Product Review: Daich SpreadStone Mineral Select Countertop Refinishing Kit...

in a word.  Outstanding

Daich Coatings advertises on the "At Home with Gary Sullivan" show.  Our Formica counter-tops in the kitchen are really awful.  At least they used to be.

I explored many ways to fix it with out spending tons of money.  I finally ordered the Spread Stone™ Mineral Select™ Countertop Refinishing Kit , and for the past few days have been applying the product.

The process:

• Scruff up the old Formica
• Apply two coats of base coat
• Apply two coats of the stone coating
• Sand
• Apply two coats sealer

There really was nothing hard about any of this.  It does take time.  If timed perfectly, you could probably be done in a few days.  However, I let the first coat of the stone coating dry overnight so I wouldn't be applying the second coat at 8:00pm when the light wasn't good.

Yesterday I sanded and sealed.

Some things I learned:

• Use a palm sander for the scruffing and the final sanding.  It made the job super easy.  They mention using a circular sander, but I wouldn't recommend that as it could easily gouge the surface.  I emailed them, and they agreed the palm sander was a better choice. 
• I didn't bother taping off anything (I hate taping), and didn't have a bit of problem.  The product is very easy to control.  There is a bit of slop along the back side, but there is a row of tiles there that need to be re-caulked, so no biggie.
• I did put some cheap plastic tarp over the cabinets which you absolutely need for the sanding part.  Dust everywhere - even with a palm sander with a dust collector.
• Make sure you have plenty of microwaveable dinners.  Trust me, you won't be cooking.  The Marie Callender's dinners are actually pretty good, low in calories and carbs, and not too expensive.

I didn't take before pics, but here is the result (click on pic to embiggen):

What you can't see in the pics are the little sparkly bits - sort of like mica.

Is it going to look exactly like granite? No. I think granite is highly over-rated and proof positive that people are sheeple and will go along with anything that advertisers tell them they "must have."  Besides, I hear that granite is falling out of favor.

Does it look great?  Yes.  Without a doubt.

I'm so pleased that I'm ordering more to do the top of my dining room table and buffet. The hardest part of this project was picking the color.

Daich has a whole line of products for sidewalks, decks, garage floors, and wall tiles.  I'm considering the deck refinishing kit. 

The other item I've been searching for is something to put under my coffee maker.  There was some permanent staining on the Formica under where the coffee pot sat.  After spending hours looking for the perfect heat resistant mat, I found exactly what I was looking for just around the corner from us at Sally Beauty Supply.  Their Silicone Hot Iron Mat was the perfect size and is heat resistant up to 480°. No Sally's? No problem.  You can order it online.



Disclaimer:  I received nothing from Daich, Gary Sullivan, Marie Callender's, or Sally's for this review.  However, in the interest of honesty, I am sending a link to Daich, and maybe, just maybe, they would gift me another kit.  I can hope.