HOW TO PAINT YOUR COUNTERTOPS WITHOUT A SPECIALIST PAINT KIT

HOW TO PAINT YOUR COUNTERTOP'S, WITHOUT USING AN EXPENSIVE  SPECIALIST PAINT KIT

I always move into a fixer-upper, so getting what I want, is not always top of the list for house renovation, or on the list at all!  

I'm all about "necessity being the mother of invention", so I never let that stop me, from trying to do it myself, on a budget.  

This kitchen  a few years ago, was dark, had low ceilings, 1980'S yellow pine units and this damaged laminate countertop, in a strange beige/pink color.  What I really wanted was a bright, neutral, country cottage, farmhouse style kitchen, with with marble tops.

Here it is before, with the chipped edges, close up.

Having tried painting tiles before, I decided to try my hand at painting the ugly 1970's chipped laminate counter.    

The only thing I spent money on, that I wished I hadn't, was some clear epoxy, which was expensive and was a total disaster!  This is epoxy resin below.  I didn't use this type, but they are all quite similar.  

https://www.amazon.com/Clear-Epoxy-Resin-Crystal-Countertop/dp/B07XHL2TFL/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2SQI15YZ1NGEE&dchild=1&keywords=clear+epoxy+resin+crystal+clear+resin+kit&qid=1633109968&sprefix=clear+epoxy%2Caps%2C229&sr=8-4

Epoxy/resin, is the stuff you mix, that smells very strongly, to obtain a hard wearing, high gloss finish. 

Its almost like glass.  Its widely used on on boats, counters, surfboards etc. 

Oh, and it's highly temperamental!!!!

It has to be mixed in just the right quantities and for only a couple of minutes before it gets rock hard! You may wish to try it yourself, as my first coat was fine.  It put me off for life though!  

On all of my subsequent projects, I have been used water- based varnish (Polyacrylic) and it holds up just fine.  It has the advantages of being quicker to dry, cheaper and easier to use.

The first coat poured on fine.  I obviously did something wrong with the second and it pooled into a rippled mess,  that would not spread! 

I ended up having to sand off that first mistake and had to do that one part of the counter from scratch!  I nearly gave up and cried! 

 Instead I had a very large glass of wine and went back to it!

This is what it looked like on the second pour of the epoxy resin.  It was rock solid too! It took hours to sand off.

SO BACK TO WHAT DID WORK!

At the time there wasn't lots of tutorials online.   I didn't have the money for a specialist paint kit, so I decided to use the acrylic artists paints that I already had. 

I did buy one pot of  black Rustoleum countertop paint for the base.  
All of the detailing was done with a mixture of white and grey standard acrylic artists paint (water based).
This is the base coat of black Rustoleum countertop paint.   You can find this paint on the link below.  
It is mixed to various shades, depending on what you want.  You can buy it in lots of places.  It cost around $40.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Flecto-020066198930-254853-qt-Dark-Tint-Base-Countertop-Coating/21015336?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=2083&&adid=22222222227039309547&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=97247792674&wl4=pla-217950738034&wl5=9011569&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=113509876&wl11=online&wl12=21015336&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAjw49qKBhAoEiwAHQVTo8ztAX7Hdmd1Ez5XpKhnWV0rxeP2tAVL9Q1K__JGN7DZKKCowlwc3BoCvWcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Here is the the black base countertop, base coat.

I decided that the only way to get the cottage look, was to paint the cupboards white, as the room was also dark, with very low ceilings, I thought it would brighten it up,  look more farmhouse and also contrast nicely with the black countertop (aka fake marble).

I use white chalk paint, as you don't need to sand the cupboards.  It sticks to anything!

You just have to varnish it afterwards, as chalk paint is soft and will not be permanent without it.

Again, I used the same exact polyacrylic, to seal the cupboard doors, but in the matt version, instead of the gloss, I used on the countertop.

I also bought some black farmhouse style drawer pulls and knobs to add character.

I moved onto the dry parts and started the lengthy process of painting the veins and shadows, to mimic black veined marble.   

I looked at lots of pictures on the internet and used pictures on my phone for reference, while I was painting.

I used a combination of tools, a couple of artists brushes, one really thin and the other slightly thicker, for veining and sponges and kitchen towel for the rest of the detail.

I rolled /twisted the artists fine paint brush in my hand, as I dragged it along the counter for the veining, I used sponges to dab onto the counter and used the kitchen towel to do the same, or mop up when I thought I'd been too heavy handed with the paint.  

As there is not right or wrong way to do it and so many types of marble, I just experimented till I got the look of the pictures I had liked and saved.   It took a long time!   

I had to stop myself from going back again and again.

Part of it, is knowing when to stop!

I used decorators tape around the units and tiles, to avoid mess on those areas.   

I also used plastic sheets to cover the oven and fridge.

After doing the bold white veins, I went on to do the rest of the detailing around them.

As you can see its coming to life here, lots of layering of different shades of grey on top of the black with the white veining.   

The varnish on top really makes a difference in making it look more realistic.

This is what I ended up using for the topcoat, in a gloss finish.   I did 4 coats, over a few days.

As I said, its what I use for most projects.  I just tend to use matt for furniture.

This is the kitchen with the white cupboards and handles on.

Here it is finished from a distance.  Not the best picture, sorry!  As I said, its a dark room.

Did it last?  Yes, really well!

 

I probably re-coated with  one coat of the same gloss polyacrylic about every year.  

Really the only signs of wear were around the sink, due to standing water.  

I only once patched it in 3 years and it was about 2 inches of damage.  

Not bad for teenage boys in the house!

I HAVE DONE THIS, IN THE CURRENT HOUSE TOO,
USING THE SAME METHOD, BUT IN WHITE MARBLE.  

 

ITS ALSO BEEN STANDING UP WELL FOR ABOUT 4 YEARS NOW.  (SEE BELOW)

  

I ALSO PAINTED THE CUPBOARDS AND USED PEEL AND STICK WHITE SUBWAY TILE TO HIDE THE UPRIGHT PART OF THE UGLY 1980'S COUNTERTOP, BUT THATS ANOTHER POST..........