I posted my kitchen worktops makeover on the Facebook Frenchic Group and I have received so many questions I thought I would answer them here. We had a quote for new worktops, it was £1,000 and we simply do not have that right now. So, I found a vinyl covering called DC Fix that covers our old worktop perfectly and creates a new look. All for under £50. This post details how I did it and what you will need.
What did I use?
The material is a a sticky back vinyl wrap. It comes as a roll, like wrapping paper, and you have to measure and cut back what you need to cover your worktops. I chose ribbeck oak from Create Your World. I ordered 90cm by 10 metres and it cost £39.00. I preferred this oak colour as it looked quite rustic and I thought it would go best with my painted cupboard doors. My worktops measured around 7 metres, so I knew ordering more I would have spare for incase I made a mistake or indeed I needed to replace it at a later date.
You may remember I painted our cupboard doors last Summer with Frenchic Paint, Al Fresco and the colour is Cool Beans. It made such a difference to the kitchen as it brightened it up. I think the faux wooden kitchen worktops now make it look complete. Like the Shabby Chic, Country feel I am after.
What tools did I need?
I literally used a pair of scissors and a DC Fix accessories pack I found on Amazon, it came with a smoother and craft knife. It’s about £5 and the smoother and craft knife are essential to ensuring this wrap goes on smoothly without any bubbles. The craft knife also glides across the wrap meaning you can get perfectly smooth edges. That’s it. Those 3 tools. The below photo also shows what the surface looked like originally:
Step by step guide to fitting DC Fix vinyl on kitchen worktops
Firstly, you need to clean your existing worktop down. Use sugar soap if it is particularly sticky and grimy. Once clean, dry it down completely. You do not want any water on the surface when you are sticking the vinyl down. Now we can begin!
I flipped the wrap upside down and used the ruler guides on the back to work out where to cut. This means you can also use the scissors to get a pretty straight line (if you haven’t got access to a guillotine).
Then I flip the wrap back over, so the wood side is facing up and I place it when it needs to be. You need to take into consideration the edges. As you may have to wrap around an edge that is wider than another edge (meaning you will not be trimming a straight edge off the end of the wrap). I also used the wrap to mould around the curved bullnose edges of the worktop.
Then it became a little tricky! My method was to align it, then stick it at the WALL end (shortest edge) and work my way across the worktop to the other end. Working across the longest edge. So, if you look at the below photo, you will see I have stuck the wall edge down and used the smoother to get rid of any bubbles.
my technique was to pull the backing off, from under the wrap with my left hand (so putting your arm under the wrap) and then use the smoother tool with my right hand to push out any bubbles. You need to push the air from the side you have stuck and push away, otherwise you could create a bubble and push it backwards. You need to use forward strokes, away from the edge you started at. Hope that makes sense.
When I got to the end of the worktop I used the craft knife to get a precise cut around the edging. This particular piece of worktop was quite tricky as it has an angled cut. So I wrapped it around the long edges and cut it to fit the top. Then I cut pieces of vinyl out specifically for the 3 edges of the worktop. It was fiddly and it took me a few attempts, but I am happy with how it finished.
I then tidied up the edges. It didn’t have to be perfect. We are covering the tiles next with a splash back, so I will use a white beading to finish the wall edges. But I cut it down so it looked tidy until we get to that stage.
Here are some photos of the worktops:
Have you tried to use this? Do you have any other tips for people having a DIY moment? I would love to know in the comments below, or on social media: @mummyconstant. I am yet to do the sink area, as I need to buy a little more bullnose worktop to finish off around the dishwasher. But this has made a huge difference already.
Very impressive – mine are in need of a revamp – hope i do a gooda job as you