Claude's Home Improvement Blog: DIY Painted Countertop Reviews

When it comes to DIY countertops, painting can be a great option. If your countertops are still structurally sound but just a dated or unpleasant color — a couple coats of paint and sealant can give you new countertops on a small budget! But, just like with concrete countertops, wood countertops, or even painted cabinetry — you want to make sure that you do your research and know what you’re getting into. So today we have some experienced DIYers to give you their DIY painted countertop reviews. Some purchased their materials separately; others used a pre-assembled paint kit like Rustoleum or Giani. All of them are ready to share their experience and advice!

This post may contain some affiliate links. Find our full privacy policy and disclosure here.

DIY Painted Countertop Reviews

Dawn | Designing Dawn

Dawn (one of our beloved contributors!) painted her kitchen countertops 4 years ago, and they’re one of the most popular countertops on our site (featured here). The process, in a nutshell: clean/sand, and “faux” paint in layers to resemble stone countertops (including adding glitter!), then seal with Envirotex Lite for a glossy finish.

“The counter has held up surprisingly well. We refinished them almost exactly 4 years ago, and I didn’t plan on it lasting forever, but so far so good. We try to treat it well, not cutting directly on it and not placing hot pots or pans on it. I learned that heat can burn and discolor the resin- which isn’t a real issue if you use dark paint, but on my very light counters it shows a bit yellow in a spot where I held the torch too long during the curing process, so I’ve been extra careful about hot things touching the counter ever since.

As far as cleaning, I don’t do anything special. Just wipe them down as needed with Clorox wipes or a vinegar/water mixture. Any stains we’ve had have buffed right out with a magic eraser.”

Dawn says YES she would use this again and recommend it to a friend: “Absolutely! I actually have used it again on my bathroom counters and have been just as happy with that result. I’ve also had several people try it after reading my tutorial who have reported back that they were very pleased with the results.”

She rates it as a 4 (Great. It has lasted well and longer than I had anticipated). “I didn’t expect it to last as long as it has and I expect that we can get several more years of use out of it. I don’t think it’s as durable as real stone, but we are careful and it has held up beautifully for four years now.”

Dawn’s tips: Read Dawn’s FAQs and more about the countertops here.

Tracy | General Splendour

Tracy painted her formica countertops (featured here) to look like granite almost 5 years ago. Her budget-friendly faux granite countertops look great in her kitchen!

“The countertops have held up remarkably well! Even I am a bit surprised. It was just going to be a quick temporary fix but since I am so happy with the look and performance, I decided to re-decorate around them. I recently added a stone backsplash and added a stone backsplash to update the kitchen but I kept the counters as is. If they get a bit dull, the glossy shine can be instantly restored by wiping them down with furniture polish.”

Tracy says YES, “I would most definitely use this technique again and I have recommended it to many friends. It is a great alternative to full counter replacement and is VERY cost effective! I am so pleased with the results.” She rates the durability as “most definitely a 5!” (Amazing!)

Kristy | Castle DIY

Kristy redid her kitchen counters about a year ago, using “some Pinterest inspiration, acrylic paints, a natural sea sponge, a handful of painting tools and the best stuff ever: Envirotex Lite!” Full details here.

“My counters are still in good shape! I never put anything hot directly on them, and I did get a bit of food color on them that I’m still figuring how to get out – but everyone says the look just like granite, but for a fraction of the cost. I can’t wait to employ the same method in both of my bathrooms, too. It was definitely easier than I thought it would be!”

YES she would use this method again and she rates it as a 5 (Amazing. I expect this to last for many years.)

Kristy’s tips: Make sure you’ve got a second set of hands, sturdy gloves, and some time to spare. It takes three days for the counters to cure before you can use them. Also, check and recheck for spots where the resin didn’t reach. I have a few little spots near the edges of my counters where we didn’t “push” the resin – I haven’t attempted to go back and fix these spots yet (but only because unless you lived with me, you’d never notice they were there).

Reader Lauren

Lauren painted the countertops in her kitchen about a year ago. (She also painted her cabinets, so read about that here.)

“I originally wanted to do a faux marble, but during one trip to the hardware store I saw a quartz countertop sample that was a sparkly black and I decided to try and recreate it. I found some sparkle paint additive at Lowes (the name escapes me, but it was part of their Valspar line). I got a dark charcoal paint and added a good bit of the sparkle dust to give it a shimmer. The countertops are just laminate, so I sanded and cleaned them before priming as well. I gave it 2 coats of the dark paint, and then I sprinkled some shredded iridescent glitter from the craft store into the wet paint, pressing them into it as I went.

The final step was covering the painted countertops with a high gloss Polyurethane (water based so it wouldn’t yellow). Before this I was afraid I added way too much of the shredded glitter, but ended up glad I did because a lot of it came off as I painted the coats of poly (sanding between each coat of course!) I believe I ended with 3 coats of poly.

The countertops have stood up well enough for being a quick redo, but I definitely want to replace them with quartz eventually. Some of the paint got scraped when we installed our new stove and I wasn’t able to patch it, so it’s a tiny eye sore. And the poly tends to get cloudy any time there is water on it even for a short time (it does return to clear after cleaning up the spill, but it’s a kitchen so liquids aren’t exactly uncommon).”

Lauren would MAYBE try this method again on countertops, and she rates it as a 3 (Good. It did the job.)

Jenna | Rain on a Tin Roof

About 6 months ago, Jenna took a different approach to making her laminate countertops look like stone, for just $15 and some chalkboard paint! Read the full details here.

“So far, so good! It is important to note that this countertop is not in the kitchen. Its part of a built-in unit in my husband’s man cave, so it doesn’t see as much action as kitchen counters do.”

Jenna says YES, she would do this again, “Absolutely! It was very easy to do and extremely affordable. If it were going to be done in a kitchen, I would recommend using a more durable sealant other than wax, such as a satin polycrylic.” She rates the durability and wear as a 4 (Great. It has lasted well and longer than I had anticipated).