Renter Friendly Kitchen Countertops And New Light Fixture

Hey friends! A few weeks ago, I spontaneously decided to paint my kitchen cart pink and after painting it, it led me to start a renter friendly kitchen update. I got so many questions after sharing the peel and stick counter tops, I thought I would share it on the blog so you guys can refer back to this post.

I originally ordered marble peel and stick contact paper that was around $9 (looking to do things on a budget) but it only lasted a few hours on the kitchen cart I mentioned above. The next morning when I looked at it in daylight, I realized it looked very cheap looking and it had a hint of purple instead of grey. So I ordered THIS paper and the quality was impressive. I originally ordered the peel and stick counter top paper for the kitchen cart but when I received it, I decided to try it on the kitchen countertops instead and I’m so happy I did. I was so excited with how it looked! Of course, now I wanted to change everything in the kitchen.

So here is my plan: peel and stick backsplash, paint the cabinets, change the light fixture, change the cabinet pulls and try to change the floors or use peel and stick floors. I created a mood board to visualize how it would look.

Using this peel and stick paper was so easy. I used a paper towel, wallpaper smoothing tool and a very sharp blade to trim the paper. As I unroll the paper, I used the paper towel to slide back and forth to prevent any air bubbles. I also used the wallpaper smoothing tool to press into any curves (the space between the little ledge at the top and the regular counter top and also used it around the kitchen sink), you can use a credit card if you don’t have this tool. I didn’t wrap the paper under the countertop but I trimmed it at the edge with the blade.

Before:

After:

I used white caulk around the sink to seal any moisture from getting into the edges and lifting the paper. I also have a very large air fryer/oven on the counter and a couple days after installing this paper, I used the oven (for about 40 min) and I noticed the paper started bubbling up under the oven from the heat. After smoothing it out, I placed a large wood cutting board under the oven and haven’t had an issue with it. Just keep that in mind if you decide to try it too.

Also, I used one entire roll on the kitchen countertops and on the kitchen cart. Here is a reels I made for Instagram. I will start recording more of the process as I go.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below. I recently switched out the boob light we had for the brass light fixture I shared above and it made such a difference!

Hope this post is helpful and inspires you!

Click on a picture below to shop this post.

*This is the updated backsplash since I returned the original one below.