Get organized! See our favorites in the shop

Remodelaholic

DIY tutorials, Woodworking plans and more.

FREE BONUS: Kitchen Organization Boot Camp
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About US
    • Contributors
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Disclosure and Advertising
    • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Project Ideas
    • Our Houses
      • Birch House (current projects)
      • Canyon House
      • Park House
      • Downing House
      • Logan House
    • DIY Project Plans
    • All projects
    • Barn Door Baby Gate
    • Dutch Door
    • Framing A Wall Mounted TV
    • Indoor Playhouse
    • Beach Themed Living Room Design
    • Chicken Coop Building!
    • Computer Desk
    • Computer Desk Plans
    • Custom Newel Posts and Stair Remodel
    • Family Room Sneak Peek
    • Headboard Tutorial
    • Living Room Progress
    • Mood Boards
    • Scrabbled Family Names
    • Pets
  • Design By Room
    • Bathrooms
    • Landscape
    • Kids Bedrooms
    • Kitchen
    • Living Rooms
    • Laundry Rooms
    • Master Bedrooms
    • Mood Boards
    • Office
  • Holiday
    • Christmas
    • Halloween
    • Patriotic
    • Easter
    • Fall
    • Saint Patrick’s Day
    • Thanksgiving
    • Spring
    • Valentines Day
    • Winter
  • Crafts
    • Printable
    • Art
    • Paper Crafts
    • Kids
    • Fabric Crafts
    • Decorate
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beef
    • Beverages
    • Breakfast
    • Chicken
    • Desserts
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Healthy
    • Holiday
    • Lunch
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches
    • Sauces
    • Seafood
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup
    • Vegetables
  • Videos

Glossy Painted Kitchen Counter Top Tutorial

Written by Cassity

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Submitted by Designing Dawn

Oh my goodness, I am so excited to share this project and see what you think. It was a big one and maybe the first time I’ve done something to our home that I was actually really scared to start. I painted our kitchen counter tops. Yes. Paint. Counter tops. Kitchen. Words that don’t seem to go together at all, but yet here they are, living in harmony.

I’m too excited to keep you in suspense, so here is a before and after of the transformation:

1 Glossy Painted Kitchen Countertop Tutorial, By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

Nice, right? I literally can’t stop staring at it. So shiny… As for how i got from A to B, the details get a bit long-winded, so bear with me.

I have to admit, the old counters really weren’t terrible (especially considering that our bathroom counter is laminate magenta) but they weren’t great either. They really actually look a little better in the picture above than in real life, where the laminate surface definitely had a speckled yellow tinge and dark brown seams that were cracked in places. Oh and silver metal edging for that extra something special. On a closer shot you can get a little better idea of what we were working with.

2 How To Paint Your Kitchen Countertops By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

I had resigned myself to the thought that they could be worse, and set a maybe-someday goal of new solid surface counter tops. It’s not like we have any shortage of other projects to focus on or any surplus of funds after all. But dreams of something like this kept floating through my mind:

3 Painted Itchen Countertop, By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

So beautiful. But so out of reach. At least I thought so until read this makeover story from a woman who painted her counter tops. I immediately decided I had to try it. But I was nervous. After all, it’s a big undertaking and new counter tops were not in our budget. I knew if I messed them up it was going to be, well, not good. But in the spirit of optimism I went for it anyway.

I decided not to go too dramatic in the color change. We really liked the contrast of the light counters against our dark cabinets, so the main goal was to get rid of the brown edges and yellow tinge in favor of a more neutral gray with specks of blue to pull in the wall color. I also knew I didn’t want to go for a granite look, like in the article. That would have been a little too traditional for our home decor, as opposed to the more contemporary look of a solid stone.

Moving on, here are the supplies you’ll need if you want to tackle a counter top makeover of your own:

4 DIY Painted Kitchen Countertop With Envirotex High Gloss Finish, By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

(Not all supplies are pictured)
• Paint in a variety of shades. I used a light gray Valspar in a satin finish and added light blue and dark charcoal craft paint (You can really use whatever colors you want. I can’t seem to find my base paint swatch.. must have been left at Lowes, but I’ll try to dig up the exact name of the color.)
• Primer
• Sponge Brushes
• Sand paper (or sponge)
• Glitter (optional – I used a larger clear glitter and a very fine flake for variety)
• Drop Cloths
• Painters tape
• Polyacrilic
• EnviroTex Lite
• Blow torch (recommended)
• Two containers for mixing
• Clean paint stir stick
• Gloves
• Rags or Paper Towels

And a few more essential supplies:
• at least three days where you can get by with no kitchen
• a friend to help with the sealer step
• a lot of patience and optimism

Update: Wondering how these painted countertops are holding up? See Dawn’s review (plus others) here. 

Once you’ve gathered all your supplies, you’ll want to start by cleaning and then sanding the laminate counters lightly. You don’t have to go crazy here, but a light sanding gives the paint a better surface to stick to.

Once I had sanded everything down, I wiped them down again thoroughly to get rid of any residue from sanding. Then I covered everything with a coat of primer.

After that was dry, three thin coats of my base gray color went down, with drying in between each. (are you seeing yet why patience is on my list of supplies?) It was already starting to look better.

Before the last layer was dry, I also added a light dusting of glitter. I can’t believe I just used the phrase “light dusting of glitter” seriously. I did though, because I wanted some dimension and texture in my layers of paint to help with the illusion of depth found in a solid stone surface.

My next step was applying the layers of color. I wanted sharper edges than I knew I’d get sponge painting, so instead I used plastic grocery bags (which we always keep to reuse- I’m resourceful like that) and started dabbing away in small sections with two colors of paint. (note- avoid bags with bright colors of ink on them, like red. It will bleed when mixed with other paint) I chose a light blue to play off the walls and a charcoal gray for contrast. I knew I did not want to try to imitate the look of granite. It would just have been too formal for our eclectic/modern home. Instead I wanted a solid stone look that would be similar to the inspiration photos above, but very subtle.

To get depth, I applied the colors liberally over the whole counter. Side note, I wanted the paints to mix for a natural stone variation effect, so I did not wait for one to dry before applying the second. After both of these were on and still damp, I covered everything again with dabs of the original base gray. Again, the goal this whole time was an illusion of depth cause by multiple layers of paint. I used my same grocery bag technique here and then sprinkled on another layer of glitter. By now it was looking like this:

5 How To Redo Kitchen Countertops, By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

Once all that had dried, I added one final layer of dabbed gray base paint to increase the subtlety and another dusting of glitter. (can’t stop..)

By this time, my hand was looking like I’d gone a little crazy with nail polish. DIY is a messy life.
6 DIY Glossy Painted Kitchen Countertop Tutorial, By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

Another drying one break and then I covered all of this with a coat of polyacrilic. I did this for a couple of reasons. One, I wanted to seal down any rogue glitter and prevent the paint from smearing at all if it reacted with the chemical sealer I was about to apply. Two, I wanted to make sure that if I happened to miss a spot with the sealer, it would at least still be somewhat shiny, especially on the backsplashes and counter edges. I used polyacrilic instead of polyurethane to prevent any yellowing over time, since the base color is so light. Also, it is water-based, for easier cleanup and it’s more environmentally friendly.

Once that was dry (patience patience) I started mixing up the Enviro Tex Lite sealer. I really suggest that if you use this stuff, you have a friend there to help out. Luckily Dania came over to assist me here while the hub was on baby duty in the basement, away from any fumes. I didn’t think the fumes were terrible, although we had the doors and windows open for ventilation, but I would recommend wearing old clothes and protective gloves. This stuff is messy and sticky. Very sticky. Here I am, mixing away:

7 How To Paint Kitchen Countertops, By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

I followed the directions for mixing that came in the package. Mix together the two bottles into one container for a minute, then pour into a second container and continue to mix for another minute. Then immediately pour liberally onto the counters and spread it out, letting it drip over the edges so you can smooth it onto the front lip of the counters (hence the protective plastic).

8 DIY Kitchen Countertop Update With High Gloss Surface, By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

 

9 DIY Faux Solid Kitchen Countertop, By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

After you’ve covered the whole counter, you will probably have some air bubbles if you’ve mixed it correctly. You can use a blow torch to pop these like so:

10 How To Paint Your Kitchen Countertops For A New Look, By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

If that sounds intimidating or you don’t happen to have a blow torch lying around, I’ve read that blowing/exhaling on the bubbles works too. I would suggest using a straw for some aiming ability. I thought that route sounded a little tedious for not knowing if it would actually work as well, so torch it was. Dania loved it once she got the hang of it.

Besides having the torch ready for any emerging bubbles, I just kept an eye on the counters for drips. A few hours later it was pretty tacky.

11 DIY High Gloss Kitchen Countertops, Faux Solid Surface, By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

 

12 How To Redo Kitchen Countertops With Paint, By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

There were some issues to take note of if you want to try this yourself. This process is far from perfect or easy. Some problems we ran into included having to lock poor Lucious in the basement for a day to avoid kitty prints on the counters, and any dust or cat hair or anything at all in the air will stick and stay on the counters. I actually had to dig out one little gnat who got stuck in the resin. Poor guy. There were also a few places we somehow missed. I guess we were trying to work fast (you only have about 20 min or less work time before it starts to get tacky once it’s mixed. You know when you paint your nails and try to go back and smooth something once it’s already set and end up with a gloppy mess? Hate that.) and it can be a little hard to see where you’ve coated sometimes. I plan to buy a small kit to touch up those spots. Hopefully it’s not too noticeable with seams or anything like that.

The other thing to note is that vertical surfaces, like the backsplashes and front lips, don’t really turn out quite as glassy smooth as the surface. Because of gravity and drips, they have sort of a textured look to them. I’m debating if another coating would help or not. Also we did get some spots where the bigger glitter made little marks or bumps in the surface. I think a thicker coat of sealer would have eliminated that issue, or using only the fine glitter, but think I can sand the more noticeable spots down pretty easily. Here’s a close up where you can actually see the paint detail a little better:

13 Painted Kitchen Countertops Tutorial, By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

Subtle, but much improved I think!

Overall it was definitely worth it, and actually kind of a fun project. Plus it saved us hundreds on new counter tops. The EnviroTex is supposed to be food safe once dry, and I’ve read that maintenance for these will be similar to granite. No placing hot items directly on the surface, and use soap and water, rather than chemical cleaners, to wipe them down, and always use a cutting board. It sets up in about 8 hours and takes 2-3 days to harden completely. As for the cost for the total project, it came in right around $120, with the majority of that expense being the sealer (which I bought using 40% off coupons at Hobby Lobby, btw).

Totally worth it! I’m in love with our new counters and so glad I jumped and actually completed this project. 

And another of the whole kitchen makeover, just for fun:

14 Kitchen Makeover With Painted Kitchen Countertops DIY Tutorial, By AD Aesthetic Featured On Remodelaholic

 

Let me know if any of you decide to try a counter makeover! I’d love to see pictures!!

Wondering how it’s holding up? Read more from Dawn and other DIYers about their painted countertops here. 

DIY Painted Countertop Reviews @Remodelaholic

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Remodelaholic is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Please see our full disclosure here.

Published: February 2, 2012Filed Under: Guest Bloggers Tagged: DIY countertops, kitchen countertops, Kitchens, Painting

About Cassity

Cassity started Remodelaholic with her husband, Justin, to share their love for knocking out walls together. She is an interior designer, wife, and mother of two. She and Justin have remodeled three homes from top to bottom and are working on their fourth. Making a house a home is her favorite hobby.


free email bonus

Kitchen Organization Boot Camp

Is your kitchen a zen paradise? It can be. I'll show you how.

Previous Post
Conversation Heart Specimen Art: Valentine’s Decor!
Next Post
Quick Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cheerio Treats

Comments

  1. Anna S. says

    September 11, 2013 at 8:04 am

    Ohmygosh!!! That is A-MAZ-ING!!

    Reply
  2. Samantha says

    December 19, 2013 at 10:40 am

    OMG your whole kitchen remodel pictures are AMAZING <3 Love them

    Reply
  3. Kayla says

    January 16, 2014 at 3:04 pm

    Beautiful! I was hoping to attempt this in my own home but was saddened to find out invirotex is not available in Canada! I would have to order online. I was wondering if you (or anyone) could tell me how much you had to purchase in order to finish your entire kitchen? I want to make sure I purchase enough so I don’t have to stop mid project and wait for two weeks! Haha. Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  4. Bonnie says

    March 11, 2014 at 3:34 pm

    As I was reading this and looking at the photos, I was wondering WHY you would put in new cabinets BEFORE you did the countertop. Then I got to the bottom and saw the before and after pic. They weren’t new cabinets, you just redid them. They look so good, I thought they were new. HAHAHAHAHA. Good job!!!! I may attempt this.

    Reply
  5. Meagan M. says

    April 16, 2014 at 10:01 pm

    Hi Cassity,

    This is amazing! My husband wanted to use the Rustoleum Counter Top Restoration kit but when I showed him this he was blown out of the water! It also helps that we have identical kitchen layouts so it’s easy for him to visualize how our kitchen can look one day.

    Not sure if someone has mentioned this already but were you able to find the name of the base color you used for the countertop?

    Also, any hopes of you posting some info on how you painted your kitchen cabinets? I am trying to convince my husband that we can do this without the Rustoleum kits.

    Reply
  6. Taylar says

    May 23, 2014 at 2:46 pm

    I’ve never used Envirotex before, from what I understand it’s just a high gloss finish. Would it be okay to not put the Envirotex on the countertops, just stop after the coat of poly? I’d love to get my ugly laminate wood looking counter painted before my sons birthday party!

    Reply
  7. Megan says

    July 15, 2014 at 4:49 pm

    Hi there!

    I realize this post is from a few years ago, but I stumbled across it while trying to research the best way to paint my linoleum kitchen countertops. I absolutely LOVE the way yours turned out – they look amazing! Nice work 😉
    I have a few questions – first off, I’m wondering if (because of the high gloss finish of the Envirotex) fingerprints show up on the countertops? The way they do on the screen of a cellphone? This may be a dumb question, but I have to ask haha.
    Secondly, I’m wondering if there’s a comparable product to Envirotex that may be a bit more cost effective? I did find coupons, as you mentioned you used when you bought it, but I’m just wondering if you know of any products that can do the same work for a bit less $?
    Thirdly, because a primer and seal are both used, does the type of paint you use matter?

    Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Dawn Sailors says

      July 16, 2014 at 8:56 am

      Hi there! Thanks so much! I have never been asked the fingerprint question before. haha, I would say they show prints about as much as granite counters. I usually don’t notice fingerprints, but I’m always wiping them down anyway due to living with a three year old. 🙂

      As for comparable products, I haven’t ever used anything else, or really heard of anything similar. If you do find another product, my only recommendation would be to make sure you do a little research to make sure it will be food-safe when it’s all done.

      And for the paint, I would say no, it doesn’t matter. For this project I used latex paint, but I (more) recently painted my bathroom counter using the same method and used craft paint to get a more stone-like finish. It worked just the same. You can see that here if you’re interested: https://designingdawn.com/around-the-house-guest-bath-counter-makeover/

      I hope that helps!!

      Reply
  8. Ruthie says

    July 18, 2014 at 8:31 am

    I was in search of an economical way to redo my tiny vintage trailer countertop. I didn’t want to purchase a 4×8 sheet of anything (like Formica) to use only a portion of it. I love your tutorial and am up to the point of applying the ETLite. It’s looking great! Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Cass says

      July 18, 2014 at 12:31 pm

      We’d love to see pictures when you finish, Ruthie!

      Reply
  9. Beth says

    July 28, 2014 at 2:29 pm

    So I am researching ways to redo our bathroom counter. I haven’t found a bathroom that I am in love with, or my inspiration…so I hate to sink money into something that isn’t long term. I had considered painting the counters and replacing the hardware…but was really scared I wouldn’t like it or it would chip.

    I actually made a bottle cap table several months ago and used bar top resin…I never thought of sealing the counters with that. Of course…it was a horribly sticky mess so I wouldn’t want it in my house! LOL

    Reply
  10. Andrea Aguilar says

    July 31, 2014 at 10:34 pm

    Hi! I’m following your instructions for this project as We speak. We just finished the primer. I have a question about the sealant. Are you able to move it around or do you just pour and hope it flows everywhere?

    Reply
  11. Christi says

    October 22, 2014 at 11:39 pm

    My husband and I just had the “what can we do to make the countertops look better” conversation yesterday!! Your project turned out Beautiful!!!! Definitely gives us encouragement to try this in our own home!

    Reply
    • Cass says

      October 24, 2014 at 11:43 pm

      Thanks for commenting, Christi! We’d love to see what you decide to do.

      Reply
  12. Bettsi says

    December 15, 2014 at 11:23 pm

    I’m wondering how it’s held up over the past almost three years? Still happy with it? Also, did you change out your light fixture at any point? Mine is similar and I’m thinking about changing it out. Your countertops look amazing!!!

    Reply
  13. tammy says

    January 4, 2015 at 10:06 pm

    Beautiful! How long do you wait before using the blow torch on this. I take it that it isn’t flammable.

    Reply
  14. KRISTEN says

    January 5, 2015 at 2:34 pm

    I LOVE the way your counter came out. But how difficult was it to do the back splash part since it’s not laying flat like the counter? I’m scared the epoxy part would mess up because of dripping.

    Reply
  15. Marie says

    March 3, 2015 at 9:34 am

    i think I want to do this. Wouldn’t it be better to remove sink and faucet?

    Reply
  16. Susi says

    March 30, 2015 at 5:13 pm

    GREAT JOB !!! I salute you for using Enviro-Tex. I’m a professional fine artist and have worked with it for several projects, it’s difficult to control/level, but does provide an amazing glass-like finish.

    I bought a foreclosure farm in rough shape 5 yrs ago, and have been all about bringing it back to life, one DIY project at a time. I’m very proud of the work I’ve done here. I took a pig’s ear and made into a silk purse, and have done so on a VERY modest budget.

    My two bathrooms had that heinous pale blue formica countertop that gave me a shudder every time I looked at it. 🙁 After a whole lotta research I figured out a way to re-do the countertops and vanities without buying new ones or spending 3 figures ( or more!)

    Step One was applying a white vinegar “wash” to the entire laminate countertop and allowing it to ‘dwell'[ for 2 hrs. The whole house smelled like a salad, but with windows open in hot weather that soon abated. 🙂 You gently blot off any vinegar liquid that remains after the dwell time. The reason for the vinegar: it’s acid makes the laminate more microscopically porous/permeable and bond-able to whatever you’re painting with.
    Step Two: Using Martha Stewart paints, I painted each countertop several coats to get a really good “hide”.
    Step Three: I used a clear silicone plumbing caulk to seal the lips of the sinks where they meet the laminate, to prevent any leaks
    Step Four: six coats of non-yellowing polyurethane to finish, allowing each coat to dry thoroughly in between.
    Step Five: I re-painted the vanity sink cabinets, added crystal knobs and wooden appliqué trims. VOILA, looking’ brandy new and sweet !

    It’s wonderful, what you’re doing here; I wish you all the best with your projects !
    Best Regards, Susi

    Reply
  17. cathy says

    July 26, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    Dawn, Gorgeous counter tops as well as gorgeous kitchen. I was glad to see you liked the Really shiny results. I am going the faux granite/stone counter tops and I thought I had added too many coats of wipe-on poly because all of a sudden they looked plastic-shiny. I had liked the sheen before that last coat or two. I am using High Gloss wipe on poly and was trying to search for what sheen people were using for their sealer. If it seemed high gloss was not the look people were after I was trying to find out if I could put a coat or two of satin on top of the high gloss to tone down the shine a bit. I see several people like your deep gloss. Any help you can offer? Thanks!

    Reply
  18. Heather says

    August 21, 2015 at 2:37 pm

    What did u spread the envirotex with? Awesom job, looks fantastic!

    Reply
  19. lisa says

    September 25, 2015 at 2:19 pm

    looks great! have you ever done/heard of painting laminate countertops one single color instead of doing a faux finish? not sure my husband and i are artistic enough to pull off a faux finish but like the high gloss white look.

    Reply
  20. Lisa says

    February 14, 2016 at 9:32 pm

    I read re read and re re read your blog. I finally committed and so happy that I did. I love my new countertops. The only thing is that I’m wondering how to clean/disinfect them . Windex? Clorox wipes? Please let me know how you have done it.

    Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

We love hearing from fellow Remodelaholics, so let us know what you like about this and leave any questions below in the comments. If you have followed a tutorial or been inspired by something you have seen here, we would love to see pictures! Submit pictures here or by messaging us over on Facebook.
Recipe Rating




Hey there, I am Cassity! Nice to virtually meet you!

This blog is about DIY at its finest. We are obsessed with it and so are you, so while we're working and have nothing to show you of our own projects we show off yours. So submit your projects! More About Us…

Categories

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Meet The Team

Privacy Policy

Remodelaholic is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Please see our full disclosure here.

© 2005-2016 Remodelaholic LLC, All Rights Reserved

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2021 · Remodelaholic

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter