My kitchen is sunny and perfectly functional but needs updating.
Until I'm ready for the full reno (sometime in 2020 or when the Scientologist take over the world) I'd like to do something simple, yet effective, to mask the tired, laminate countertops.
My grumpy art director pal suggested tile, but I was wondering about painting. Does anyone out there have any experience with painting countertops? What kind of paint would I use? Approximately how many times would I take the name of the Lord God in vain while completing this task?
Your kindnesses will be repayed with cups of tea and slabs of banana bread served while gazing upon my new/redone countertops.
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5 comments:
You can totally paint laminate countertops, but it is a multi-stage process involving sandpaper, denatured alcohol (which is not the fun kind), masking tape, oil-based primer and varnish. It is not at all difficult to do and I have seen some really good results.
The tile option is also a winner, but would take a little bit more effort (but still not rocket science).
I realized you were looking for more detail, so here it is:
1. Clean countertop with TSP or similar to cut through the grease. The tricky parts will be the seams where the countertops join and around the sink area. Rinse and let dry.
2. Use denatured alcohol to scrub down the countertop and let it air dry. Note: Red Wine just won't do the same job.
3. Mask off non-painting areas. The tricky part here will be around the sink, which you could remove but honestly you don't have to.
4. Sand. You can sand by hand and use a 80 to 120 grit paper -- the idea here is to rough up the surface so that the primer will adhere.
5. Prime with oil-based primer. Oil is a pain, but it's a kitchen, it's a counter top, so call me old fashioned, but I think it will work best. There will be those that say that a latex primer will work just fine, but hey, I'm Bob Vila and they are just hacks. Latex will work just fine as well.
6. Sand the primed coat, and then wipe it down with either a tack cloth or with a damp cloth (to remove the dust)
7. Paint. I recommend oil-based paint, but will understand if you want to use latex. (Make sure that it can be applied over an oil prime.). You can apply up to three coats for a really nice finish. You should ideally sand between coats using a much finer sandpaper (say, 200-ish grit), and wipe away the dust each time with your tack cloth or damp rag.
8. After everything is dry and you are pleased with how it looks, apply some coats of varnish or polyurethane. I have used the marine varnish (what they use on boats) with great succes. This will give a great protective coating to your great painting job and prevent the paint from being comprimised from water, spills, cuts, etc.
9. Now you really should re-silicone around your sink and taps. I should have mentioned that if you wanted to remove the silicone before you paint, that will give you a closer edge with the brush. Re-siliconing will ensure that the moisture stays out. Do the same along the seams/joins.
And now, I must go iron my flannel shirt...
might i suggest...
http://www.homehardware.ca/en/exclusive-to-home_100.htm
http://www.homehardware.ca/en/exclusive-to-home_99.htm
http://www.homehardware.ca/en/exclusive-to-home_102.htm
ok - so those really long urls didn't work so well...
Home Hardware has some flexrock and granite spread products that could really do a nice job on counter tops. Just talk to your local (likely Pape and Danforth) HH dealer for a great price and helpful advice. Remember - Help is close to Home.
sounds like someone who likes to keep their work and referrals "close to home".
I painted mine with a similar process to bob's.. but I used melamine paint.
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