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Encore Countertop Review & Giveaway!

A few months ago I was asked to review a countertop transformation kit from Encore, but since I had already painted my counters, I needed a guinea pig.  I called up my friend Julie and said, “Please don’t be offended by this, but you have pretty ugly countertops, would you like a free makeover?”  Luckily she just laughed, and then said yes!  You can see for yourself how “interesting” they were, with the green leaf print.

They always reminded me of those leaf sketches you’d do in elementary school. 🙂

I chose the Stirling Silver Encore kit, which I thought would look nice in her kitchen.

Day 1
The first day we applied the bonding coat.  You could still see the counters through the first layer but the bonding coat was definitley thick and heavy duty.

After a great deal of sanding, and a lot of sweating,  we added the second layer of the bonding coat. Once the second layer went on you could no longer see the green countertops underneath.  The kitchen already looked better!

The second coat was much easier to apply and made the countertops much smoother than the first.

Day 2
The second day we started adding color.  This layer was so much fun to apply because you could see the swirls of color and it was so pretty!

As my friend and I were putting it on we kept saying, “this is so cool!”  I tried to capture the look of the color in these pictures but they don’t really do it justice.

After the first color coat was completely dry, Julie and her husband, did a final smooth sanding and then painted on the the final color coat.

Day 3
This is what the counters looked like the next morning when I showed up.  I was amazed at the transformation!

It’s so cool that it actually looks like concrete and I love that a million people can use this kit but your counters will always be unique because everyone will apply the color a little differently.

After another very light sanding Julie and I painted on the final gloss coating.  It’s a very thin gloss but it seals the counters and gives them a little shine.  Here are a couple pictures I took while the gloss was drying.

The best part about the Encore kit, other than the fact that the transformation is beautiful, is that you can use your counters the next day!  It’s recommended you let the counters completely dry overnight, but then you can put all your stuff back on the counters!  When we painted our countertops I had to wait a week before I could do that!

Here are some “after” pictures for you to enjoy.

Can you believe how much more modern her kitchen looks?!  I think it even made the cabinets look better!

The gray color is beautiful, I absolutely love it.  Julie and her family love it too and they are glad that this is the only kind of green they’ll have on their counters from now on! 🙂

Here’s another close up, just because it’s so pretty and I couldn’t resist. 🙂

Here’s a breakdown of Julie, and my opinions, of the product and the refinishing process.

Pros
* The product is very durable and thick
* The color is beautiful
* The directions and video tutorials are very helpful and easy to follow
* It took a lot of work over the 3 days but the work was pretty easy.  As Julie said, “if a 9 month pregnant woman and a girl friend can do it, anyone can do it!”  We also had a lot of fun throughout the process.

Cons
* The color was a little darker than expected (we still love it, but it is darker than the swatch online)
* Insufficient product amounts.  We had enough product to complete the project but on some steps we used every single grain of sand and then on other steps we had tons left over.  We wish there had been the same amount of product for each of the steps because on a few of the steps we were stressed out that we were going to run out of product.

Let’s look at the before and after again, just for fun.

What do you think of the countertop transformation?  I absolutely love it!

To find out more about Encore, the complete countertop refinishing system, and to see other transformations, follow them on Facebook.

I’ve had some readers ask what my friend thinks of her countertops after she’s had the counter tops for about a year. She is still very satisfied with them! She has had no problem with stains and only one issue with scratching. The scratch did not scratch the color off but more created an indentation in the counter. She said that the counters are a little softer but she has not had any flaking or any places where the color has stained or faded!

About Anna

"Hi, I'm Anna! Wife, mother, child of God, and the founder of Ask Anna. I have always enjoyed cleaning, organizing, decorating and helping people, so I've put that all together on the pages of this blog. I truly hope my tips help you in your home and make sure to contact me if you have a question!"

Comments

  1. Rebecca says

    This is awesome. I have very old countertops. Can you say 1970’s yellow what looks to be version of laminate back then. You can even see knife marks in the surface and I want to re do them badly. This product looks like it would fit the bill!! I had never heard of it until this post and I am glad I read this!

  2. Rebecca says

    I hate my green corian countertops …. great to see an option besides ripping them out.

  11. Cindy Bechinski says

    Wow, it does look like a lot of work but much cheaper than replacing them all!

  12. Christine (iDreamofClean) says

    This is quite interesting to me! I just moved and am not impressed with our countertops AT ALL. I’ve been trying to decide between a re-do and new counters so winning this would definitely be a great way to make up my mind 🙂

  13. Morag says

    What a great idea – I had no idea there were products like this. My kitchen could do with being brightened up.

  19. Jen Archer says

    I would definitely do my kitchen counters! Mine are an even uglier green. I have completely repainted the walls and cupboards in my kitchen, but still have to look at the ugly counters. By repainting walls, I mean I primered 3 coats over the 70s mushroom paneling before I could even paint. I have been wanting to do my countertops so bad! Thanks for the chance.

  20. Stephanie Morency says

    i would do my kitchen first, then buy more to finish off 2 bathrooms. 🙂

  23. Flamingoer says

    I am renting and we have terrible looking counter tops that just do not “clean” up. I would like to show this to my landlord and see what they tink about it!!
    THANKS!

  25. rachel j. says

    would love to win this countertop makeover! if not, i will look into purchasing it anyway…love the look!

  26. Casie says

    Hi Anna,
    This is so cool! My husband and I just got our first house and the counters in the kitchen are terrible it looks like someone put linoleum on them, I would definitely use this on them.

    • Suzanne says

      My countertops were built in the 70’s so you KNOW they need a makeover! Would love to win this.

  36. Brenda A. says

    I would love to redo our kitchen counters in the onyx! Thanks for the great giveaway.

  38. Heather Chandler says

    We recently added some cupboards and newer counter top to add kitchen storage. However, the newer counter top does not match the current one. When we put it in, my husband promised we could either replace it or cover it with a product like this. I REALLY hope I win this giveaway so I can have a matching kitchen.

  40. Jenna J says

    What a great idea! Never thought of painting our lime green counters, was just dreading the idea of tiling. Thanks!

  42. jamie lynn says

    i’ve been DYINGGGG to redo my kitchen countertops that are probably from the 50’s or 60’s. i would certainly love to win this kit!! thanks so much for the awesome giveaway!!

  44. Stephanie Hicks says

    I would definitely re-do my kitchen. We love the house we bought…with the exception of the very dated BLUE countertops. They go with nothing! I’ve been dying to change them, but can’t afford the price of new countertops…this would be perfect!

  48. Erin Boehme says

    I would transform our bathrooms. They are straight from the 70’s and need a color change immediately.

  49. Courtney says

    what a cool option! I’m so nervous about altering my beige countertops even though they have burn marks!

  50. Nicole W says

    This stuff looks great! And I love that you can use the counter the next day. I would transform my kitchen counters for sure!

  51. Sherry Sch says

    Wow! I’d do my kitchen countertops. Mine are original to my house (1974?) and are DARK brown. Hideous!

  52. Cindy K says

    Would absolutely do my kitchen if I won. I have a very cheap looking light blue color from the contractor when they built he house and it just looks so ugly. I hate it! This looks like a project I could do!

  56. Pamela says

    My kitchen! My countertop is a sort of evergreen-ish/turquoise swirl thing from the late sixties. It is horrifying.

  58. kit says

    I love the sterling grey color. Would love to update both baths and kitchen counters with this product. Thanks for the info. Fingers Crossed I am chosen. Thanks for the info and chance to win, Anna! Love your blog!

  61. Barbara Medeiros says

    I have soapstone counter top in my bathroom that is stained & ugly, I wonder if this would work on that, I know the rustoleum product can’t be used on soapstone. 🙁 Also can it be used in the sink? Would love to win this! 🙂

  63. Emily S says

    Wow, this turned out great! We have the same countertops that Julie and Nathan had and want to redo them so bad! We’ll definitely look into this!

  64. Jess says

    We recently bought our first home, and this would be amazing to try on our 70s kitchen counters!!

  70. emilee says

    would defiinitely use on our 1930 bathroom counters since we have old railway ties as our kitchen counters don’t think i’d want to cover this up!

  72. Gloria Davis says

    I just finished the first of the color applications. In my bathroom I have metallic paint in copper and the cabinests are copper penny. I know , sounds gross but with bamboo painted over the copper it is awesome and people go ape over it.
    My question: Is it possible to add a few flecks/swirls of copper pain onto the last layer of color? ( I am using the dark brown or expresso color.

    thanks

    • Anna says

      Yeah of course! I’d add it before putting on the gloss coat. I’d love to see a picture, send me a picture if you think about it. 🙂

  73. Ashley says

    Do you have any updates from your friend on how they are holding up?
    I’ve heard about staining and scratching being pretty bad with concrete counters, so I’d love to hear how this product compares. : )
    Thank you!!

    • mreynolds says

      Hey Ashley,

      I spoke with Anna’s friend about how the encore countertops are holding up. She’s had the counter tops for about a year and is very satisfied with them still. She said that she’s had no problem with stains and only one issue with scratching. The scratch did not scratch the color off but more created an indentation in the counter. She said that the counters are a little softer but she has not had any flaking or any places where the color has stained or faded. Hope this answers your question!

  74. Katie says

    I am wondering if you are still pleased with your Encore countertops. Have they been holding up to routine wear and tear.

    • mreynolds says

      Katie,
      I spoke with Anna’s friend about how the encore countertops are holding up. She’s had the counter tops for about a year and is very satisfied with them still. She said that she’s had no problem with stains and only one issue with scratching. The scratch did not scratch the color off but more created an indentation in the counter. She said that the counters are a little softer but she has not had any flaking or any places where the color has stained or faded. Hope this answers your question!

  75. Renee says

    After trying the Encore countertop and the Giani Granite countertop, which one would you recommend?