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Art Green's kitchen benchtop gets a fresh new look

Former reality star Art Green is renovating his old villa in Warkworth with the help of MasterStroke by Resene. Far from a Bachelor these days, he lives with wife Matty and their three gorgeous kids – Milo, five, Autumn, three and nine-month-old Penelope.

The couple has been slowly renovating their home over the past five years, after being drawn to the classic character and infinite potential it presented. “Matty and I love the villa style and we liked the idea of having a house we could do up,” Art says. “I love challenging myself with DIY projects and am slowly accumulating more tools and skills which I love to put to the test.”

Kitchen things

The current stage of the home transformation is updating the kitchen – which, with three kids, is undoubtedly the busiest place in their house. Art and Matty were not fans of the original, to say the least, “It’s dated, dark, boring and ugly,” Art says. “We wanted to update our kitchen to be more in style with the era of the house, as well as bring the light in.”

The couple were inspired by the tones and hues of the French farmhouse style, so borrowed elements of that when they were deciding on their new Resene colour scheme.

Art was thrilled to discover that instead of replacing the dark grey kitchen benchtop that sucked the life out of the space, it could be easily painted over with a fresh new stylish colour. “It’s pretty cheap and looks like a brand new benchtop! It was surprisingly easy and really satisfying.”

All that was needed was the right preparation and some expert advice from Resene Paint Expert Jay Sharples, who took Art through every step that’s required for the perfect finish.

art green and jay sharples kitchen benchtop

Resene Paint Expert Jay Sharples took Art through the exact steps required to transform his seriously dated kitchen benchtop.

The old benchtop was dark and made the kitchen space appear significantly smaller.

Prep work

Art used painter’s tape to mask off the areas he wanted to protect from paint splatters, applying it around all walls and cabinets. Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner – the multi-use wonder – was then used to give the benchtop a good clean. This removed any old food marks and prepared the surface for the next steps.

A light sand with wet and dry sandpaper was then done to de-gloss the surface. When doing this yourself, run the sandpaper under running water then use light circular motions to scuff up the surface, making sure you don’t go through the surface. Wipe the surface clean to remove any sanding residue.

Prime time

The priming products and the order they’re applied in are crucial here, not just for looks but paint performance and durability. Art first applied Resene Waterborne Sureseal pigmented sealer with a roller, followed by Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat. This is designed to uniform the surface and make it all white, which is crucial here, as Art and Matty have chosen a much lighter colour than the original dark grey stone.

Let there be light

After waiting 48 hours for the primer to completely dry, Art applied the topcoat – Resene Uracryl 402 urethane acrylic tinted to Resene Alabaster – a crisp white with a black undertone.

It’s a two part product – Resene Uracryl 402 urethane acrylic is mixed with Resene Uracryl 400 Series hardener then left to sit for half an hour before applying. This ensures the new bench surface will be much more hard-wearing.

Although it has a bit of a strong smell to it, Jay says, “it’ll provide much more protection for when you’re actually using the kitchen.” After applying the first coat, Art then waited 24 hours and applied the second coat. Resene Alabaster made a huge difference, lifting and brightening the space and opening it up significantly.

art green kitchen benchtop resene waterborne sureseal

After sanding with wet and dry sandpaper and wiping off the sanding dust, Art goes in with the first primer step, which is a coast or Resene Waterborne Sureseal pigmented Sealer.

art green kitchen benchtop resene quick dry

Once the Resene Waterborne Sureseal is dry, the next prep product to apply is Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat. This will make the surface of the benchtop a uniform colour to apply the topcoat onto and prevent the original dark colour from showing through.

kitchen benchtop pouring resene uracryl 402

For the topcoat, Art is using Resene Uracryl 402 in Resene Alabaster, which needs to be mixed with Resene Uracryl 400 Series hardener to ensure a hard-wearing finish.

Art values the helping hand he gets from Resene. “I love the advice you can get from the people in Resene ColorShops or from the advice email. I also love the range of products and colours.”

Art’s best DIY hack for home painters? “This is going to sound like I’m pretty dumb, but the best advice I was given is to wrap plastic wrap around your paintbrushes and rollers when not using them if you intend to come back and use them again, instead of washing them out every time. I just never thought of that!”

Life at the top

Painting the kitchen ceiling? When it comes to colour choice, think about choosing quarter or half strengths, rather than the full-strength colour. Mindful selection means you can create a warm, soft and inviting feel in your kitchen, which is more often than not a home’s social hub. A popular choice is Resene Quarter Black White or Resene Alabaster which open up the space and allow light to permeate.

When it comes to which paint to choose, flat finishes diffuse light, so they tend to conceal any surface imperfections better than paints with higher sheen levels, making them a good choice for ceilings – especially those that might be a little dented or rough. They also absorb light and add more depth and warmth to a room. Try Resene SpaceCote Flat Kitchen & Bathroom – it’s a waterborne enamel, which means you can wipe it if you need to without damaging the paint. It’s also very tough, so it can withstand steam from kettles or cooking.

You can refresh most areas in your home with Resene paint or stain. You just need the right prep and the right products. If you’re planning a new project and are not sure where to start, visit the team at your local Resene ColorShop for advice, or you can Ask a Resene Paint Expert free online.

Before

After

The fresh new colour scheme makes the kitchen a far more pleasant place to be! Benchtop in Resene Uracryl 402 in Resene Alabaster and cabinetry in Resene Lustacryl Kitchen & Bathroom in Resene Green Spring.