Wanting to update outdated and worn surfaces around the home is a common desire, but some homeowners may not be able to afford the cost or want to be inconvenienced by the time it takes to have those items replaced. What many don’t realize is there are alternatives.
“We've spent 18 years educating people through our marketing about refinishing,” says Karen Brumleve, who owns Michael’s Resurfacing in Topeka along with her husband, Michael. “We’ve been talking to realtors, plumbers, contractors, and homeowners and letting them know what we can do.”
For example, explains Michael, people don't realize that you can refinish a tub, which is one of the most commonly requested jobs. “They often ask if it’s going to look painted, and I always tell them if your tub looks painted after we’re done spraying it, we did something horribly wrong. It should not look like it's been refinished.”
Ripping out a bathtub also means dealing with the walls and flooring that go around it, as well as the possibility of potential plumbing issues. “That may take a week or more from start to finish, whereas we're in and out in two days, and you don't have to deal with the mess and cost of demolition,” he says.
Kitchen countertops are also ideal surfaces to refinish. “When I'm looking at kitchen countertops, more times than not it's good solid material, but it's dated. After being in a house for 25 - 30 years, it’s also usually showing a lot of wear and tear.”
Rather than ripping them out and replacing them, Michael and his team can remake them into exactly the look you want. “We can make them look like stone or quartz with the colors that we have. We bring all the colors to you so we can see what the color schemes look like with your cabinets, your backsplashes and lighting.”
One particular job the company handled was for a homeowner who had a reasonably large kitchen, about 50 square feet. “He took a picture of his sister-in-law's kitchen and she had real granite,” says Michael. “He wanted that look, but he couldn't afford granite. Our son, Jacob, and I went into the shop and we started mixing and combining colors to try to get something as close to his picture as we could, and lo and behold, we created two custom colors. We sprayed out a sample, gave it to him, and he fell in love with it. Those two colors have been very popular ever since.” "When people come into the showroom," says Karen, "they are absolutely amazed with what can be done. It's a wow factor because it is really beautiful.”
Refinishing, however, is not only for the inside of the home. “With concrete, we can do anything from driveways and sidewalks to front porches, back patios, and swimming pool decks,” says Michael. They can also put down epoxy floor coatings in garages, which has become very popular.
In addition to looking great, the finished product is formulated to last. “Our vendors have chemists on staff whose jobs it is to figure out how to improve the adhesion of our materials,” he says. “What we're doing is a long-term solution. It's not a band aid fix and it should easily last between 15 and 20 years.”
The more people learn about refinishing, the more attractive it becomes, and Karen enjoys speaking with them and answering all their questions. “They'll call not really knowing what questions to ask, and by the time I finish talking, they feel like they have enough information to make a decision.”
Adds Michael, “When people call us, they generally have a problem, and we have a solution for that problem.”
Michael’s Resurfacing is a true family business. “Jacob is our lead technician, and our daughter Bethany has taken over a lot of my administrative type duties,” says Karen.
Come and see us at the Topeka Home Show February 10th, 11th, & 12th held at Stormont Vail Event Center. We will be in booths #155, 158, & 159.
To find out more, go to michaelsresurfacing.com.
