Please excuse this mess. Teenage daughter lives here.
To Paint or not to paint a countertop?
by
Tiffany
+4
Hello beautiful DIY world, I have recently painted my 1976 bathroom cabinets & walls and found a new light fixture at Lowes on clearance for $19.95. I bought some green glass beads from the dollar store and glued them to the window to add a pop of color. Instead of getting new hardware I soaked the existing in CLR to give them a good bath and strip off the gunk and spray painted them silver. I know it is not in my budget to replace the all-in-one sink & counter top that is a faux marble so I am curious if painting the countertop & sink is worth it and does it hold up to average usage? I believe the kit from Rustoleum is about $80. Though much cheaper than a new countertop & sink it's still a bit pricey if it doesn't hold up. I prefer to spend money once. Also, as you can see the 2nd drawer has a broken piece. Any suggestions on fixing that would be greatly appreciated as well. Thank you to all for all of your amazing projects and ideas!
I painted an old mirror and found the light fixture on clearance. The shower liner is from the dollar store.
With the exception of the broken drawer, I like it. I think the countertop would look beautiful a light grey color.
Diane from In My Own STyle has a great tutorial on painting counters. https://inmyownstyle.com/kitchen-counter-transformation.html If you have a habitat for humanity where you live, go there and look for a drawer. The have tons of them. They also sell counter tops really cheap. I got a great deal on granite. You might try getting a trim to match the drawer at Lowes or Home Depot. I love your bargain light fixture. Great find. Cabinet came out great too. You need to cauld under the counter top. I also love your shelf on top of the potty.
There is also a counter top kit made by Giani, but I do not know what it cost. Good luck.
Hi Tiffany! I'm sorry, but, I'm not a big supporter of painting sinks and countertops. I've seen some films (similar to contact paper) that are much cheaper and are supposed to hold up well. I've seen counters and sinks that didn't. When I painted my cabinets I talked myself out of painting the sink/countertop. I'd rather spend the money towards a new cabinet, in the future. If you have the piece broken from the drawer, I would glue it in place with clear drying gorilla glue.
Do you have a restore or second hand store in your community? I would check with them to see if they have a sink counter combination. I have painted a kitchen counter with the Rustoleum paint and it has held up well. I don't know about doing the sink. But wonder if the paint would adhere well with the water usage.
What is done looks really good! It is amazing what paint can do.
If you don’t have the missing wood piece, you can make one several ways. I suggest drying modeling clay. Buy it in a craft store. Take the drawer out and empty it. Clean the front of the drawer. Take off the hardware. Find a cardboard box that is somewhat larger than the drawer front, and take off the lid. Line the box with plastic wrap. Place the drawer, front down, into the open cardboard box, into a corner, with the broken side next to the side of the box. Use a pencil or tape to mark the other edges of the drawer front onto the box, so you can tell if the drawer moves. Now wedge books, bricks, or rulers so that the drawer front is as stable as possible. Now you have a mold for the clay. Massage the clay some so that it is elastic. Press the clay carefully into the bottom of the drawer, filling in every space, and building up, layer after layer, until the clay reaches the thickness of the drawer front. (Let me say here that you could also use plaster of Paris, but it can dissolve and break more easily than the fast-drying clay.) Let the clay set about three hours, or even overnight) to be completely cured. Then carefully lift the drawer and the new piece of “wood” from the box. Remove the plastic wrap if it sticks to the clay. If the wood separates from the drawer you can glue it back on with E6000 or Gorilla Clear Glue. Paint the clay and drawer fronts to match the others. Use polyurethane as a sealer. New drawer front!
Do not bother repainting or glazing the countertop until you can replace it. They cost less than you may think, sometimes the cabinet and top are sold together. Also, get your teenage girl some shoeboxes or some $1 storage boxes for her stuff under the sink. It’s good practice for later.
Happy life! ☺️