If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen my stories about my kitchen countertops. I LOATHED THEM.

They were about 60 years old, beige Formica with little black flecks that I’m guessing were supposed to be decorative, but at this point just looked like dirt. No matter how much I scrubbed the counters, the kitchen just didn’t feel clean.

About a month ago I decided to give our tiny kitchen a facelift by painting the cabinets and drawers. I’d heard about another cheapie way to upgrade by using contact paper for countertops, so I figured while I was at it with the screwdriver and paintbrush I might as well give the countertops a makeover of their own, too.

I ordered three rolls of this contact paper in marble print off Amazon. There are endless options for contact paper out there; I got this one because it had decent reviews, I liked the print and it was available for Prime shipping.

I should mention that although it’s called contact paper, it’s really not papery at all. It’s much more durable, like thin vinyl with sticky adhesive on one side. I was very pleased with the quality of the product.

If you’re about to order contact paper for your countertops, get more than you think you need. Then, go ahead and throw another roll in your cart for good measure. I ordered three rolls, which should have been plenty, but by the end I was slicing and dicing up scraps to finish the job. Good thing our microwave covers like, 30% of our counter space, because it’s a checkerboard under there.

This process wasn’t the easiest, and I’m going to do what sounds like a lot of complaining about it, but I am glad I did it and am very happy with how it turned out. I just want to share what I learned so it might be a little easier for you.

Giving Your Kitchen A Makeover With Contact Paper For Countertops

In theory, installing contact paper on your kitchen counters is as basic as it could be; you roll it out and stick it down. The end. However, in practice it’s kind of like trying to wrap Christmas presents in a room full of cats: exasperating.

First of all, the contact paper is really sticky. Like lollipop-in-your-hair-in-third-grade sticky. Once it touches something, it takes an act of God to get it off. This is wonderful if that something is your kitchen counter because it stays down beautifully, but not so great if it brushes up against the wall or the sink while you’re trying to put it in place. So move carefully.

Secondly, it bubbles very easily. Once an air bubble gets trapped in a section you’re rolling out, you have almost no hope of getting rid of that sucker unless you peel the section up and start over. So move sloooowly.

I used a credit card and a scraping motion to smooth down the paper as I rolled it out, and by the end I had gotten pretty good at applying it with no bubbles. Unfortunately, the section I started with (and hence, the messiest) is the most visible section of our counter, and the one I finished with (the part under the microwave) is the one that looks the best. Go figure. So start with the section of your counter that’s least visible or practice on a piece of cardboard first.

Finally, this project is best completed with two people. I did it myself while my husband was out of town, and it was legitimately more frustrating than painting the entire set of cabinets. For your best shot of getting a smooth application the first time, it will work best to have one person holding the roll of contact paper and the other person smoothing it out and sticking it down.

Now that we’ve got all that wisdom out of the way, here’s what I did.

I first began by scrubbing the counters like crazy. Get them nice and clean and dry.

Then, I took a toothpick and scraped any remaining gunk from the seam where the counter meets the metal edging and the wall. Apparently aluminum counter trim was a common feature in 1950’s kitchens. I considered taking the edging off first, but I didn’t want to risk damaging the wall in places where it was attached. Ultimately I ended up leaving it in place and I think it came out just fine.

Once the counters were as clean as they could be, I started with my first section of contact paper. Unless you have really narrow counters, the roll is probably not going to be wide enough to cover them with a single sheet. You’ll have to lay two or more side by side.

Believe it or not, this is actually really easy and the seam is barely noticeable. If you aren’t looking for it, you’d never know it was there. It’s been a month and I haven’t had any problems with the seam pulling up or apart. I guess that’s the upside to the paper being so sticky.

Start by cutting the contact paper to approximately the size you’ll need. Begin with the outside edge of your counter so you have a nice straight edge to work against. Slowly, carefully, peel the backing off and lay the paper down, rolling out only as much as you need at a time and using your credit card to push any air bubbles out.

When you reach the end of where you’re going—for me this meant reaching the edge of the sink—use a utility knife to cut the paper around the edge. Then, take the side of your credit card and seal the edge of the contact paper down nice and flat.

I did my counters and the backsplash on the wall behind them.

That’s basically all there is to it! This project took me about three hours and I spent around $35 on the contact paper. It’s been a month and so far the paper has held up wonderfully. I’ve gotten it wet, set hot pans on it and scrubbed around the edges and seams, and it hasn’t moved a bit. The only thing I wouldn’t do is cut on it because that would probably damage the paper.

Because I did this on my own and it was my first time, I ended up with more bubbles in the finished product than I would have liked. My husband says they’re hardly noticeable, but I may go back and re-do it a few months down the road just to get a smoother application. Or I might just leave it as-is. We’ll see how much the bubbles bother me in the long run.

Product Used: Faux Marble/Granite Contact Paper

See the rest of my kitchen facelift for under $100 here!