Painting a Laminate Counter Top

Raising Your Sinks (and Other Tips)

I want to say that this site is awesome! I don't know how to get more than one pic on at a time so I will do this in parts so you can see it all. I did 2 bathroom vanities and my kitchen.

1. I started by cleaning with vinegar and then lightly sanding all my work.
2. I raised up my sinks because I didn't want a "lip" around them that you get even using tape. This was done by unscrewing from underneath then using two 2 x 4s cut a little higher that the distance from the floor to the bottom of the sink and wedging them in. It didn't interfere with the plumbing at all and I could put the paint and sealer right under the sink.
3. I used an oil based primer (Kiltz) after cleaning and lightly sanding.
4. When it dried I put a water based coat of paint on the whole thing then took 3 colors plus metallic gold craft paints with a sea sponge cut into different sizes and started patting away.
5. When I got what I wanted I used water based varethane for floors to seal it. I did 5 coats lightly sanding in between each application. It can be re-coated after 2 hours of drying time.

I waited a week before I sat anything on them but I don't think I would have had to. It says on the can that "normal walking" can be done after 3 days. Remember, you can put water based stuff over oil but you cannot put oil based over water. You will get bad results if you do.

The pics I have don't really show how pretty they actually are. They shine beautifully and I am using them like I would normal counters. My friends love them and want me to do theirs!

Was this solution helpful?

1 0   Share Print Follow

Post Feedback

Directions for Painting Countertops

I just finished creating faux granite countertops and I'm so thrilled! It was easy and the total cost for each countertop was about $70. Here's what I did:

1. Using an orbit sander I lightly sanded the laminate countertop.
2. I then wiped it dry and applied a coat of primer.
3. Once dry I applied a water based base coat. In my case I used Behr Adobe Straw which is what my walls are painted.
4. When they were dry I sprayed Krylon "Make it Stone" in the 2nd to last dark grey. The color wasn't named.
5. Let it dry for 5 - 7 hours then spray it again and let it dry 5 - 7 hours. It will now look and feel a bit like concrete.
6. Lastly I mixed and applied Rustoleum Stone Effects Step 3 clear coat for kitchen countertops. It goes on like warm honey and is goopy and gooey but read the instructions and follow them and it will work out great.
7. Make sure you have previously totally encased your cabinets below and floor in plastic. You don't want this stuff dripping on them. I didn't do this the first time and ended up having to sand and repaint the cabinets.
8. Use a 4 inch foam brush to push and move around the clear coat just as if you were icing a cake. Slide it over the edge and use another one to catch the drips and push them up on the side.
9. Smooth the clear coat well then leave it alone. Don't touch or do anything to it for 24 hours. Then do a 2nd coat. Any mistakes or bubbles will just be covered over. I messed up on my second coat so ended up doing a 3rd. It looks beautiful and is super thick and durable.

Rustoleum says the clear coat is heat resistant but I wouldn't put a hot pot on it. I don't think it would hurt it but it might go cloudy. Just use a hot pad. If you're in a situation like me where my countertops were shot it's worth a try. Even if it only lasts a couple years. It's worth it.

Was this solution helpful?

1 0   Share Print Follow

Post Feedback

New Countertops for Less Than $100

Well we did it. We went in head first and painted our laminate countertops. We were extremely nervous to try this, but were already considering replacing them with new ones. We thought, why not try it before we get new ones? Well after reading through several different ways of doing this, we decided to go with our own idea.

We have a black and silver theme in our kitchen, so we decided to go with a greyish countertop to match the theme. We chose the epoxy concrete paint. The one that people use for their garage floors. We chose "greyling" as the color with black, grey, and white flakes. We got a small canister of the flakes and actually mashed the flakes down even smaller than they come.

We painted our countertops as directed for the floors. We did about 2 coats of the epoxy to make sure we covered every space. We made sure it was dried completely overnight. Then we applied 2 coats of polycrylic clear coat in high gloss over it. This just gave it an extra shine and took away the little bit of roughness from the flakes. We let that dry over night as well.

It feels so smooth now and it's super shiny! We're very pleased with the outcome of it all and glad we went this route. We saved a ton of money by doing it this way and spent less than $100 on the whole thing, rather than $1,000 on new countertops.

Was this solution helpful?

1 0   Share Print Follow

Post Feedback

My Experiences

Let me begin by saying that all these posts were the most helpful information I found or my project. I've lived in my house for 13 years with country blue countertops that I've hated since day one. Not having the funds to renovate and not wanting to paint the kitchen a color that went with country blue, I left the kitchen the color it was when we bought the house.

Recently a decorator/friend suggested we paint the countertops black with the Fusion spray paint and top with polycrylic. She did this for us and the change was inspiring. No more blue! However, this treatment was very fragile. The polycrylic clouded when damp and the paint scratched easily. After reading all of this discussion I decided to use the Envirotex Lite product. I rolled on satin Krylon black latex, waited one day, mixed acrylic art paint, metallic pewter and metallic black, dibbled on with a large art brush, and immediately sponged over heavily with the metallic black again. I topped it all off with black "fairy dust" glitter.

I had about 35 sq ft of counter, used a 1/2 quart of Krylon latex, 1 (2 oz) bottle of pewter and 2 (2 oz) bottles of black acrylic and less than 2 tubes of fairy dust. We used a total of 4 (32 oz) Envirotex kits. I gathered 40% coupons from Michaels and Hobby Lobby and kept the cost of all materials under $100.

I waited one more day and prepared to apply the Envirotex. I was a bit intimidated. I re-read all the posting, re-read the directions and made my husband read them too. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated! Working with another person and having a plan made it pretty easy. A few pointers that I believe were helpful:

• Make sure you use plenty of Envirotex, don't skimp, flood the area you are covering well (we had to re-coat 1 area because the glitter wasn't covered all the way).
• Use a wide sponge applicator to distribute it.
• A heat gun works perfectly to remove air bubbles.
• Use plastic and newspaper to protect cabinets (this is a messy process, be prepared!).
• After I finished I turned to oven on to promote faster/better curing.
• I removed the sink and recommend doing so.

The end results are stunning! I am beginning to use the countertops and find them very durable. I am being very cautious, but believe the end result will be durable in the long run. No scratches yet and this is much better than the polycrylic finish. I'm not sure why I waited 13 years to take care of a color I hated. I encourage anyone reading this to GO FOR IT! Thanks for all the great advice!

Was this solution helpful?

0 0   Share Print Follow

Post Feedback

2 Coats of Envirotex

Well I finally got done with my project thanks to all your post on this page. I was so leery of doing this but it came out awesome. I did need help at the end with the second coat of Enviro though. I started with a white countertop. These are the steps I took:

1. I painted a sage coat with new Rustoleum paint on the countertops.
2. I sponged on burgundy spray paint, then stone light beige, then copper spray color. I topped them with gold spray paint with a sponge. I let them dry overnight.
3. I applied 2 coats of polyurethane gloss.
4. I applied 2 coats of Envirotex for durability and strength as I have lots of people using the counter tops.

I was so stressed about it but truly came out better than I'd hoped. You can use a hair dryer or heat gun to blow bubbles out of counter top but work fast as it does cure fast, less than 25 min. if your lucky, then you cannot touch it for 72 hours for a hard cure.

Was this solution helpful?

0 0   Share Print Follow

Post Feedback

Use a Torch for Bubbles

Well, I did it! I started with an upstairs bath that no one would have to see if it turned out really ugly, but I am just tickled. I couldn't have done it without you guys. Thanks for all the advice. For those still contemplating it, get the torch! I let someone talk me out of it, big mistake. I nearly hyperventilated trying to get the bubbles out, finally resorted to my hairdryer, then decided to give up, let it dry and sand them out before the next coat.

I used an epoxy paint from Home Depot on the sink. It's hard to work with, but worth the end result. A couple tips:

• Envirotex will spread quite easily with a square sponge paint edger tool and is perfect for those pesky backsplashes. Just check periodically to correct any sagging until it begins to set.

• I used a dense sponge roller with a tinted primer for the base which worked beautifully, and smaller disposable sponge paint sticks for tight spaces. I would recommend getting the round sponge wheel for corners.

• The fellow who posted advice about using stains instead of paint was right. I used gel stain for my darkest color, thinking depth again, and wished I had used ALL stain instead of paint. Some is opaque, some is more transparent depending on the application, just like granite. You can be much more creative and end up with more natural results. You don't even need the glitter when using this.

  Before photo:

  After photo:

  Was this solution helpful?

  0 0   Share Print Follow

  Post Feedback

I need to repaint my counter top in the bathroom. It was painted with melamine paint. Do I have to use melamine again or is there some other kind of paint I can use instead of melamine? Also, my bathroom cabinets were painted with melamine, but I don't want to use melamine this time. Any suggestions appreciated.

By Karen

Most Recent Answer

By leahj 07/27/2011

I am trying to paint the bathroom countertop, I love the way morgalm did this! What type and color of paint did you use?

Report Spam or Abuse