You can call me a renting expert. Over the span of my 34 years of existence, I have rented several times. I’ve learned quickly that if you want to make your rental feel like your own personal space, you need to get creative. You also need to think temporary. What are temporary details that are easy to change back when you move out? Some obvious switchable details would be lighting, hardware, window treatments and paint. But one not so obvious idea is temporarily changing your countertops. I have temporarily changed my fireplace tile, but it was my friend Jennifer Hagler from A Merry Mishap who first thought of this for kitchen counters. What is it, you ask? Adhesive Film in grey marble. Who doesn’t love marble? We all swoon over marble kitchens, like the one above. Well, you can create the same look and vibe by simply attaching adhesive film to your counters, like my kitchen below.
Image: Simply Grove Instagram
We installed our adhesive counters a year and a half ago and they are still going strong! As long as you don’t cut produce directly on the film (I always use my wooden cutting boards), the paper will last a good amount of time. As you can see we used it for our counters and backsplash. The existing materials were in the tan/brown family, so it wouldn’t have worked to just use it on the counters. I wish I had kept the before pictures. It really is a dramatic change! So, if you hate your counters but it’s not in your budget to replace them, DO THIS! PS: You could totally do this in your bathroom too! AND Amazon carries other options, like black, white and black marble.
Shop the adhesive film here.
Genius!! Countertops can be such a turn off when looking for a rental. This is such a great fix!
Such a difference, thank you for the inspiration!
OH MY GOD! This exists???? Have I been living under a rock? I onw a condo but it’s not in my current budget to change my horrid red/orange coutertops so this could totaly save my eyes for a year or two until I can save enough money to change it all! Thank you so much.
We own our house, and the laminate isn’t in bad shape,but I would love the look of the marble. I’m toying with the idea of getting some just for my happiness for as long as it lasts. My kitchen looks very similar to yours in that I have the full height laminate backsplash. Do you have any tutorials on how you put it up?
I don’t, but might put one up soon!
Thank you so much for this idea! Can you share where you decided to put the seams of the contact paper? I assume based on the dimensions of the paper you linked, there is a seam somewhere on the flat surface of the countertop?
I did this in the bathroom in our last rental and LOVED it. I’d do it in our new one, but we have a round sink and the thought of cutting around that just sounds like a nightmare. PS – I had great luck with peeling it right off. It was probably on there for about 6 months and left no residue behind.
How difficult is it to take off
Not difficult at all!
I’m worried about this getting wet… I see you put this around a sink. It hasn’t bubbled or lifted at all?
No, we got it wet on a regular basis and it held up fine!
Just found this on Pinterest! Love the idea and going to look into it! What happens when you peel it off though? Is t sticky and leave the counter tops gross?
Hi!! Nope, with the help of soapy warm water, it comes right off!
Could you so this on cabinets? Would it ruin the finish when peeled off?
Probably!!
Do you think this would work over small 2×2 counter top tile?
yes!
Back in ’04, the dorm room I moved into had its bathroom counters done this way. It looked good where it was taken care of. As for the weathered/scratched spots, it was awful. Who knows how old it was, though. I’d definitely give this concept a try if I did the install myself.
We’re always moving and buying isn’t a financial option for us. Your blog is amazing man! It truly gave me some insight on what could really make my house more beautiful. I’m always in a fix as to what I should do so when I come home I can rest in my beautiful house!
Your post is very informative, I really appreciate it. Keep sharing such kind of informative articles. Thanks!!
what do you use to cut it?
We used a razor blade!