EnviroText Lite

Hobby Lobby carried Envirotex, but in small sizes only.  Lowe's didn't know what it was when I inquired and said they didn't have it.  I found them in gallon-size at Menards for around $55.00.  I needed two gallons for my counters.  Notice in the photo below how it comes--in two seperate containers sold together.  The stuff activates when they're mixed together, and according to the directions, you have two minutes in which to mix it.   So, be sure to mix thoroughly and rapidly, like a mad woman (or mad man), scraping the bottom of the bucket, or else you will have soft spots in the Enviro-tex after it dries.  The directions say absolutely DO NOT use an electric drill to mix it with --- BY HAND ONLY!   If you do it right, you should have lots of bubbles.  Carbon dioxide removes the bubbles, so breathe on them with a straw if it's a small project.  For a big one like mine, I used a blow torch.  The stuff is non-flammable, so unless you do something really stupid like catch the curtains on fire, you'll be fine.

Envirotex is supposed to be self-leveling, but I found it needed a little help.  The directions recommended a rubber putty knife.  It didn't work very well.  Since I had on rubber gloves to begin wtih, I simply used my hands to spread the goo around. Don't do this unless you have gloves on, because the product can be absorbed through the skin, so I recommend donning a pair of gloves before you even begin to mix. 

Detailed instructions come with the product, plus, there's a ton of information on this site about it already, so I'll spare you the details.

In my opinioin, the process was relatively simple, yet not for the faint of heart based on the fact you have to work quickly and it's a messy job.  

I ran into some trouble along the way.

First, a horsefly the size of Texas landed in the middle of my solidfying Enviro-tex. When I got the booger out, it left a quarter-sized mar in the surface.  

Then the infamous glitter fiasco further dampened my hopes that this would go on without a hitch. The gooey Envirotex made the square glitter stand on end, which caused bumps to appear in the surface.  The only solution was to apply another coat of Envirotex, which soaked me for another $110  bucks.  For another five-hundred I could have gotten my a brand new laminate.  Oh, well.

SO NOW THAT I'VE USED MY ENVIROTEX CABINETS A WHILE, WHAT'S THE VERDICT?

I love they way they look, better than plain laminate in my opinion, but they are slightly less durable.  They scratch slightly easier and take even less heat than laminate.  My hubbie never uses a cutting board (grrrrr), just like he refused to do with the laminate and hence the reason they looked so bad, so I already have a few knife marks in the surface.  But if your husband and kids are trainable, then it should hold up as well as laminate.

Also, I want to add a warning.  Even though had plastic on the floor during application, unbeknowst to me, some of the Envirotex got underneath it and dried there.  It's next to impossible to get up.  Now I have to replace a section of floor.  I have spare pieces, so it won't cost me anything, but it's still a pain-in-the-rump.

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Envirotex Lite

This is what gives my painted counter tops a glass-like sheen. Believe it or not, since redoing my counters with this stuff, a few people have mistaken my counters for real granite.

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