off dabbing.

The veining brush provided in the countertop kit does a fantastic job for bigger and bolder veins. Personally, I wanted hairline veins in my design so I pulled out a finer brush I happened to have on hand.

Like you see in marble, I connected hairline veins with the major veins. I didn’t spray the finer lines with water. I dry dabbed them because they were already faint enough.

Once I had the major and hairline veins where I wanted them, I added ghost veins to fill in any empty spaces.

I went over all of the veins with highlighter and a textured sponge included in the countertop kit.

It added another dimension and softened up the veins quiet a bit. Here is an example of the difference the highlighter makes:

The final step is to apply the topcoat. It was easier to do than I expected! It applied evenly and gave me no issues. Repeat this step twice for the finish!

I treat the countertop like I would laminate. Use a cutting board and don’t set hot items directly on the countertop.

The company also suggests to wait 2 weeks for the countertop to cure before using them.

So Basically…

I’m obsessed with my new countertops!!! Like I said, I am not an artist but the Giani Marble Countertop Paint Kit made me feel like one.

I’ve been using these countertops for several weeks now with no issues. I’m seriously so proud and so in love with the results. Don’t mind me as I spread the message far and wide!!!

The countertop paint kit took my kitchen to a whole new level. I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to work with this incredible company and innovative product.

If you’d like to see more documentation of the process, check out my Instagram profile @fromgrittopearl. The stories for this project is saved in my highlights under “Countertops”.