I lived with unfinished plywood counters for 5months, so painted would be a step up from where I was. My counters were worth the wait. Always go with what you love.

Good idea! If you want them to look really nice, spring for some cabinet grade plywood at $50 per sheet, which works out to $1.60 per sq ft. Then you can put a good coating of Waterlox sealer on them and use them just as you would regular countertops for as long as it takes to get what you really want. If you want something even nicer, get IKEA butcher block for around $10 per sq ft. That you could easily live with for years!

I agree with laxsupermom....go with what you love, even if it means waiting for a while until you can afford it.

Are you doing marble on all surfaces, or only on the perimeter counters? Are you doing something different on the island? What about cabinets? Same all around, or a different color/finish on the island?

The reason I ask...if you love marble and are willing to wait, that's great, but if DH isn't so sure, what about marble on the island and something else on the perimeters? You could always get something nice but much less expensive now, then if you love the marble on the island, eventually replace everything else :)

Good for you. You are making progress. I too had plywood
counters and they are now under my stone counter. They
provided a great tempopary countertop.

And you could get creative and fun with your plywood.
Paint them like marble. Make them a temporary dream to
get the feel of what you really love. Dream big, life is
too short.
~boxer

Faux marble painted on wood.

Boxerpups,

Those wood countertops are amazing. I never would have thought of doing this...thanks! I'll link a how-to guide on faux marble below. Interesting!

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Paint Faux Marble Technique

Yesterday DH floored me by suggesting that we have plywood counters until we can afford the granite we would like. It's so not his personality to have something unfinished, but I'm ok with it. Any tips for living with plywood countertops?

Seal them well. I have been living in a kitchen with one for almost 6 months. No wear or tear yet.

May I see a picture?