Man oh man, am I behind on this post or what?? I know you have been on the edge of your seat like, ‘When is Kelly going to let us know how to so frugally refinish bathroom countertops!?’ haha.. Well, I went searching through my 1000’s of iPhone photos to find the documented process, and I took not ONE photo as I was refinishing my bathroom countertops. Not one. I can pretty much guarantee that was because I was so focused on not screwing it up, that taking pictures went out the window! With that said, I still feel like I NEED to give you a mini version of this, because it’s just too good. So, I will still give you a basic run down on the how-to’s of this project.
How to Refinish Bathroom Countertops:
First of all.. here is a little before picture of our 1990’s beauty in our master bath.
Don’t you feel a little sad looking at it? Who knew it could be possible to change something so awful in one day!
Here are the things you will need to refinish bathroom countertops:
- Good quality short nap roller for kitchen use
- Rust-Oleum Tub And Tile Refinishing Kit
- Angled 1-1.5″ paint brus
- Tack Cloth
400 Grit Sandpaper (or something close)
- Comet or some form strong cleaner
- Abrasive scrubby pad
- Lime Away
- Mask if you don’t want to inhale yucky fumes
To start off, remove your faucet as well as drain so all surfaces are able to be refinished. (Now, I’m sure that if you reeeaally don’t want to remove your faucet, you could possibly work around it and just paint right up to the edge. I understand that plumbing is the absolute WORST. So, that is totally up to you)
Clean your entire countertop with comet. Rinse well and let dry. Scrub surface with an abrasive scrubber and lime away, just to make sure the surface is super clean and gunk free. Rinse and let dry completely.
Use the sandpaper and just scrub all over, by hand, until it feels a little rough all over. This is a high grit, so it will just open up the surface and allow it to grab onto the new product. That is an important step! Finally, remove all dust very well with your tack cloth. I love tack cloth! That stuff works! No dust is getting by that thing.
Follow instructions on the can for mixing parts A and B… Now, for the scary, I mean fun, part. Take your roller and apply your first coat. **** Use a VERY light amount of paint for all your coats.****If you don’t, it will bubble up and make drip marks and that is NOT good. So take your time and do it thin. It’s going to look like a streaky mess. Don’t pass out. It will be ok. If I had a pic I would show you how horrible mine looked at this point. Leave about 1-2 hours of dry time with lots of ventilation before your next coat. I ended up doing 3 coats on my countertop.
I feel the roller is the best tool to use all over. It gives the smoothest look. I used the angled brush for hard to reach spots as well as edges. Let that baby dry for a few days at least before using your sinks again.
It will look awesome! Go for it! Don’t be scared…. =)
25 bucks and my bathroom went from boo-hoo, to hallelujah! And the new Dark bronze faucets I added were just soooo gorgeous on the fresh bright white top.
Sorry for the lack of visual step-by-step to refinish bathroom countertops, but please let me know if you have any questions! Happy Refinishing!
XOXO,
Kelly
So how long has this lasted for you? I’ve heard that it starts to peel around six months but I’m hoping that is wrong.
Hi Jana-
I have only done this a few months or so ago. I am not sure about peeling. From what I can tell so far, that shouldn’t be an issue. I could see how not doing enough coats of the product with adequate coverage you could have some issues. If you decide to do this, make sure to do 3 good coats. Take your time to get good coverage. ????
Hi Kelly! Your bathroom looks amazing! May I ask what your countertop was made of before you painted? Also, how is it holding up now? Im looking for a quick fix until we remodel our bathroom (not for a few years or so). Did you seal the paint or was that included in the refinishing kit?
Hi, thank you! The countertop was from the 90’s… I cannot remember what the material is called! You can see it in my before photo on the blog post. It’s holding up great! Just be sure to do multiple thin coats to get good coverage. Especially around the edges. There is no sealer needed for this project. The product fully hardens. I think this would be perfect for your situation ❤️
I hope so… Im going to give it a try! Do your remember if it was Corian? Also, did you have to drill out new holes for your faucets?
Yes! I believe they were Corian! I removed the old faucets, refinished the countertop, then put new faucets into the original holes. No new holes
Nevermind my comment on the cabinet post! Found found the answer here lol
Ok great! Have fun with your project!
XO,
Kelly
What was the product that you used? I need to refinish some HIDEOUS Corian and this post is giving me hope! Also, how long did you let it cure?
Hi! I’m so sorry, I just noticed that my product list wasn’t showing up in my post. I fixed it!
I used the Rust-Oleum Tub & Tile Kit. I believe I let it cure for 3 days before using it ????????
I have just builder grade countertops in my bathroom with drop in sinks. Do you think this will work for my counters?
Hi! What is the material of your countertop?
Hi!
I have super dated granite countertops that aren’t my style at all. Do you this would work on them? How are they holding up now?
Yes it would work! I have a small amount of cracking in the edges now, since doing mine. For a temporary fix (a few years) this is a great solution!
Hi i love how this turned out! Do you happen to have a tutorial for framing the mirror??
Yes I do!
https://domesticblonde.com/2017/01/06/put-a-frame-on-it/
Have fun! XO
I am wondering how this has held up over time. I did my kitchen counters sometime ago and had to replace them as the product couldn’t handle any type of setting water. I had young kids so it was a battle. Any updates would be great as I’d like to do my bathroom counter
Hi. I am not sure actually! We sold that house a few years ago. I can say, this isn’t a project to last forever. It is a great project to update your space until you’re able to put more money into it. I would guess 5 years? But that is only a guess since we only used ours for a couple years
This post is incredibly helpful! I’ve been contemplating refinishing my bathroom countertops, and your detailed tips and step-by-step guide make it seem much more manageable. Thanks for sharing your expertise!