Are the counters run of the mill shapes and lengths? If so, you can get preformed laminate counters very reasonably at Lowes, Home Depot, and the like. I think they come in lengths up to 12' long, and you can get ones that have mitered corners if your counters have an L.

You can google for bloggers who have done the paint treatments on laminate. I've seen some nice ones, and they claimed that they held up ok.

There have been many beautiful Ikea butcherblock tops on here over the years.

If you don't like granite, you don't have to get it. You could look into quartz, solid surface, possibly soapstone...

Here is a link that might be useful: Peformed laminate counters at Lowes

Since you intend to replace the counters in a year or two and you admit to having only some DIY skills, now is the perfect time to try something new just for the learning experience and it would not matter now bad a job you did. Even plywood with a coat of polyurethane would last a year or two. If your counters now have laminate and are not molded edges, you can apply laminate directly over the existing and do it for probably $150'ish. Ikea's wood counters would cost more but not that much, or buy some cheap tile in a color and pattern you like, not necessarily to have tile counters but to learn how to cut and lay tile. Just about anything you try will last a year or two and be a good learning experience and not cost you a great deal. That's how I would approach it.

I won't tell you what kind of counter tops to do but I'll tell you one thing you shouldn't do. Paint them yourself. For paint to look good it must be sprayed. Do you have the equipment and experience? To stay on and retain appearance it must be catalyzed and the hardening agents can harm everthing from your lungs,liver and eyes to central nervous system unless wearing proper equipment.

I agree with laughable and rmtdoug. Many videos and blog posts are out there with people who have painted their laminate counters and then sealed them. Most seem to report that they are holding up find. Obviously, you can't cut on them. Try your hand at that or at tile work. If you want to keep the project inexpensive, there are lots of great, inexpensive tiles out there.

For a different idea, we are considering doing DIY zinc counters. They start out looking a bit like stainless steel but they are softer and will develop a patina with use. You may not like that look but it's an inexpensive way to change your counter. Roto-Metals is just one online seller but I recommend them as they have a lot of how-to videos. Basically, you cut the zinc with tinsnips, glue it on, wrap it around the edges and corners, then use zinc solder to seal the cuts at the corners, then sand and polish them. It can go over your current counters. I don't recall the price offhand but it was something like $130 for a 10-foot sheet wide enough for a normal counter. If you can wrap a present and solder (and soldering is easy to learn but I'd practice before doing the counter), you could do it yourselves. That would be both inexpensive and unique.

Some people like bar top epoxy. If you're not sure what it is, google it. It's also relatively inexpensive. You could probably do a typical kitchen for about $250-300. You would want to cover the laminate with something before applying the epoxy. You could simply paint it or some people do amazingly creative things like covering with pennies first or cloth or whatever. Again, if you google you'll see a lot of different ideas. Of course, if you did something like pennies, it would cost you more, lol. I think some are creative but some are on the tacky side but at least this might give you some ideas.

When it comes time to do a long-term solution, if you don't like stone, don't do stone. Personally, I would never do it. I think they've become boring and I'm bugged by open mining just so people can have a countertop. Yes, many of it looks beautiful, especially if the right colors are paired with the right cabinets. I can't deny that. But there are certainly inexpensive and more interesting options out there.

And, of course, the butcher block counters can be gorgeous. If you don't have any luck at IKEA, a lot of people use Lumber Liquidators.

Oh, I've also seen some counters done with good quality plywood like ApplePly and EuroPly that have amazing edges that could be left exposed. You're looking at about $100-150 per 8x4 sheet so this would be a very inexpensive solution. Of course you'd need to seal it with a good polyurethane.

If you do go to sell, you could always calculate the money you saved not putting in stone and then offer buyers a discount on the purchase price in order for them to select their own stone.

Let us know what you decide and have fun with it!

Do you have photos you could post? I'm having a hard time imagining that a new home would have 90s stuff in it? Maybe it's just not the expensive granite and fancy cabinets in your mind? Painting cheap cabinets IMHO isn't really an option. Painting a counter top just because it's laminate and not granite isn't really going to improve anything. I'd much rather have a new laminate than a painted new laminate. Personally I kind of like laminate.

Arkansas_girl I think the reference of new is that it is a new house to them not a newly built house.

I think tiling the counters could turn into the cheapest and easiest temporary solution, but you'd need to be somewhat handy and also be able to spacially plan it out with the tile before hand to avoid weird cuts and odd placements. Larger tiles would minimize grout lines.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Yes, this is a new to us house but was built in the mid 1990's.

I'd never considered tile on the counters because I always remember my mother complaining about her old tiled countertops. She said they were a nightmare to clean because you have to scrub the grout regularly.

Even though I really like the look of butcherblock, I doubt potential buyers in this neighborhood would appreciate it. I hate to spend more than a few hundred dollars on the counters if they are going to need to be replaced to sell in a few years.

I think I'm leaning towards painting. Worst case scenario, we get granite or quartz a few months earlier than planned. Because granite is relatively inexpensive and our kitchen is small, getting granite earlier won't break the bank, especially if we make do with the existing cabinets.

The other benefit of painting is that it gives me an opportunity to try out colors before investing in granite. I keep going back and forth between light and dark granite

Butcher block has always felt taste specific to me.

I think the idea of painting until you figure out what you really want makes sense.

I would investigate the suggestion above of applying a new laminate sheet on top of the existing laminate. If it's within your reach skills-wise, I think it would hold up much better than paint. And I'd rather have something that will last just in case something else pops up that takes financial precedence. (Houses have a way of needing money when it is least convenient.)

If you follow instructions carefully, the countertop paints or even house paint topped with clear sealant are a good temporary solution. Look up "how to paint your counters" on Google for links to LOTS of blogs about it.

If it chips, repaint!

Re-surfacing with a sheet of formica calls for skills you don't have.

As I was unpacking another box this morning, I got to thinking that maybe I could live with the countertops as they are. I thought they were mauve but they're really move of a very light pinky tan. There is kind of a pinkish hue which I thought was mauve. I think they will not be as ugly as I thought once they are not paired with the dated oak cabinets.

I think they might look acceptable with white cabs and new paint in the kitchen. The paint which is kind pinky/peachy/tan-y brings out the pink in the countertops. I think a cooler gray-ish paint with white cabs might bring out a totally different look in the countertops.

The upside of not painting is that at least I won't make them worse.

If you want to paint the laminate to make it look like marble, directions are linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: faux marble countertop

I continue to be amazed at how inexpensive granite can be.

This post was edited by Trebruchet on Sat, Jan 31, 15 at 20:10

It's shockingly cheap these days. I'd just rather save a few thousand dollars right now.

My other concern is that I may want to replace the cabinets in the next few years. If that's the case, I'd rather wait and get the granite or quartz with the new cabs.

I thought you only wanted cheap counter for a couple of years until you could afford granite. Then you wonder if butcher block counters will lower the resale. Are you thinking to keep the butcher block and not replace with granite? Are you planning to sell within the next 5 years?

If you don't want to paint the counters you definitely will not enjoy painting the cabinets.

You are certainly entertaining all options.

If you can live with the existing counters, I would definitely do that. Save your money and effort. The home decorating forum here can probably advise you on wall colors to help minimize the pink tones if you are interested.

Yes we only want a cheap option for a year or so before we upgrade the kitchen. The upgrade will be new countertops and possibly new cabinets.

We don't know if we will sell within 5 years. We like this house, the neighborhood and the schools but I've learned to never say never. And to never count on a house being a forever house. As our children get older we might find that our needs change. With that in mind, I don't want to make any changes that will make it harder to sell. Most of the houses that go on the market in this neighborhood have painted or stained builder grade oak cabinets topped with new granite.

It's not that I don't want to paint the countertops but that I'd rather not mess with it. Based on what I've read online many people paint/stain their cabinets and have good results. However, it seems that fewer people paint their countertops and that the outcomes are mixed. Painting the cabinets seems much more of a sure thing. Especially given that it's so common in this neighborhood and all of the homes have the same cabinets.

I painted my countertops as a temporary fix when we moved in here 8 yrs ago, before we were ready to remodel (which just happened a few months ago). I sponge painted the tops to look like stone and sealed with several costs of poly.
(And I used 97 cent craft paint !)
It held up perfectly, with only once edge that chipped, and only recently.
But I am a cutting board/ hot plate kind of girl...but our counters were frequently wet and they stayed fine.

That being said, you need to have an artistic touch to get it right...I practiced for days untilI got my color combination the way I wanted it.
I also hand painted my cabinets after prepping and priming, using Sherwin Williams special cabinet paint.
They also held up well.
Both were time consuming, and not easy with small kids in the house...but doable.

As far as trying to decide between light or dark countertops, one smart GWer took and spread out a black plastic garbage bag on her counter to see how she liked the look of a dark surface in her kitchen before committing to her granite choice. You could do the same with a white bag, too. : )

I agree with crl...I'd just live with the counters and cabinets until you get ready for the remodel. Normally 90s decor was pretty neutral so how bad could it be...it's not like it's ORANGE counters right!