DIY Painted Bathroom Sink Countertop
How to paint a bathroom sink countertop and tub/shower/tile for a bright white makeover that lasts without the demo.
As promised, I’m back with all of the progress and answers to questions about our hallway bathroom’s painted sink countertop.
Some of y’all saw my sneak peek I shared a couple of weeks ago on my Instagram Stories about the beginning stages of the process. And the response was a mix of excitement, denial, and downright skepticism about how this icky before situation turned into THIS with only paint.
UPDATE: I shared how the painted bathroom countertop held up 8 months later here. (Spoiler alert… it’s durable stuff!)
I tell ya… I’m amaaaaaazed, you guys! We have a painted bathroom sink countertop, and it looks a gajillion times better than the 80s beige cultured marble we had before.
Yeah, remember that snazziness?
And then bam!
The results were so amazing, I even painted our tub and shower! (Sorry for the weird angle though… this bathroom is a tight squeeze with a camera.)
I guess that before shot isn’t entirely fair since I took it at night with the lights on using my cell phone. Blame it on laziness. But come on! That change is huge!
UPDATE: See the full bathroom transformation using just paint here!
If you’ve missed some of the makeover madness so far, we’ve had one goal in this bathroom- to make it look totally different for as little mulah as possible, which means paint, lots and lots of paint. (This is our full room makeover plan and paint progress so far.)
What You Should Know Before Painting Your Bathroom Countertop
I should tell you right up front, before you’re ready to buy a box of this sink refinishing paint, that I rate this stuff 4 out of 5 stars. It’s not a walk in the park, I’ll tell ya that. Because this paint stinks to high heaven.
Robert, Olivia, and I ended up having to spend the weekend at my parents’ house nearby because there was no way we could sleep here with the fumes taking their own sweet time to air out right next to our bedrooms.
But I’m still SO happy we did it! (Good excuse to spend time with family anyway, right?)
DIY Painted Bathroom Sink Countertop
Supplies
- Rustoleum Tub & Tile Refinishing Kit (1 box covered my entire sink and countertop.)
- Abrasive scrub cleaning pads
- Comet
- Lime-A-Way
- 400 grit sandpaper
- Tack cloth
- Window scraper and utility knife with plenty of fresh blades
- Mineral spirits
- Spray bottle with water
- Clean, dry towel
- Frog Tape
- 1.5″ angled pro quality paint brush
- Foam roller and extra roller covers
- Small roller tray
- Respirator mask (do NOT attempt without this)
- Chemical resistant gloves
- Safety glasses
- Box fan (optional but highly recommend)
- Drop cloths
- White silicone caulk and caulk gun
How to Paint a Bathroom Sink Countertop
Scrape Off the Old Caulk
1. Using the window scraper and utility knife, I removed all of the old silicone caulk first, changing out the blades often to scrape it all away. For any remaining caulk residue, I wiped down the cracks of the countertop edges with the mineral spirits.
Scrub the Countertop and Sink Clean
2. Then, to make sure it was well cleaned, I scrubbed the sink and countertop all over with Comet using an abrasive cleaning pad and rinsed with water using the spray bottle and dried.
Remove Any Residue
3. To make sure all residue was removed, I sprayed the sink and countertop again with the Lime-a-way and wiped clean.
Sand to Give It Grip
4. The directions suggested for the best prep to sand the entire surface first with 400 grit sandpaper, followed by a tack cloth to remove any sanding dust.
Tape Off Everything
5. I let the countertop and sink air dry for a couple of hours after all of the prep just to be safe, and I used the Frog Tape on the faucet and drain. (We were originally just going to remove it, but we had an old water line that was being a total pain, so I just decided to tape. If you have the capability, removing the faucet would be best.)
Mix the Painting Kit Wearing Safety Gear
6. The paint in the refinishing kit comes in two different cans that you mix right before you’re ready to use it, so follow the directions on the box to combine the two.
Before you open anything, put on the respirator mask, gloves, and safety glasses, open a bathroom window (if you have one), and turn on the box fan to full blast to help push any fumes out of the window.
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And then rock your best Darth Vader impression.
Apply Bathroom Sink Countertop Paint
7. I used the 1.5″ angled brush to paint all of the edges, corners, and rounded places that a roller would have a hard time reaching.
Use a Foam Roller on Large Flat Areas
8. Then, I poured some of the paint into the roller tray and started painting the rest of the bathroom sink countertop with the foam roller. Try not to over brush since roller/brush marks will be more visible the more you work the paint. This paint is self leveling if you resist the urge to brush too much (I learned the hard way in a couple of places.)
Follow the Recommended Drying Times
9. Wait 1 hour between coats. It took me 3 coats to get a solid white finish since I wanted to go slow with thin, even coats.
Remove Tape and Seal with Silicone Caulk
10. Once dry, remove the Frog Tape and seal all cracks and edges with white silicone caulk.
Clean Up Any Paint Spots
11. If you end up with any paint residue stuck on your faucet or drain that might have seeped under the tape, just dip a few Q-tips into a little acetone or acetone based nail polish remover and scrub the metal to get rid of the paint spots.
Allow the Bathroom Sink Countertop Paint to Fully Cure
Done! Wait at least 3 days for the paint to fully cure, and it’s ready for water.
After tackling the sink, I spent another weekend painting the tub/shower combo, and I was down to my last coat when I ran out of paint. Womp womp.
So it’s still a work in progress.
How the Countertop Paint Holds Up
I’m sure I’ll report back once that’s done and, a few months down the road, I’ll try to update with how it’s holding up in durability.
UPDATE: Want to see how our painted sink countertop lasted long term? Check it out 8 months later!
Considering this is a Phase 1 sort of makeover until we can do a hardcore Phase 2 demo and remodel in a couple of years, I’m a-okay with how it’s going so far.
UPDATE: See our big demo and remodel we did in this bathroom a couple years later!
Hey, we’re not in a sea of beige anymore!
The last of Operation: Beige Banishment will be to paint that bathroom vanity cabinet that I’ll be doing in the next week or two, and we’ll have this space looking almost new for just the cost of paint. Woo to the hoo!
Here’s how the bathroom looks now!
So this begs the question, have you painted your tub/shower/sink and lived to tell the tale? I guess there’s no going back now.
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