If your countertops are old or washed out and you don’t have the money to replace them, one way to improve their look is by painting them.
Most homeowners don’t paint their countertops so you will hear them asking, does painting kitchen countertops work?
The good news is that it works but you have to consider several tips to get ideal results. These tips include:
Prepare the surfaces properly
The paint won’t adhere properly to the surface so you need to ensure that you properly prepare it. How do you go about it?
After removing all the items from your countertop, get out the sanding block and sand your countertop surfaces. Avoid using the electric sander as it creates so much dust that you have a problem clearing it and getting the smooth finish you are looking for.
Although the hand sander takes a longer time to give you the results you are looking for, you are able to get the smooth finish you are looking for.
Remember that if you don’t properly sand your countertops, it’s a matter of time before the paint begins to peel.
Use the right painting tools
There is no way you are going to achieve ideal results if you use the wrong tools. As a rule of thumb, ensure that you use paint designed for countertops. This calls for you to avoid wall paints, as they aren’t made to withstand a lot of abuse, heat and spills.
When you are in the stores making the purchase, let the sellers know that you want countertop paint.
When it comes to painting, use a paint roller instead of a brush. The reason for this is because the brush will leave brush strokes on your counters regardless of how good of a painter you are. And you don’t want brush strokes on your surfaces, do you?
To avoid a bumpy counter., use smooth-textured rollers. You should only use a brush when you are applying paint on the edges or other delicate areas. When applying the paint, use the same brush to ensure that the brush strokes don’t show.
If your kitchen is large, you have a large countertop space and you will be too tired painting it with a roller. To save time, hire or buy a paint sprayer.
The cool thing is that besides the sprayer making it possible to complete your work fast, it also gives you a seamless finish and you can paint even the corners and edges even better than with a brush.
Take your time
Like any other project, there is no way you will achieve ideal results if you are in a hurry to get things done. When you are in a hurry painting the countertops, you won’t sand the surfaces properly so the paint will start peeling after a few weeks.
When you are in a hurry, you won’t give the paint enough time to dry which increases its chances of peeling off later on.
To avoid this, have enough time to dedicate as much time to the painting project as much as possible.
As mentioned above, you need to thoroughly sand the surfaces for the paint to properly adhere to the surfaces so you need to have enough time to do it in no hurry.
Each coat of paint requires at least 24-48 hours to dry before you apply another and for the best outcome, apply at least three coats. You need to have this time to see your project to fruition.
To ensure that you aren’t in a hurry, ensure that you have at least a week for painting and a week or two for the sealant to cure. This calls for you to do the project during your holidays or on your job leave.
To ensure that the paint doesn’t take too long to dry and the sealant to cure, do the project in the summer.
Seal the countertops
Once you are done with the painting, apply a sealant to prevent the paint from chipping. Granite countertop installers NC advise that the sealer can make or damage your countertops so splurge on the best sealer in the market.
As a rule of thumb, avoid a cheap sealer, as it will ruin your project.