If you’re looking for a way to add some flare to your dull bathroom, there is an easy, inexpensive way to do it by adding color to your countertops. For about $50 you can take that grungy laminated countertop and turn it into the focal point of your bathroom in just a few easy steps.
If this alternative to a complete bathroom makeover sounds appealing, the first step you need to take is to choose a color. You should do this carefully, keeping in mind that the color has to compliment the other colors present in your bathroom. Also consider the fact that you have to look at this color every morning when you wake up. So when you’re sitting at Home Depot reaching for that Sherwin Williams fire engine red, think long and hard about whether you want that blinding you when you turn on the bathroom lights every morning. It would be wise to select a color that is mellow enough where you can stand to look at it for the roughly 30 minutes we tend to spend in the bathroom every day.
HGTV lays out these 6 steps for painting your laminate countertops :
- Clean the countertop with warm soap and water and dry it with a soft cloth.
- Lightly sand the counter with 150-grit sandpaper and wipe off any dust with a damp cloth.
- Prime the entire surface with 100 percent acrylic primer. “You want a flash-bond primer, one that will stick to the laminate and that will allow paint to stick to it,” says Ingerson, who suggests XIM primer, Benjamin Morris Fresh Start, Bullseye 1-2-3 or any other high-quality primer that says on the label it’s intended to cover gloss or high-gloss surfaces.
- Let the first coat of primer dry and then apply a second.
- When the second coat of primer is dry, paint over it with a couple of coats of latex satin or semi-gloss enamel, allowing each coat to dry before painting another.
- After the finish coat is dry, seal it with a couple of coats of clear acrylic. “Make sure to use satin or semi-gloss, because the higher the shine in the acrylic, the stronger it is and the more protection it offers against scratches and wear,” says Stephan Ingerson, color specialist for Hirschfield’s Inc. “Avoid egg shell or flat paint.”
The acrylic seal will dry quickly, says Ingerson, but it’s important to go easy on the counter for a while anyhow. “The seal takes two or three weeks to cure, and during that time you shouldn’t scrub it, just wipe it off lightly with a damp cloth,” he says. “Of course, you never want to use scouring powder or other abrasives on an acrylic-seal painted counter, even after curing.”
Once the paint is dry you’ll have to determine whether the end color fits what you had envisioned when you bought the paint. The good thing is the process is easily reversible if you decide you don’t like how the color turned out. If you don’t like the color, just go back to step two and repeat the process with a different color.
If you want an even classier looks or to learn how to paint your laminate countertops to look like GRANITE for about $70, you can search the internet for plenty of specialty stores that will turn your bathroom…
From this…
Before image of a bathroom countertop
…to this
This is the afterimage of the countertop painted to look like granite
