Interested in how Kelli’s painted countertop is holding up? Read hers and others’ follow-up reports here.
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Painted Bathroom Sink and Countertop Makeover
by Kelli from I’m Flying South
Luckily, our new home was fairly turn-key aside from needing a few appliances. Built in the 1990s, the house is full of cultured marble and shiny, yellow brass. It was a foreclosure that the bank came in and fixed up a bit with new carpet and fresh peachy-beige paint on every square inch of the walls, making it clean and very livable. While the colors and fixtures are not aesthetically our taste, we have been able to take our time making it our own. If you want to check out my first big victory over the peachy-beige paint, feel free to wander over to my blog.
One of very favorite projects so far is our painted Bathroom Sink & Counter Makeover. It was a fairly quick, easy, inexpensive update that made a HUGE difference in the feel of the rooms. After a little water leak incident in the basement, we decided that the old, swiveling, shiny yellow brass faucets in both our half bath and the boys’ bathroom had to go. And while we had the faucets off of the counters, we might as well paint the counters like I’d been planning!
So let’s walk through the process of the painted bathroom sink and counter, shall we? The half bath counter was a beige marble-ish. Nothing terrible, but just not our style either. And after painting the walls (Pantone Illusion Blue – Valspar) and the cabinet (Blue Coal – Valspar) and changing out the cabinet hardware, the counter was just screamin’ for a makeover.
First up, supplies:
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- Rustoleum Tub & Tile kit
- 4-inch paint roller (& tray if desired)
- fine-bristled paint brush
- craft sponge brushes
- Comet
- sponge
- Lime Away
- abrasive sponge
- tack cloth
- 400-600 wet/dry sandpaper
- bucket
- lots of elbow grease!
Painted Bathroom Sink and Countertop Makeover – Getting Started
Remove your faucet and any old caulk from the counter. Scrub the sink and counter with comet and a sponge and rinse well. Then scrub with Lime-Away and an abrasive sponge; rinse well. Next up, sanding. Sanding is pretty important, as this is how you’re going to get your surface nice and grabby for the paint. I’ll be honest, 400 grit sandpaper felt like I was just caressing the surface of the tile. So I went rogue and grabbed some 320 from the garage. The 320 felt like I was actually sanding something rather than giving the tile a nice massage.
Sand, sand, sand till your arm feels like it might fall off. The sanding creates a really fine white powder all over the surface, so wipe with a damp cloth a few times, then wipe with a dry one. Finally, I let the surface air dry a bit to be sure that it was completely dry. Tape any surfaces that you might not want to get the tile paint onto (walls, vanity, etc).
Now it’s time for some epoxy! I’ll admit that sometimes I’m not the best at following directions. Sure I read on the box and from several websites that this stuff was stinky, but I wasn’t prepared for just how stinky it actually is. I now have no nose hairs left. (Kidding. Kind of.) I had windows open and fans on and the kids were shipped off to Grammy’s house for a sleepover, but I just figured that an N95 mask would dothe trick. Um, no. I lasted approximately 3 minutes until I sent my husband to Lowe’s for a respirator! Apparently it takes more than the manufacturer and several testimonials to convince me to save my brain cells.
Painting the countertop is actually pretty easy. A painted bathroom sink was a bit more tricky, but still not terrible. The Rustoleum box recommends using a 4 inch roller with foam cover and a very fine bristled brush for the edges. First, I used the fine bristled brush to cut in around the edges of the counter. I actually did the entire first coat with a brush instead of a roller. I found it much easier to get a nice thin coat on with a brush.
Painted Bathroom Sink and Countertop Makeover – Beware of Bubbles!
The above photos are actually of the first coat in the boys’ bathroom, because it’s the one I started … and it’s just … better. My husband and I each started one sink and someone got kicked off of his project because **cough**PAINT BUBBLES**cough**. The man just doesn’t believe in the whole tried-and-true “multiple, thin coats” method. But he is insanely handy and awesome to have around, so I’ll keep him.
So while I was brushing on my nice thin first coat, Brian went straight for the roller. No brush, just a nice, thick coat with a roller. You know what happens when coats of paint are too thick? Bubbles, my friends. Bubbles.
Painted Bathroom Sink and Countertop Makeover – Brush the edges
Don’t do that! By the time I saw it, they were half dry. So, I let it dry, sanded the bubbles down, and went back for the brush! Brush for the edges, roller for the rest. Lather, rinse, repeat.
The trick with this stuff is not to get a super thick layer on there, but not too thin either. Too thick = bubbles and drips. Too thin = weird texture and marks. I started with a thin layer and worked up from there. We let each coat dry for about an hour before starting another coat. The third coat was when I really started to get serious about texture.
Certain areas of the counter and sink were a bit more challenging to achieve a smooth finish – namely the corner behind the faucet and the bottom curve of the sink. For behind the faucet and the tops of the pieces that crawl up the wall, I found that using the foam brush to kind of dab the paint on was pretty effective. The sink just took a lot of smoothing with the roller. Random little bubbles would form and even the thinnest layer seemed to want to drip a bit. After rolling out the imperfections for awhile, we just called it good and decided to let it cure.
The prepping and painting process took roughly 3 hours – 30 minutes for prep, 10 minutes of painting per coat (maybe closer to 20 minutes for the last coat), plus one hour drying time between each of the 3 coats. Rustoleum recommends 24 hours of curing before touching the surface and 72 hours of curing before getting the surface wet. After the third day, in went with this pretty lady
…
Isn’t she gorgeous??? It’s the English Country Double Handle Centerset Faucet (in Oil-Rubbed Bronze) by Kingston Brass. Words cannot express how much I love her. It’s probably unhealthy to be this in love with a faucet. I’m fine with it!
Painted Bathroom Sink & Countertop – Budget Breakdown:
- Rustoleum Tub & Tile – $25.97 at Amazon (and enough for 2 counters & sinks!)
- 4-inch roller and cover – $0 (from our stash)
- Brushes – $0 (from our stash)
- 400 grit sandpaper – $3.97 at Lowe’s
- 320 grit sandpaper – $0 (from our stash)
- Comet – $0 (from our stash)
- Lime Away – $3.99 at Meijer
- Sponge – $0 (from our stash)
- Abrasive sponge – $2.99 at Meijer (we used Scotchbrite)
- Tack Cloth – $2.09 at Lowe’s
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Kelli, thank you so much for sharing with us! Such a nice budget-friendly update to those 90’s sinks!
You can also follow along on social media: Facebook | Instagram | Google+ | Twitter | Pinterest
And, as promised — more bathroom updates!
Thanks so much for having me!!
Thanks so much for being our guest, Kelli!
what kind of epoxy did you use? Did you paint it on with a brush?
I am 62 widow my baths havent been updated since 90’s this is a project i think I can do on a budget. I have priced replacing mine just for sink alone $200-$300 if not more. Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome! We’d love to see when you finish!
what about re-doing a kitchen counter? We have laminate and can’t aford to re-do- I was thinking some kind of tilew wiht urethane to fill in?
the link doesn’t lead to that exact faucet and I can’t find it- I looked around. Help! Those faucets are typically called “Porcelain cross handle” anyway.
https://www.wayfair.com/Kingston-Brass-English-Country-Double-Handle-Centerset-Bathroom-Faucet-with-ABS-Pop-Up-Drain-KB7-KBBB1082.html
Love your work!! How have the sinks stood up to regular use? Is all the water affecting the new surface? Ty!!! Tina
Hi Tina! Thanks for your question! We’ve had the sinks done for about 5 months now and they’ve held up great. This bathroom gets used the most, and our 3 little boys are not gentle with it 🙂 I use a gentle, non-bleach bathroom cleaner on it, but also wipe it with Clorox wipes almost daily and it still looks like new!
I have been really researching this option as I have two thirty year old sinks that are huge contenders for a makeover. Over all though I keep seeing reviews that at the 6 month mark the painted sinks start peeling, etc. As this does require a bit of laborious time and the kit itself while not expensive is not cheap either. So, I am still wondering if I should pull the trigger and spend the $40 for painting or the $97 for a new sink. ????
Hi Laura!
We chose this route because we knew that we will most likely completely remodel these bathrooms in a few years, so we wanted a quick, cheap, temporary fix. If you’re looking for a quick fix, this is a great way to go, but if you want something more long-term, I’d skip it and go with new sinks. Hope that helps! 🙂
What was the epoxy used for? Did I miss that?
Hi Lisa! The Rustoleum kit contains 2 parts that you mix together before painting. The paint is mixed with epoxy, therefore I kinda just used the terms interchangeably. Sorry for the confusion 🙂
I just wondered how your ‘concrete’ sink and this painted tile are holding up under ordinary scrubbing?
Hi Judy! Thanks for the question. I’m sure Kelli will be happy to report on her painted sink, and our contributor Tasha posted an update video in the concrete sink tutorial — or you can ask more questions there if you’d like more details, too. Thanks for reading!
Hi Judy!
It’s been about 5 months since we refinished the sink and it is holding up beautifully! This bathroom is used the most in our house and we haven’t had any issues, even with our 3 little boys abusing it. 😉 I clean it with a gentle, non-bleach cleaner, but also wipe it down with Clorox wipes almost every day. Still looking beautiful! 🙂
Help, Please,
Did you re-caulk the areas that need caulking?
if yes, did you caulk before or after stating to paint the sink and splash?
Thank you for this awesome post, I am in the middle of it but not sure if I need to re-caulk now.
Hi Susanna! Our caulk was actually in good shape, so we painted right over the top of it. There is a little seam on the side of the sink that should probably be caulked, and I think about it every time I’m in the bathroom, but I just haven’t taken the time to do it. I’m no expert, but we had no problem with the epoxy going over the caulk. Hope that helps!
What did you do to the cabinets?
Hi Lenze!
I took the doors off of the cabinet and removed the hardware from the door. Primed everything with some good primer (maybe Kilz? I can’t remember) and then painted it all. The color is Blue Coal by Valspar. Finished up with new hardware before re-hanging the doors.
Hope that helps!
Hi Kelli! I see that you also painted the cabinet part of the bathroom sink as well. I apologize if I missed it, do you have separate instruction for doing that part, too?
Hi Heather!
You aren’t missing it! Here is the quick breakdown of what I did to the cabinets…
I took the doors off of the cabinet and removed the hardware from the door. Primed everything with some good primer (maybe Kilz? I can’t remember) and then painted it all. The color is Blue Coal by Valspar. You can use a brush to trim, but use a 4 inch sponge roller to get a nice smooth finish for the rest! I finished up with new hardware before re-hanging the doors.
Hope that helps!
This looks like a great option for us. Were about to move into a house with 4 baths that all have this type of sink. Yuck! I’m wondering, if you just sand the whole thing down, do you really need to go over it with comet and lime away? Won’t sanding take any gunk off?
Hi Renee! Apologies for the very late reply. The comet and limeaway help get the grime off before sanding, so that you can sand effectively. I definitely felt monotonous, but I’ve seen people complain about peeling paint, so I decided that I wasn’t skipping any steps, no matter how monotonous! 🙂 Hope that helps!
Is the sink and counter made of real marble? Or is it made of marbled plastic because that makes a huge difference. My sink is metal and the counter is made of real marble so I am hesitant to use this product because I have a feeling it works better on plastic than marble and metal. Still I would like to paint at the very least the sink. Is it even possible to paint a metal sink?
Hi Jo! The sink is cultured marble, and a year later it’s holding up beautifully. Rustoleum says that it is to be used on ceramic, porcelain or fiberglass, so I’m not sure how well it would work on metal.
Rustoleum recommends using this product on cultured marble but you are saying it is still holding ups it still good now?
Thanks!
Hi Heather! I don’t think that Rustoleum specifically recommends using the product on cultured marble, but I decided to give it a shot anyway. And yes, it’s been a year and a half now and the countertop and sink still look as good as they did on day one! I am so pleased with the results!
Thank you so much for your tutorial! I have the identical sink but an awkward 40″ cabinet with it. This is Exactly an great alternative to an expensive replacement. I was wondering if your cabinet hinges are outside/showing or inside? Were you able to switch the difference if so? Mine are outside, which dates the cabinets also.
Great to hear the Epoxy is still holding up.
Hi Stephanie! My hinges are inside, so we didn’t have any replacing to do. Switching hinges can be so tricky! I hope that were able to find some more modern ones or figure out how to switch to inside hinges! 🙂
I’m sooo glad you shared this. I’ve wanted to repair my scratched tub for 2 years now and actuall bought the Rustoleum Tub & Tile paint last year (yeah, I’m a fast mover, huh?) After seeing your blog and the wonderful results you and hubby achieved, I’m gonna go for it! Thanks for the wonderful details you shared to making it success–I’m not afraid anymore.
Suzanna, I’d love to hear about your results when you finally get around to doing it! 😉 (I do the same thing with house projects!) I have heard mixed reviews from people who refinish tubs, so I’d love to know how yours holds up.
I painted my tub and the paint peels very easily, unfortunately. I painted the tile as well and that seems to be holding up just fine.
I really want to try this, BUT, I don’t know if I want plain white. Did you put any kind of top coat/sealant/poly over it or is the finished project just that shiny? Do you think I could put the little granite “flakes” into the mix before painting it on? or is there some kind of color additive to change the color? This seems like one of the easier ways to “paint” those sinks that I’ve found.
Hi Tammi,
The finished product is just that shiny! There is no type of sealant over it. You’re right, it was really easy compared to some of the other methods of sink-painting that I’ve seen. As far as color, I know that you are able to get Rustoleum’s countertop paint tinted at the paint counter, but I’m not sure about this product. They are similar, so maybe email Rustoleum or ask at your local paint store? I’m not sure about adding anything to the mix. I wonder if the flakes would add texture? You could try it on a sheet of melamine or something similar before making the decision to do it on your sink. I will warn you though, that once the epoxy/paint parts are mixed, you don’t have more than about 6 hours before the mixture starts to get really sticky and won’t spread well. So if you do a test run, be prepared to either use 2 kits or to make a decision right away after your test run. Good luck! I’d love to hear about your results!
Just wondering about painting a laminate counter top in the bathroom. What do you suggest?
I’m excited to try this. My sink has little cracks around the drain. Should I or do I need to treat those cracks with something before I apply the paint? Or does the paint cover that problem?
Thank you!
Hi love what u did. I also have a 90s marble bathroom vanity and want to paint mine like yours but with maybe black cracks in it to make look like stone..how could I achieve this?.
We have the cultured marble in the bathroom as the vanity top along with the entire shower interior. Any thoughts as to weather or not this type of paint would hold up inside a shower ? We will eventually re-model and the shower will be redone but it’s going to be closer to the end of our project list.
I’m sure Kelli can share her thoughts, but Heather also used it on her shower here and can give you some additional insights! 🙂 https://www.remodelaholic.com/update-tile-shower-tub-weekend/
Did just the tub and tile paint get it that shiny!?? or did you have to put something over the top? would u recommend this for a kitchen sink or counter?