FAQ about the counters

I wanted to answer some questions that I've had about the counters. First of all, I still LOVE them. In fact, I think I love them even more now that I've gotten used to them! My friend, Michelle, came over yesterday to see the counters because she is considering doing hers and I think her first reaction was that they do look even better in person. They aren't as splotchy as they appear in the pictures and the yellow that always looks so bright (or like baby poop) in the photos, doesn't really show up at all in person. Strange. Maybe she can leave a testimonial comment today! ;-)
1. The Enviro sealer stuff did not have much of an odor at all. In fact, I was expecting it to smell and it really didn't.
2. After I was finished spreading it, I brought in a space heater and left it on for several hours because the higher the temperature of the room, the faster it cures.
3. It is holding up very, very well. It doesn't scratch easily and I haven't seen any chips or anything. I think if you were constantly banging something hard against the edges, it might do some damage, but even with 2 little boys banging around my kitchen, it doesn't see that kind of action!
4. I have been cleaning it with Windex and that Clorox all-purpose cleaner. I don't know that I would use bleach and I definitely wouldn't use any gritty cleaner like Comet. I never used that stuff on my old counters either.
5. You cannot put anything super hot--like something straight out of the oven--on the counters. Does anyone really do that? I try not to leave anything really hot on them for any length of time because I've been told that they will melt a little bit.
6. I am NOT a high-maintenance home-owner type. I refuse to be a slave to my floors or my walls or my counters. These counters seem to be holding up to our abuse pretty darn well so far--and trust, me, with two boys in the house, they have already seen some abuse!
7. I know I am not the first person to paint their laminate and there are other ways to go about doing it. The biggest thing is in how you seal it. You can also use several coats of a polyacrylic sealer. NOT a polyurethane because it will yellow over time. However, polyacrylic leaves a white milky looking mark when water sits on it too long. The mark will disappear, but for a while, it looks like spilled milk. If you were painting your laminate a light color, you would never notice the milky spot but I wanted something darker so I knew it wouldn't work for me. I used polyacrylic on my newly painted black kitchen table and as soon as I can get it outside, I will be sanding it off and starting over. I HATE the white, milky thing showing up on the black.
NEW QUESTION8. Regarding cleaning: I've been using a rag to clean my counters--or whatever cloth-like thing happens to be available at the moment. I like to use those little washclothes that little old ladies crochet for cleaning. They are soft, but they are nubby enough that they get the job done. The Enviro sealer is actually for bar tops, so I figure if it can stand up to what a bunch of drunk idiots can do, it can probably stand up in my kitchen. Something sticky got onto mine and I got out the "Goo-B-Gone" and rubbed and rubbed and no damage was done to the counter. I'm thinking the only thing I wouldn't use would be something gritty.

Check out the crafty blogger HERE who painted her bathroom vanity. It looks amazing. I love the soft, subtle colors she used!

I'll add more answers when I get some time to look at the comments again. (So very cool to have so many comment, by the way!)

AND, I have some fireplace info to share later today too!