Painting Plastic Laminate Countertops

My cheap laminate countertops need to be replaced, but my budget won’t allow it right now. Can I paint them instead? -Marie

Yes! If your old plastic laminate countertops have seen better days, you might want to consider painting them. Several countertop coating are available which allow you to paint over old plastic laminate countertops, including Rust-Oleum Countertop Coating for a solid color and Giani Granite Paint for a faux stone look.

Simply clean your countertops thoroughly, repair any dings or chips, sand lightly with fine sandpaper to remove the gloss, then apply the coating following the manufacturer’s instructions. Allow the coating to harden for several days, as recommended in the directions, before using.

Further Information

• Rust-Oleum Countertop Coating for Plastic Laminate (video)
• DIY Faux Granite Finish for Kitchen Countertops (article/video)
• Applying Countertop Paint to Textured Plastic Laminate (article)
• How to Redo Giani Faux Granite Countertop Finish (article)

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Marie: My cheap laminate countertops need to be replaced, but my budget won’t allow it right now. Can I paint them instead?

Danny Lipford: If your countertop looks like this, with all these stains, discoloration, and maybe an occasional burn mark; you’ll be happy to know that, yes, you can paint your plastic laminate countertops. Over the last few years, several different types of specialty paints have been developed that’s formulated to paint countertops.

One particular one only requires you to do a little bit of sanding, apply the coating, allow it to dry for three or four days before you use it. Another one can actually simulate the look of real granite. What it requires is you do a little more work in applying a black primer, then one coat, then come back with a sponge with a little bit of an artistic flair to create that granite look.

Either way, either of these systems, less than $100 for a typical kitchen.