How to paint Formica countertops to look like new

Give your dated looking Formica countertops an update and paint them to achieve a marble look. Find out How to paint Formica countertops to look like new:

So we bought this house – it wasn’t perfect but in a great neighbourhood, we liked the floor plan and the little backyard, perfect for us and our dog.

Well, after looking closer at the kitchen it was clear, that we had to update the whole kitchen. Old and pretty disgusting-looking appliances and the countertop and backsplash weren’t really my taste either. But $ 3,000 for new countertops wasn’t in the budget. So I started researching.

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How to paint Formica countertops to look like new

I watched Tasha from Kaleidoscope living on Instagram how she painted her Granite countertops and thought, well if she can paint Granite I can paint Formica. And this is what I did:

Shopping List:

Giani Countertop kit

Paint tray

Painters tape

Preparation:

We took the range and the sink out because we bought new appliances anyways. So if you can, remove your sink but you don’t have to. Use the plastic foil from the kit to cover your cabinets well and also cover the sides of your sink and appliances with frog tape.

Before you start painting, make sure your countertops are clean. Clean them with a sponge and a small amount of detergent but wash all the detergent off the countertops before painting. The countertop has to be clean and dry. Get rid of any Silicone around your backsplash or sink and appliances. The paint doesn’t stick to the silicone.

Step-by-step how-to paint Formica countertops

Let’s start painting the countertop:

1.This is how my countertop looked like. 2.Then I started painting the backsplash and 3. this is how the countertop looks after one coat of paint.

Step-by-step how-to paint Formica countertop

1. Shake the primer well and pour some in your paint tray.
2. Use the brush and start painting the Formica backsplash.
3. Use the felt roller and roll the paint primer on your countertop without a lot of pressure.
4. Let dry for about 1 hour.
5. Add a second coat of primer.
6. Let dry for about 1 hour

How to add the veining onto the countertop

Now comes the fun part: adding the veining on the countertop. Inside the kit you will find a small brush and the grey paint as well as a small practice sheet. Add water in the sprayer bottle and start practicing how to paint veins. Spray water onto the just painted veins and use the brush to dab on the wet paint.

See for yourself here how to do it:

After you are done painting the veins, make sure that everything looks the way you want it. If you don’t like the way how a vein came out, spray water on it and wipe it off and start fresh.

Look over your countertop closely, wipe off any water or dust before you start with the Epoxy.

Now this is important:

Make sure your cabinets and your floor is covered well, because the Epoxy will run down from the countertops.

Mix the activator and the Epoxy well for at least 3 minutes, then use the foam roller to distribute the Epoxy on your countertop. Evenly pour the Epoxy onto the countertop and with the foam roller spread the Epoxy from the back to the front. The Epoxy has the consistency of glue. Use the roller without pressure, the Epoxy is self-leveling but make sure you cover the whole countertop evenly.

Check from the sides to see if you have an even surface and that there are no holes without Epoxy. If you see a part that is not covered, just add a little more Epoxy with a brush and it will slowly self-level.

Don’t use the foam roller with pressure, try to use the roller as little as possible.

Start with the Epoxy on a not-so-visible area, so you can practice a little bit. Make sure the Epoxy runs down the front of the countertop, then use the roller to even the Epoxy on the sides of the countertop too.

Countertops painted with Giani marble kit

After 1 to 2 hours remove the plastic and the frog tape otherwise you won’t be able to get it off. Don’t take it off too soon, otherwise the Epoxy will run down. So try to remove the plastic carefully and see if the Epoxy is slowly hardening and not running anymore. Then carefully remove the plastic foil.

Now leave the house for 2 days and don’t come back

You want to be sure that the Epoxy drys without anything falling onto the countertop. You want to be sure that there is no air circulation inside the kitchen, no dust falling onto the Epoxy. Turn the AC off. Therefore it is the best thing to go on a short vacation or stay with a friend for 2 nights. When you come back the Epoxy is dry and you can slowly start using your kitchen again. Just make sure you don’t put anything heavy directly onto the countertop for another week. The best thing is to put your coffee machine on a tray, just be careful the first couple of weeks.

Do you want to paint your kitchen cabinets too?

This is what I did years ago in our other house and it looked so good after getting rid of the dated-looking cabinets. If you are interested to find out how to paint cabinets the easy way, here is a great tutorial. How to paint kitchen cabinets the easy way

You want to add a different look to your countertops?

Giani offers different paint kits. You can also get:

Giani white Diamond Countertop kit

Giani Sicilian Sand Countertop kit

Giani Belgotta Black Marble Countertop kit

How much does a paint kit cost?

Depending on what kind of paint kit you want to get, it is between $ 80 and $ 180.

How much does one kit cover?

Each kit contains all necessary tools and covers 35 square feet of surface, which is the average amount of countertop area in a kitchen.

Can I use this kit also on different surfaces?

Giani Countertop Paint can be used on the following surfaces:

• Formica,
• laminate,
• Corian,
• ceramic tile,
• butcher block,
• cultured marble,
• traditional granite

Summary of ‘How to paint Formica countertops to look like new’

I must say, the outcome of this project is amazing. I never thought it would look so great. We didn’t even spend $ 200 on our countertops and it looks like new. We would have easily paid $ 3,000 for new quartz countertops. So the weekend we put into this project was well worth it. Also, watch the videos from the Giani homepage, it explains absolutely everything in detail how to do it.

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Hope to see you soon on the blog or on the road,

Conny

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