Giving your kitchen a face-lift for a fraction of the cost

(WXYZ) - It's one of the hottest trends in the home improvement industry right. A relatively new product that's on the market gives your countertops a high-end look for a fraction of the cost.

Jaime Lutes desperately wanted granite countertops. But she didn't want to pay the 4-thousand dollar price tag. So she chose the product that cost half as much.

"They came out exactly like I wanted them," she says. "They're very easy to clean and take care of."

What is it?

It's called Granicrete... a "green" product. It's a coating that goes directly on top of your existing Formica counters. It's made of four layers of cement.  Distributor John Reindle explains the rest.

"You stain it to look like whatever. Then our protective clear coat, which is food-safe, stain-proof, wine-proof, bacteria proof. Pretty much indestructible."

Reindle's wife first saw the product on HGTV.

"After we did my kitchen, everybody wanted it that we knew. I decided to do a home and garden show. Then it took off like crazy," Reindle says.

Now he's a distributor who installs and teaches everyday homeowners how to do it, while turning a profit. Scott Sidoti is a technical director by day, and Granicrete installer by night.

"This is still a side-thing (job) for me. One every couple months.

It doesn't take long to learn the tricks of the trade. A 10 hour class and 5-hundred dollars. But the payoff can be there for the installer and homeowner.

"I've had people get it valued at the same as granite, because when the inspector comes in, they can't tell the difference."

If you'd like to learn more about Granicrete, click here.

Right now the closest distributor to Metro Detroit, where you can take classes to learn about how to install Granicrete is in Cleveland. If interested, click here for more information.

Below are some Granicrete installers in Metro Detroit

Blair Glover. His company is Custom Counters N Floors at 586-744-4808. His business email is customcountersnfloors@gmail.com .

Brian Holdridge at 419-377-9806 or bdhold@hotmail.com .