My Experiences Painted Laminate Countertops

Let me begin by saying that all these posts were the most helpful information I found or my project. I've lived in my house for 13 years with country blue countertops that I've hated since day one. Not having the funds to renovate and not wanting to paint the kitchen a color that went with country blue, I left the kitchen the color it was when we bought the house.

Recently a decorator/friend suggested we paint the countertops black with the Fusion spray paint and top with polycrylic. She did this for us and the change was inspiring. No more blue! However, this treatment was very fragile. The polycrylic clouded when damp and the paint scratched easily. After reading all of this discussion I decided to use the Envirotex Lite product. I rolled on satin Krylon black latex, waited one day, mixed acrylic art paint, metallic pewter and metallic black, dibbled on with a large art brush, and immediately sponged over heavily with the metallic black again. I topped it all off with black "fairy dust" glitter.

I had about 35 sq ft of counter, used a 1/2 quart of Krylon latex, 1 (2 oz) bottle of pewter and 2 (2 oz) bottles of black acrylic and less than 2 tubes of fairy dust. We used a total of 4 (32 oz) Envirotex kits. I gathered 40% coupons from Michaels and Hobby Lobby and kept the cost of all materials under $100.

I waited one more day and prepared to apply the Envirotex. I was a bit intimidated. I re-read all the posting, re-read the directions and made my husband read them too. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated! Working with another person and having a plan made it pretty easy. A few pointers that I believe were helpful:

• Make sure you use plenty of Envirotex, don't skimp, flood the area you are covering well (we had to re-coat 1 area because the glitter wasn't covered all the way).
• Use a wide sponge applicator to distribute it.
• A heat gun works perfectly to remove air bubbles.
• Use plastic and newspaper to protect cabinets (this is a messy process, be prepared!).
• After I finished I turned to oven on to promote faster/better curing.
• I removed the sink and recommend doing so.

The end results are stunning! I am beginning to use the countertops and find them very durable. I am being very cautious, but believe the end result will be durable in the long run. No scratches yet and this is much better than the polycrylic finish. I'm not sure why I waited 13 years to take care of a color I hated. I encourage anyone reading this to GO FOR IT! Thanks for all the great advice!